Senior Solutions Architect Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

540 is seeking a Senior Solutions Architect to support a mission-critical federal health data modernization initiative. The team is bringing together information from diverse defense and federal systems to build scalable data pipelines, APIs, and data products that improve how critical health information is integrated, accessed, and used.

In this role, you'll provide architectural leadership across a complex ecosystem that includes Databricks, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud, on-premises infrastructure, and government data centers. You'll translate mission, business, data, and technical requirements into scalable solution architectures, guide the modernization of legacy capabilities, and establish reusable patterns that enable teams to deliver secure, reliable, and interoperable data products.

You'll work closely with engineers, technical leads, program leadership, and customer stakeholders to shape the foundation of a growing data platform ecosystem supporting federal health missions. As a senior, customer-facing member of the team, you'll also strengthen 540's presence by building trust, sharing technical expertise, and demonstrating the value 540 brings to complex mission challenges.

Location: Remote within the continental United States. Periodic travel may be required
Citizenship & Clearance Requirement: per client requirements, candidates must be U.S. Citizens with an active DoW Secret (or higher) clearance
Education Requirement: Bachelor's Degree
540 Internal Thrive Level: Senior Solutions Architect

WHY 540?

540 is a forward-thinking company that the government turns to in order to #getshitdone. We don't just talk about innovation – we deliver it. We break down barriers, build impactful technology, and solve mission-critical problems.

HOW YOU'LL DRIVE IMPACT

• Define scalable solution architectures for a modern federal health data platform spanning cloud, on-premises, and government-hosted environments
• Translate mission, business, data, security, and operational requirements into clear technical designs and implementation strategies
• Develop current-state and target-state architectures that guide the incremental modernization of legacy data systems and capabilities
• Design integration approaches for exchanging data across disparate defense and federal systems, including APIs, pipelines, shared services, and reusable data products
• Establish reference architectures, integration patterns, technical standards, and architectural guardrails that improve consistency and interoperability across teams
• Evaluate architectural options based on security, scalability, performance, reliability, maintainability, cost, and delivery risk
• Guide the effective use of Databricks and cloud services across AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud, and hybrid infrastructure
• Ensure platform and solution designs account for data quality, governance, metadata, lineage, access, and lifecycle requirements
• Lead technical discovery and architecture discussions with engineers, technical leaders, customers, and mission stakeholders
• Produce and maintain architecture diagrams, interface definitions, design documentation, decision records, and technical roadmaps
• Partner with Data Engineers and Technical Leads to review solution designs, resolve complex technical challenges, and keep implementations aligned with the broader platform architecture
• Identify architectural dependencies, constraints, and risks early and work across teams to drive them toward resolution
• Communicate complex architectural decisions, tradeoffs, and recommendations clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences
• Help grow a shared data platform ecosystem by promoting reusable patterns, lessons learned, and technical guidance across teams

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 8+ years of experience in solutions architecture, data architecture, software architecture, platform engineering, data engineering, or a related technical field
• Demonstrated experience designing complex enterprise data platforms or distributed solutions spanning multiple systems, applications, data sources, and organizational boundaries
• Strong understanding of modern data platform concepts, including data ingestion, integration, transformation, storage, access, APIs, and data products
• Experience designing solutions for cloud or hybrid-cloud environments
• Experience integrating modern platforms with legacy systems and developing incremental modernization strategies
• Strong understanding of API design, system integration patterns, and data exchange approaches
• Working knowledge of data modeling, metadata, lineage, data quality, and data governance principles
• Ability to incorporate security, availability, performance, scalability, reliability, maintainability, and operational support requirements into technical designs
• Experience evaluating technology options and documenting architecture diagrams, reference architectures, interface designs, technical roadmaps, and key technical decisions
• Experience guiding engineering teams through the implementation of complex technical designs
• Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices, development lifecycles, and Git-based workflows
• Strong client-facing communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to translate mission and business needs into actionable technical direction
• Ability to independently navigate ambiguity, identify cross-cutting technical risks, and drive complex architectural decisions toward resolution

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience architecting solutions using Databricks, Apache Spark, or similar modern data platforms
• Experience architecting solutions on AWS, with familiarity with Microsoft Azure or Oracle Cloud
• Experience designing hybrid solutions spanning public cloud, on-premises infrastructure, and government data centers
• Experience architecting platforms that support very large or highly complex datasets
• Experience with Palantir Foundry, Advana, or similar DoW data environments
• Experience supporting federal health or other regulated and sensitive data environments
• Experience working with DoW or other federal systems, including familiarity with government security, compliance, authorization, and data-handling requirements
• Experience working with federal health, financial, or other regulated and sensitive data
• Experience designing AI/ML-enabled components, evaluating build-versus-buy and cost tradeoffs, and accounting for applicable federal AI guidance

BENEFITS & PERKS

• Flexible PTO + all Federal holidays off
• Health, dental and vision insurance plans
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401k with employer match
• Company-sponsored life insurance, short- and long-term disability 
• Professional development (training, certifications, conferences)
• Paid cloud developer accounts
• Referral bonuses
• HQ office perks (parking / metro reimbursement, nitro coffee & lunches) 
• Annual social events (540 Week, hackathon, charity golf tournament, etc.)
• Access to 540's Washington Capitals & Nationals tickets

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO)

540's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.