Chief Systems Architect

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next! At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible. Job Description: We are seeking a talented Chief Systems Architect to join our growing team! This opportunity is customer-facing requiring strong communication skills and a willingness to work cross functionally with Government SETAs, FFRDCs, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, and Capability Integration Development (CID) team members. There is a minimum onsite support requirement of M-F during core business hours of 9-3pm MT. What You’ll Be Doing: Provide strategic input and guidance into the consolidated hardware/software technical baseline for BGIF, OPIR TAP Lab, and Cloud enclaves, ensuring architectural coherence across facility infrastructure, network enclaves, DevSecOps pipelines, cyber security, and hybrid-cloud requirements. Identify architecture-level risks, gaps, and technical debt; convene and lead working groups to conduct trade studies, evaluate alternatives, and recommend enterprise solutions. Define and disseminate ConOps and Requirements, and Project Kickoffs to product teams so that follow on design and implementation effort can be planned and executed. Update, maintain, and lead OPIR TAP Lab enclave architecture documentation and Final Operating Concept development efforts. Provide support to Mission and Systems Engineering Initative Planning and execution as requested by the product owner. Server as the primary POC for architecture related Contract Data Requirement List deliverables. Interfaced with government and government technical POCs on architecture related initiatives. Develop and recommend 3+ year architecture roadmaps supporting RDT&E execution, AI/ML enablement, data exploitation, FORGE framework integration, and hybrid cloud adoption. Ensure architecture supports scalability, resilience (≥99.96% facility uptime requirements), cross-domain solutions, and secure enclave interconnections. Communicate architectural vision to the program via regular collaboration and documentation. Experience with MBSE toolsets and utilization within architecture and systems engineering disciplines. Provide architectural oversight for configuration management, integration reviews, and technical baseline changes across all enclaves and tenant integrations. Coordinate with cybersecurity leadership to ensure architectural compliance with RMF, NIST 800-53 controls, STIGs, FedRAMP (as applicable), and DoD/USSF policies. Support Government leadership in architectural briefings, technical strategy documentation, and enterprise investment planning. What Required Skills You’ll Bring: Active TS/SCI security clearance Master’s degree in Engineering or other relevant field, with additional years of experience counting towards degree requirements Sec+ or other relevant IAT Level II certification 15+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, systems engineering, or large-scale IT architecture within DoD, Intelligence Community, or other national security environments. 5+ years of experience integrating software and hardware solutions into operational classified environments Experience with System Development Life Cycle in a DoD environment encompassing both hardware and software systems. Experience with requirements creation and derivation Demonstrated experience designing and implementing hybrid on-prem/cloud architectures (e.g., AWS GovCloud, IL5/IL6 environments), containerized environments, CI/CD pipelines, and AI/ML-enabled data platforms. Experience modernizing legacy frameworks and transitioning to enterprise platforms (e.g., FORGE-like architectures). Experience architecting solutions within Secret and TS/SCI enclaves, including compliance with RMF, DISA STIGs, and cross-domain solutions. What Desired Skills You Might Bring: Cloud Architect Certification INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional Certification Security Clearance Requirement: An active Top Secret SCI security clearance is required for this position. This position is part of our Federal Solutions team. The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now. Salary Range: $148,300.00 - $266,900.00 We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle! This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will continue to be posted for an average of 30 days until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled. Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status. We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY! Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to Founded in 1944, Parsons Corporation, a digitally enabled solutions provider, is focused on creating the future of the defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure markets. From Earth to outer space, we deliver tomorrow’s solutions today. Equipped with the capabilities required to take on any defense, intelligence, or critical infrastructure challenge, our agile, innovative, and disruptive approach enables us to deliver solutions at the speed of relevance. Our people are our greatest asset. We strive to be an employer of choice that engages employees in the community and creates rewarding career paths to cultivate a resilient workforce that is ready for the future. For more about Parsons, visit parsons.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.