Cloud Architect, Team Lead

Responsibilities

Position Summary

We are seeking a Cloud Architect Team Lead to provide technical leadership and architectural direction for a large-scale, enterprise cloud environment supporting a federal organization. This role is responsible for defining and governing cloud architecture across multiple domains, ensuring solutions are secure, scalable, compliant, and cost-effective while aligning with mission objectives and federal standards.

The Cloud Architect Team Lead will oversee a team of architects and work closely with engineering, platform, security, automation, and program leadership to translate business and mission requirements into end-to-end cloud solutions. This individual will play a critical role in shaping cloud strategy, driving modernization efforts, and ensuring architectural consistency across a complex, multi-account cloud environment.

Responsibilities of the Position

• Lead and manage the cloud architecture function, providing technical direction across all cloud initiatives
• Define and maintain enterprise cloud architecture standards, patterns, and reference architectures
• Design and oversee scalable, secure, and resilient cloud solutions across infrastructure, platform, and application layers
• Collaborate with Cloud Engineering, Platform Engineering, Security, and Automation teams to ensure architectural alignment and successful implementation
• Serve as the primary authority on cloud architecture decisions, ensuring solutions align with federal compliance requirements (e.g., NIST, FedRAMP, Zero Trust)
• Evaluate and select cloud services, tools, and technologies to support mission and program objectives
• Lead architecture reviews and design approvals for new and existing cloud solutions
• Ensure integration and interoperability across cloud platforms, applications, and enterprise systems
• Drive cloud modernization efforts, including migration strategies, application refactoring, and adoption of cloud-native technologies
• Incorporate cost optimization strategies into architectural designs in coordination with FinOps teams
• Establish and enforce governance processes related to architecture, including documentation, design standards, and lifecycle management
• Identify and mitigate architectural risks, including performance, security, and scalability concerns
• Provide mentorship and guidance to cloud architects and senior engineers
• Support stakeholder engagement by presenting architectural strategies, tradeoffs, and recommendations to leadership

Qualifications

Requirements of the Position

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 12+ years of experience in IT, with at least 5 years focused on cloud architecture and design
• Demonstrated experience leading cloud architecture efforts in large-scale, complex environments
• Strong expertise in cloud platforms (AWS preferred), including:
• Networking (VPC design, routing, hybrid connectivity)
• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Compute, storage, and database services
• Multi-account architecture and governance
• Experience designing and implementing cloud-native architectures, including microservices and containerized environments (e.g., Kubernetes/EKS)
• Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation) and DevOps practices (CI/CD pipelines)
• Strong understanding of cloud security principles, including Zero Trust, encryption, and secure architecture design
• Proven ability to design high availability, disaster recovery, and fault-tolerant systems
• Experience with cloud cost optimization and FinOps principles
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate complex technical tradeoffs
• Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing or mentoring architects and senior technical staff
• Must be a US Citizen. 
• Ability to obtain Public Trust.

Preferred Qualifications:

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (or equivalent)
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or similar container certification
• Experience with hybrid cloud and multi-cloud environments
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks
• Experience supporting large federal cloud programs or enterprise IT transformations

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to