Senior Cloud Architect

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 withthemission.

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 employees will treat each other not only as teammates but customers. We must live the customer-obsessed mindset, always. This will help us scale and it will translate to the interactions that our Rafters have with their clients and other product teams that they integrate with. Our culture will enable our success and set us apart from other companies.

How do we get there?

Public-sector modernization is critical for us to live in a better world. We, at Raft, want to innovate and solve complex problems. And, if we are successful, our generation and the ones that follow us will live in a delightful, efficient, and accessible world where out-of-box thinking,and collaboration is a norm.

Raft's core philosophy isUbuntu: IAm, BecauseWe are. We support our"nadi"by elevating the other Rafters. We work as a hyper collaborative team where each team member brings a unique perspective, adding value that did not exist before. People make Raft special. We celebrate each other and our cognitive and cultural diversity. We are devoted to our practice of innovation and collaboration.