Principal Performance Architect Jobs in Utah (NOW HIRING)

AFS is seeking a Principal Cloud Architect to serve as the senior technical authority for our secure cloud platform organization. This role owns the architectural vision, technical strategy, and engineering direction that enables ~70 personnel across multiple mission areas to design, build, and deliver secure cloud capabilities for government customers operating in some of the most demanding environments in the world. 

This is not a back-office architecture role. The Principal Architect operates at the intersection of deep technical expertise and mission-facing leadership - translating government requirements into actionable technical strategies, representing the program's technical posture to senior government stakeholders and mission partners, and driving the engineering culture that determines whether this organization delivers good work or exceptional work. You will be the technical voice in rooms where decisions shape multi-year program trajectories. 

The ideal candidate combines hands-on cloud architecture depth with the executive presence, communication range, and strategic thinking to operate as a peer to the Program Manager in mission delivery. You understand that architecture is a leadership discipline-not just a technical one-and you are energized by building both systems and the people who build them. 

What you'll do:

• Technical Vision & Architecture Leadership: Shape and communicate cloud architecture strategy, lead the Architecture Review Board, maintain reference architectures, drive technology evaluation, and integrate MBSE with cloud delivery.
• Mission Partner & Stakeholder Engagement: Represent program architecture to government stakeholders, translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences, participate in reviews and briefings, build advisory relationships, and inform business development strategies.
• Engineering Culture & Talent Development: Provide technical leadership and mentorship, define growth paths, set engineering standards, and promote knowledge sharing.
• Delivery Operations & Mission Support: Align technical execution with program commitments, guide planning and release management, lead risk mitigation, and support incident response.
• Security, Compliance & Governance: Ensure compliance with government security standards, architect solutions for required impact levels, support audits and ATO processes, and drive Zero Trust adoption.

Here's what you need:

• 7 years of progressive cloud engineering and architecture experience
• Prior experience as the primary technical authority or lead architect on programs of significant scale and complexity in classified or regulated environments
• Direct experience engaging leadership on technical strategy, architecture decisions, and/or capability roadmaps
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing secure cloud architectures on AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, or equivalent classified cloud platforms

Bonus points if you have:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related STEM field (Master's preferred)
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or equivalent advanced cloud platform certification
• CISSP, CompTIA SecurityX (CASP+), or equivalent IAT/IASAE Level III certification per DoD 8140
• Experience with SAFe, Scrum, or equivalent agile delivery frameworks
• SAFe certifications (SAFe Architect, SPC, SA) strongly preferred; multiple certifications valued
• Experience with MBSE tools and practices (Cameo Systems Modeler, IBM DOORS Next, Teamwork Cloud) integrated with DevSecOps delivery
• TOGAF certification or equivalent enterprise architecture framework experience
• Experience with earned value management (EVM) and program financial performance at the architecture level
• Background in multi-network or SAP-classified environment operations with cross-domain solution experience
• Experience supporting ATO processes, RMF packages, and direct engagement with Authorizing Officials
• Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA), Kubernetes certifications (CKA/CKAD), or CCSP
• Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority in matrixed organizations across contractor and government teams
• Experience scaling engineering organizations-building processes, standards, and culture that work at 50 people and still work at 150 

Clearance:
Must have an active Top Secret clearance