Solution Architect

Summary

We are seeking an experienced Solution Architect with deep expertise in application modernization, cloud-native architecture, and modern software development practices. This role serves as the technical visionary and hands‑on architect who will create compelling end‑state software design and architectures, build consensus across diverse stakeholder groups. The ideal candidate is a seasoned technologist who balances strategic thinking with hands‑on technical capabilities, can evangelize modern development practices including AI‑assisted development tools, and excels at translating complex technical concepts for both business and technical audiences. You will collaborate closely with the Lead Solution Architect, data and platform architects, and business SMEs to deliver transformative outcomes for our customers.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Define and articulate the technical vision and multi‑year roadmap for application modernization, creating compelling end‑state architectures that gain buy‑in from customer IT leadership, business stakeholders, and technical teams.
• Lead the design and implementation of modern, cloud‑native application architectures leveraging microservices, API‑first design, event‑driven patterns, and containerization to replace legacy monolithic systems.
• Drive consensus across cross‑functional teams including application architects, data and platform architects, business SMEs, development teams, and IT stakeholders to align technical solutions with business outcomes.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership by writing code, building proof‑of‑concepts, developing prototypes, and conducting technical demonstrations to validate architectural decisions and accelerate modernization initiatives.
• Champion and demonstrate the adoption of AI‑assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot to improve SDLC productivity, code quality, and developer experience across Agile development teams.
• Lead technology evaluation and selection processes for application frameworks, development platforms, API gateways, integration tools, and supporting infrastructure aligned with customer IT standards and federal requirements.
• Design comprehensive API strategies and integration architectures to enable seamless connectivity between the application and agency's acquisition ecosystem, including upstream and downstream systems.
• Establish and enforce security architecture principles and patterns ensuring federal security requirements (FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST), implements zero‑trust principles, and maintains robust security posture.
• Partner with SRE managers to architect DevSecOps pipelines, CI/CD automation, infrastructure‑as‑code patterns, and observability solutions that enable continuous delivery and operational excellence.
• Facilitate architecture governance through design reviews, technical spikes, architecture decision records (ADRs), and collaborative sessions that guide development teams while maintaining architectural integrity.
• Present technical strategies, architecture proposals, and modernization roadmaps to customer IT leadership, acquisition business function leaders, and executive stakeholders, translating technical complexity into business value.
• Mentor and develop architects and senior technical staff, fostering a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and continuous learning within the program team.
• Conduct hands‑on demonstrations of modern development practices, architectural patterns, and emerging technologies to build technical credibility and inspire teams to adopt new approaches.
• Define success metrics and architecture health indicators for modernization initiatives, tracking progress against technical and business objectives, and course‑correcting when needed.
• Collaborate with data architects to design data access patterns, caching strategies, and data integration approaches that support modern application architectures while maintaining data integrity and compliance.

Required Qualifications:

• BS degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field. Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline is strongly preferred. Equivalent combination of education and extensive technical architecture experience may be considered.

• 10+ years of software architecture and development experience with proven track record solutioning new application architecture and design using modern, cloud‑native architectures.
• 7+ years of hands‑on experience designing and implementing microservices architectures, RESTful APIs, event‑driven systems, and distributed application patterns at enterprise scale.
• 5+ years of cloud architecture experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP) including containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), serverless computing, and cloud‑native application development.
• Strong hands‑on coding skills in modern programming languages (JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node, GraphQL, Java, Python, C#) with ability to write production‑quality code, review pull requests, and guide technical implementation.
• Demonstrated experience building consensus and driving alignment across diverse technical and business stakeholder groups, including executive leadership, product owners, and engineering teams.
• Proven ability to create and articulate compelling technical visions, develop multi‑year technology roadmaps, and gain buy‑in for transformative architecture initiatives.
• Expert knowledge of API design principles, API management platforms, integration patterns, and service mesh architectures for building scalable, resilient distributed systems.
• Deep understanding of security architecture including authentication/authorization patterns (OAuth, OIDC, SAML), security‑by‑design principles, and federal security compliance requirements (FISMA, FedRAMP).
• Experience with modern software development practices including DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure‑as‑code (Terraform, CloudFormation), automated testing, and deployment automation.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with ability to engage technical and non‑technical audiences, create compelling narratives around technical strategy, and influence decision‑making at all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated experience managing or mentoring technical staff including architects, senior engineers, and development teams, with strong leadership and coaching capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands‑on experience with AI‑assisted development tools including GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, or similar AI code generation platforms, with ability to demonstrate productivity improvements and best practices.
• Experience architecting and implementing applications for federal agencies with understanding of federal compliance requirements, and GSA IT standards.
• Experience with domain‑driven design (DDD), bounded contexts, and event storming techniques for decomposing monolithic applications into microservices.
• Hands‑on experience with service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd), API gateways (Kong, Apigee, AWS API Gateway), and modern integration platforms.
• Experience implementing observability solutions including distributed tracing (Jaeger, Zipkin), centralized logging (ELK, Splunk), and application performance monitoring (Datadog).
• Knowledge of data architecture patterns for microservices including event sourcing, CQRS, saga patterns, and database‑per‑service strategies.
• Familiarity with machine learning operations (MLOps) and AI integration patterns for incorporating AI/ML capabilities into enterprise applications.
• Experience with agile architecture practices including architectural spikes, evolutionary architecture, fitness functions, and architecture decision records (ADRs).
• Professional certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, TOGAF, or relevant cloud/architecture certifications.

Things to Know:

Commitment to Non‑Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.

Salary Range

The proposed salary range for this role is $175,000 to $215,000 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. Karsun considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Third Party Resumes:

Karsun does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Karsun and Karsun will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.

Clearance Information

This position requires the eligibility to obtain a security clearance. The Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO), an agency of the Department of Defense, handles and adjudicates the security clearance process. More information about Security Clearances can be found on the US Department of State government website:

Location

To be considered for this role, you must reside in one of the following states: CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TX, VA, WV.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. We may consider candidates currently in H‑1B status who are eligible for transfer.

Statement on AI and Hiring Process

At Karsun, we are committed to a fair and equitable hiring process. We do not use artificial intelligence to make decisions on candidates, scan resumes, or source potential hires. Applicants are reviewed by our talent acquisition team and hiring managers to ensure a thorough evaluation based on skills, experience, and alignment with our company values. Our hiring decisions are made with human judgement, ensuring fairness and transparency throughout the process.