Platform Solutions Architect

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter . Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Space and Intelligence Division provides professional services to the US Space Force, Combatant Commands, Intelligence Community, and NASA. Our work includes enterprise architectural assessments, systems engineering and integration, test, planning and execution, cost estimating and analysis, acquisition support, and cybersecurity. We are trusted partners developing approaches and concepts to meet emerging high priority needs, assessing cutting-edge technologies, and supporting capabilities for our National Defense. Come join the fastest growing Division at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.!

The Space Systems Group (SSG), part of SPA's Space and Intelligence Division, provides timely and objective assessments and recommendations integrating technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis. We focus on our key clients in the Space community including the US Space Force's Space Systems Command (USSF/SSC), one of the three designated Field Commands under USSF. We work tirelessly to provide integrated solutions based on information and communications throughout the chain of command. We provide clear and consistent analysis and recommendations which are aligned to strategic and leadership goals while balancing the ability to execute on time and on budget within the technical communities. Come join an organization responsible for being a key enabler of Spacepower!

SPA has an immediate need for a Platform Solutions Architect.

SPA is seeking a Platform Solutions Architect to join a high-performing team responsible for designing, evolving, and sustaining a secure, mission-critical software delivery platform supporting national security systems. This role operates at the intersection of platform engineering, cloud-native architecture, DevSecOps, and mission systems engineering. The selected architect will work alongside a team of senior engineers and architects to define the current and future architecture of a complex platform ecosystem, ensuring it remains resilient, secure, scalable, and capable of supporting demanding operational missions. The platform integrates secure cloud and on-prem infrastructure, automated DevSecOps pipelines, container orchestration, enterprise identity services, observability frameworks, and mission application hosting environments into a unified capability designed to deliver operational software rapidly and securely. This position is not a purely conceptual architecture role. The successful candidate must be comfortable understanding technical systems, conducting research, building architectural artifacts, prototyping new capabilities, and defending technical decisions to senior stakeholders. The architect will play a critical role in shaping the platform's future architecture, introducing new capabilities, and improving resilience, security, and mission performance.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Platform Architecture Development: Contribute to the architectural evolution of a secure hybrid cloud platform supporting mission-critical software development and operations. Document and analyze the current-state ("as-is") platform architecture and develop forward-looking target architectures ("to-be") that guide platform modernization and expansion.
• Future Platform Capability Design : Identify emerging technologies and architectural approaches that can enhance platform capability. Propose and evaluate candidate technologies through structured technical analysis and experimentation.
• Architecture Prototyping and Innovation : Develop prototypes, technical demonstrations, and experimental environments to validate architectural approaches before operational adoption. Introduce new capabilities that improve platform reliability, developer productivity, security posture, and operational resilience.
• Secure Platform Engineering : Architect solutions that operate within high-assurance security environments and multiple classification levels, ensuring new platform capabilities align with cybersecurity requirements, accreditation boundaries, and mission assurance standards.
• Technical Decision Support : Prepare technical analyses, architecture diagrams, white papers, and Courses of Action to support complex architectural decisions. Present recommendations to senior engineering leadership and stakeholders, clearly articulating technical tradeoffs, risk considerations, and implementation strategies.
• Platform Resilience and Operational Excellence : Identify opportunities to improve platform reliability, scalability, and operational readiness. Architect improvements in monitoring, fault tolerance, observability, automation, and system resilience to ensure the platform meets demanding mission availability requirements.
• Cross-Team Technical Leadership : Collaborate with platform engineering, cybersecurity, DevSecOps, and operations teams to ensure architectural decisions are technically sound and operationally feasible. Translate architectural concepts into actionable implementation guidance for engineering teams.
• Architecture Documentation and Governance : Develop and maintain architecture documentation, technical standards, architectural decision records, and reference architecture that guide platform development and ensure long-term technical coherence.

At SPA, we strive to deliver a robust total compensation package that will attract and retain top talent. Elements of the compensation package include competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities.

SPA provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work. The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, etc.

Please note that the salary information shown below is a general guideline only. Salaries are commensurate with experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations. Pay Transparency Range: 160k - 245k

About the Must Haves

• US Citizen and current active DoD Secret clearance
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related Engineering discipline
• Minimum 8 years of progressive experience in systems engineering, platform engineering, cloud architecture, or DevSecOps environments
• Demonstrated experience designing or evolving distributed systems, cloud platforms, or DevSecOps ecosystems
• Strong understanding of modern cloud-native architectures and container-based environments
• Experience working in secure or regulated environments with cybersecurity and compliance requirements
• Experience with technologies commonly found in modern platform ecosystems, including:
• Kubernetes-based container orchestration platforms
• CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps toolchains (e.g., Git-based workflows, automated security scanning, artifact management)
• GitOps and infrastructure-as-code approaches
• Secure identity and access management frameworks
• Cloud infrastructure environments and hybrid cloud architectures
• Observability platforms including logging, metrics, and distributed tracing
• Secure networking, secrets management, and policy enforcement systems
• Ability to independently research technologies, evaluate architectural tradeoffs, and develop technical recommendations
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to brief technical and non-technical stakeholders

Desired Qualifications:

• Possession of at least one of the following certifications:
• Cloud Architecture certifications (AWS, Azure, or equivalent)
• Kubernetes certifications (CKA or CKAD)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Systems engineering or architecture frameworks (DoDAF, MBSE exposure)