Principal Solutions Architect - (TAK/Mission Systems Integration)

Brief Description

The Opportunity

The Principal Solutions Architect serves as the technical lead for the design, integration, implementation, and sustainment of complex enterprise IT solutions supporting government and commercial customers. This role is responsible for architecting secure, scalable, and resilient infrastructure solutions across on-premises, virtualized, and containerized environments. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strategic planning, customer engagement, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering efforts from concept through operational support.

Key Responsibilities (Principal Duties and Accountabilities *Essential Functions)

• Lead the architecture, design, integration, and implementation of enterprise infrastructure solutions supporting mission and business objectives.
• Translate mission requirements into reference architectures, detailed designs, implementation plans, migration strategies, and measurable acceptance criteria. Evaluate technology tradeoffs, lifecycle costs, capacity, and supportability.
• Architect and integrate TAK Server and TAK clients, including ATAK, iTAK, WinTAK, and WebTAK, with mission packages, Cursor on Target (CoT) routing, federation, certificate management, and governed plugins and releases.
• Design the Data Integration Layer and partner interfaces using APIs, messaging, and event-driven services to ingest, normalize, route, and share mission data. Define schemas, access policies, error handling, and interface control documentation.
• Integrate TAK with common operating picture services, video management, dispatch, and sensor feeds. Coordinate UAS and counter-UAS telemetry, radar, cameras, location tracking, and other security-system interfaces with specialist engineers.
• Design and build secure Windows, Linux, virtualized, and containerized services across data centers and Azure, including networking, identity, PostgreSQL and object storage, monitoring, backups, and disaster recovery.
• Develop resilient connectivity across LMR/P25, LTE/FirstNet, SATCOM, and tactical mesh networks with radio and network specialists. Address encrypted transport, traffic prioritization, bandwidth limits, link failover, and voice/video performance.
• Implement Zero Trust principles, network segmentation, PKI, identity federation, least-privilege access, encryption, and security hardening. Coordinate approved cross-domain solutions and information-sharing controls for connections between security domains.
• Support cybersecurity personnel with Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Authorization to Operate (ATO) activities, including system boundaries, control implementation evidence, remediation, and continuous monitoring aligned with applicable NIST controls, STIGs, and organizational baselines.
• Establish Infrastructure as Code, configuration management, version control, and repeatable deployment and rollback procedures for laboratory, pilot, and production environments.
• Lead integration, interoperability, security, load, failover, and disconnected-operation testing. Troubleshoot issues across endpoints, transport, applications, and data flows, and validate corrective actions.
• Maintain architecture diagrams, data flows, as-built documentation, configuration baselines, and operational runbooks. Lead technical reviews and control changes across interdependent workstreams.
• Guide pilot evaluations, phased fielding, legacy-system migration, and operational transition. Define health monitoring, alerting, recovery procedures, and escalation paths supporting 24x7 operations.
• Lead and mentor multidisciplinary engineers, coordinate vendors and customer stakeholders, and communicate technical decisions, dependencies, and risks to program leadership.
• Support proposals, technical estimates, customer briefings, demonstrations, training, knowledge transfer, sustainment, and technology refresh activities.
  
  

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Leads and mentors a team of systems engineers, providing technical direction, prioritizing workload, and delivering ongoing performance feedback to support professional growth.
• Oversees quality and accuracy of team deliverables, reviewing engineering work products and ensuring alignment with project requirements and standards.
• Serves as the primary technical liaison, coordinating team activities, and communicating status, risks, and expectations to customers and program leadership.
  
  

Requirements

• Fluency in English (written and spoken)
• Active Secret security clearance with the U.S. Government required
  
  

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
  
  

Required Skills, Experience & Abilities

• 10 years of experience designing and implementing enterprise IT infrastructure solutions.
• Experience with VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, and virtualization technologies.
• Strong knowledge of Windows Server and Linux operating systems.
• Experience with enterprise networking concepts including routing, switching, DNS, firewalls, VPNs, and load balancing.
• Experience designing highly available, secure, and scalable enterprise architectures.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, security hardening, and compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST, STIGs, CIS Benchmarks).
• Experience developing technical documentation, architecture diagrams, and implementation guides.
• Excellent troubleshooting, analytical, communication, and customer-facing skills.
• Ability to lead technical teams and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting U.S. Government or Department of State environments.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible, PowerShell, or similar automation tools).
• Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, OpenShift, or other container orchestration platforms.
• Relevant certifications such as VMware VCP, Cisco CCNP, Security , CISSP, or equivalent.
  
  

Physical Demands & Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment described are representative of those that an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Capable of lifting and moving information technology equipment up to 50 pounds
• Ability to work occasional evenings and/or weekends as job duties demand
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Professional office environment with standard office equipment (computers, phones, printers).
• Frequent interaction with clients, executives, and government officials in both in-person and virtual settings.
• Regular travel to customer sites, government facilities, and industry events.
• Fast-paced, deadline-driven environment requiring adaptability and responsiveness.
• Work may occasionally be performed in secure government facilities, requiring adherence to security protocols.
• This position may involve travel to government test sites, training ranges, and operational locations, including potential OCONUS destinations for short periods of time.
• Work may be conducted in laboratory, workshop, office, and field environments with varying conditions.
  
  

Summary

• Onsite position at NTS office in Sterling, VA
  
  

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $200,000 - $230,000

Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including relevant experience, qualifications, skills, location, and internal equity.

Benefits

NexTech Solutions offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees and their families, including competitive health, dental, and vision coverage, retirement savings options, paid time off, and additional employee benefits.

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Equal Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. NTS will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws for employment.

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email recruiting@nextechsol.com