Senior Cloud Architect

This is a U.S. based position. All of the programs we support require U.S. citizenship to be eligible for employment. All work must be conducted within the continental U.S. Who we are: Raft ( https://TeamRaft.com ) is a customer-obsessed non-traditional defense tech company dedicated to empowering U.S. military and government agencies with cutting-edge AI/ML and data solutions. We are a leader in autonomous data fusion and Agentic AI, with a purposeful focus on Distributed Data Systems, Platforms at Scale, and Complex Application Development. With headquarters in McLean, VA, our range of clients includes innovative federal and public agencies leveraging design thinking, cutting-edge tech stack, and cloud-native ecosystem. We build digital solutions that impact the lives of millions of Americans. About the role: Raft is looking for a Cloud Architect to join our team! You will be responsible for designing and evolving the cloud-native enterprise architecture that underpins these mission-critical systems. This is a technically demanding role that requires deep experience with enterprise-scale AWS environments, n-tier service-oriented architectures, and complex COTS integrations within a secure federal setting. What you'll do: Design and own the end-to-end cloud architecture for enterprise-scale, n-tier, service-oriented applications supporting DoD personnel vetting and adjudication workflows Lead architecture decisions across AWS infrastructure, ensuring solutions are scalable, resilient, secure, and cost-optimized Define integration patterns and standards for COTS product ecosystems within a classified or sensitive government environment Collaborate with software engineers, security engineers, and DevSecOps teams to translate architectural vision into executable designs Provide technical guidance on cloud migration, modernization strategies, and emerging cloud-native technologies Participate in architecture review boards and produce artifacts including architecture decision records (ADRs), system context diagrams, and interface control documents Ensure cloud architecture compliance with DoD security frameworks including NIST RMF, FedRAMP, and applicable STIGs What we are looking for: AWS Solutions Architect certification (Associate or Professional) required 10+ years of hands-on experience designing enterprise-level, n-tier, service-oriented architectures composed of multiple COTS products Deep knowledge of AWS services including EC2, ECS/EKS, RDS, S3, IAM, VPC, CloudFormation/CDK, and AWS GovCloud Experience architecting solutions in classified or DoD IL4/IL5/IL6 cloud environments Strong understanding of microservices, API gateway patterns, event-driven architecture, and distributed systems Must possess certifications IAW DoD Directive 8140.01 (Cyberspace Workforce Management) and DoD 8570.01-M (Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program) Highly preferred: Experience with DoD personnel security systems or enterprise identity management platforms Familiarity with Zero Trust Architecture principles and their application in DoD environments Additional cloud certifications (AWS DevOps Engineer, AWS Security Specialty, or equivalent) Clearance Requirements: Active Top Secret security clearance Work Type: Hybrid; minimum 2 days a week required on-site presence Key Personnel must be available to begin work no later than 30 days after contract award What we will offer you: Highly competitive salary Fully covered healthcare, dental, and vision coverage 401(k) and company match Take as you need PTO + 11 paid holidays Education training benefits Generous Referral Bonuses And More! Our Vision Statement: We bridge the gap between humans and data through radical transparency and our obsession with the mission. Our Customer Obsession: We will approach every deliverable like it's a product. We will adopt a customer-obsessed mentality. As we grow, and our footprint becomes larger, teams and emp ... (truncated, view full listing at source)