Director, Solutions Architecture - National Security, Worldwide Public Sector (AWS)

Director, Solutions Architecture – National Security, Worldwide Public Sector

AWS is seeking a transformational technical leader to serve as the Director of Solution Architecture for our strategic national security customers. This leader owns the executive technical strategy for a large‑scale, multi‑segment portfolio spanning the Intelligence Community (IC) and leads an elite organization of solutions architects, serving as the critical bridge between AWS product innovation and mission outcomes.

The role requires independent executive engagement with customer C‑suite (CIO/CTO/CDAO/SES/Flag‑level), peer‑level influence across multiple organizations without positional authority, and product roadmap influence. It is one of the most consequential technical leadership roles in the national security technology space, demanding credibility to engage independently with government executives, organizational gravity to influence peer organizations, and technical depth to shape the future of cloud and AI adoption for national security.

Key Leadership Principles

• Executive Technical Sponsorship & Customer Obsession: 15+ years of experience in IT, cloud computing, or defense/intelligence technology leadership with direct engagement at government C‑suite level.
• Strategic Relationship Building: Experience developing and maintaining relationships with customer executives at agencies and congressional oversight bodies.
• Public Speaking: Experience representing organizations as a speaker at senior government and congressional forums.
• Customer Acquisition & Technology Roadmap Influence: Experience shaping acquisition strategies and influencing technology roadmaps toward cloud‑native and AI‑first outcomes.
• Organizational Leadership & Think Big: Driving cross‑functional alignment with Sales, Go‑to‑Market, Services, and Product teams to deliver solutions through technical credibility.
• AI Adoption Leadership: Own the technical win strategy for AI adoption, mission resilience, and modernization across a $500M+ portfolio.
• Product Roadmap Advocacy: Influence product roadmap priorities for national security customers.
• Cross‑Agency Strategy: Authoring technical strategies that account for evolving threats, policy changes, and emerging technologies (GenAI, agentic AI, quantum‑safe architecture).
• People Leadership: 8+ years of people management, including managing managers (leader of leaders) and leading large technical organizations in classified environments.
• Clearance & Talent Pipeline: Building and sustaining cleared technical talent pipelines in competitive markets for technologists.
• Mentorship: Mentoring senior individual contributors toward Principal and Distinguished Engineer trajectories.
• Operational Excellence: Defining and executing organizational goals and metrics aligned to revenue and growth targets; owning rhythm of business through Monthly Metrics, WBRs, QBRs, and Annual Operational Planning.
• Scale Technical Excellence: Implementing mechanisms that scale solution reviews, architecture decisions, and reusable classified reference architectures.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Serve as executive technical sponsor for the portfolio’s most strategic programs, customers, and capture efforts.
• Develop and maintain direct, strategic relationships with customer C‑suite leaders at agencies and congressional oversight bodies.
• Represent AWS as a speaker at senior government and congressional forums.
• Drive measurable adoption of next‑generation architectures across the national security customer base.
• Jointly own the technical win rate and pipeline with Sales leadership.
• Influence AWS product and service team roadmap priorities for classified and air‑gapped environments.
• Lead a 40+ person cleared Solution Architecture organization, including senior managers and principal architects.
• Own the cleared talent strategy: identify, develop, retain, and grow the next generation of technical leaders.
• Build and sustain the cleared technical talent pipeline for technologists.
• Define and execute organizational goals and metrics aligned to $1.5B+ revenue and growth targets.
• Manage cross‑functional operating rhythms with Sales, Services, Professional Services, and Partner teams.

Basic Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in IT, cloud computing, or defense/intelligence technology leadership.
• 8+ years of people management experience, including managing managers (leader of leaders).
• Current, active US Government Security Clearance of TS/SCI with Polygraph.
• Experience leading large technical organizations in classified environments.
• Executive engagement at government C‑suite level (CIO/CTO/CDAO).
• Technical strategy experience for large‑scale ($500M+) programs or portfolios.
• Public speaking experience at government/industry forums in classified settings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Recognized thought leadership in national security technology, AI/ML, or cloud modernization.
• Experience across multiple intelligence domains (GEOINT, HUMINT, SIGINT).
• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or MBA (or equivalent experience).
• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect Professional, Security Specialty).
• Strategic capture or technical solutioning experience for IC/DoD programs.
• Building cleared talent pipelines in competitive markets.
• Influencing product roadmaps at a major cloud or technology provider.

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