Pega Lead System Architect

The Pega Lead System Architect shall own the overall Pega technical architecture and provide architecture governance and lead development across all Pega delivery teams supporting the CRM modernization effort.Responsibilities shall include, but are not limited to:Own overall Pega technical architecture, including application design, data model, case type hierarchy, business rules architecture, and integration architecture.Lead development of the Pega Blueprint and platform configuration strategy, establishing the architectural foundation for the CRM modernization effort.Define the architectural strategy and development guidelines for all Pega delivery teams, ensuring consistent standards and configuration-first, low-code/no-code development practices.Serve as technical lead across multiple Pega delivery teams, providing architecture governance and design oversight.Lead design of the Unified CSR Workspace, Beneficiary/Consumer 360 View, Case & Interaction Management, Workflow Automation, and Knowledge Management capabilities.Design and govern the API-first integration architecture connecting the modernized CRM to CMS systems of record via secure, event-driven, standards-based APIs.Lead architecture and technical design supporting Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstrations of case management, knowledge integration, AI features, and external system integrations.Own the technical architecture for the AI Feature Roadmap, ensuring AI capabilities are designed for scalability, security, and governance.Define and enforce Definition of Done criteria related to architecture, integration, and security scanning across all Pega development teams.Lead technical design reviews, architecture governance boards, and code/configuration quality standards across sprints.Partner with the Modernization Lead, Solution Architect, Release Train Engineer, and Product Manager to align Pega architecture decisions with the technical roadmap, PI planning, and Go/No-Go Gate criteria.Ensure the Pega solution architecture supports FedRAMP authorization, Zero Trust principles, and CMS ATO requirements.Design for data ownership, portability, and vendor lock-in protection, ensuring open APIs, non-proprietary data export capabilities, and documented integration points.Mentor and provide technical leadership to Pega Lead Business Architects, Pega and API Developers, and Pega AI & CDH Leads across delivery teams.Document architecture decisions, integration patterns, and design standards to support requirements traceability and the Transition-Out Plan.Support performance and scalability architecture to meet requirements for 20,000 concurrent CSR sessions and peak Open Enrollment Period (OEP) volumes.Ensure Pega development and architecture decisions comply with Section 508 accessibility standards.Communicate technical status, risks, and architecture dependencies to CMS leadership, and Leidos management.Actively participate in planning sessions, requirements gathering activities, design sessions, Agile sessions, and other events supporting the CRM modernization effort.Required Qualifications:Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10-12 years of relevant experience, including significant Pega Platform architecture experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experiencePega Certified Lead System Architect (CLSA)Experience architecting large-scale, complex Pega implementations with significant integrations and significant user baseExperience architecting API-first, event-driven integration patternsExperience leading technical teams and providing architecture governance across multiple concurrent Agile delivery teamsAbility to obtain Public TrustPreferred Qualifications:Experience with Pega GenAI, Pega Knowledge Buddy, or integrating large language models (LLMs) within Pega applicationsExperience with CRM/Pega migrations from legacy platforms (e.g., Siebel, Salesforce)Experience with FedRAMP and Zero Trust architectureExperience with Agile/Scrum or SAFe delivery methodologiesExperience supporting CMS or other federal health/human services modernization programsIf you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.Original Posting:September 24, 2026For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.Pay Range:Pay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.SummaryLocation: Baltimore, MDType: Full time