Senior Solutions Architect

Are you passionate about designing and delivering robust, cloud-native architectures that power enterprise-scale systems?

Do you thrive at the intersection of technical leadership and hands-on engineering, guiding teams to deliver solutions that matter?

Are you energized by translating complex government challenges into scalable, modern software?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team.

We are seeking a Senior Solutions Architect to lead the design and delivery of cloud-native enterprise software systems. In this role, you will serve as a technical anchor for cross-functional teams setting architectural direction, championing agile development practices, and ensuring every solution is production-ready, scalable, and aligned with business objectives. You will work hands-on with a modern technology stack and collaborate closely with stakeholders, product owners, and engineers to translate requirements into enterprise-grade software.

As a Senior Solutions Architect, you will...

• Define and drive end-to-end cloud-native architecture for enterprise-grade software systems, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security from day one.
• Lead and mentor cross-functional development teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.
• Apply Agile principles (Scrum, Kanban, or scaled agile frameworks) to structured delivery cycles, manage technical debt, and keep teams focused on outcomes.
• Design and implement software solutions using Java, Spring Framework (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud), Vue.js, and Groovy — writing and reviewing code at an appropriate level to maintain
  architectural integrity.
• Collaborate with product owners, business stakeholders, and DevOps engineers to translate functional and non-functional requirements into actionable technical designs.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, patterns, and best practices across the development lifecycle (CI/CD, automated testing, observability, security-by-design).
• Evaluate and recommend cloud platform technologies, frameworks, and third-party integrations that support organizational goals.
• Facilitate architecture reviews, design sessions, and proof-of-concept efforts to de-risk complex technical decisions.
• Serve as a solutions-oriented escalation point — diagnosing production issues, guiding root-cause analysis, and driving timely resolution.
• Communicate architectural vision and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...

• Possess a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or other relevant field.
• Have 5+ years of experience designing and delivering cloud-native enterprise software systems in production environments.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and cloud-native patterns (microservices, event-driven architecture, 12-factor app principles).
• Demonstrate proven experience leading software engineering teams, including mentoring developers and driving technical decisions across the full SDLC.
• Have strong, hands-on proficiency with Java and the Spring Framework ecosystem (Spring Boot, Spring MVC, Spring Security, Spring Cloud).
• Have strong, hands-on experience designing and implementing data engineering solutions across varying data architectures and databases that scale to enterprise data volumes.
• Have strong experience with SQL, Transact-SQL and ETL processes.
• Have working experience with Vue.js for front-end development in enterprise contexts.
• Have experience with Groovy for scripting, build automation (Gradle), or application development.
• Can demonstrate a proven track record of applying agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or similar) to drive iterative software delivery.
• Are solutions-oriented — you identify the right answer through data, collaboration, and pragmatic engineering judgment rather than over-engineering.
• Exhibit strong communication skills with the ability to align technical and non-technical stakeholders on architectural decisions.
• Are able to obtain a Top Secret level security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Hold a Master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or other relevant technical discipline.
• Have led architecture decisions in regulated or mission-critical enterprise environments.
• Have experience implementing observability stacks (logging, metrics, distributed tracing) at scale.
• Have hands-on experience with DevSecOps pipelines and security-by-design principles.
• Have contributed to or led communities of practice, guilds, or internal engineering standards bodies.

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at .

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact .

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.