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In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!

When it comes to what you want in your career, if you can imagine it, you can do it at Parsons. Imagine a career working with exceptional people sharing a common quest. Imagine a workplace where you can be yourself. Where you can thrive. Where you can find your next, right now. We’ve got what you’re looking for.

Job Description:

Parsons is looking for an amazingly talented **System Architect** to join our team! In this role you will be responsible for leading enterprise cyber data architecture design and Kubernetes platform implementation for mission-critical Department of Defense (DoD) programs. You will work closely with our partners as well as data engineers, analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure that our data-driven strategies are effective and aligned with our organizational goals.

This position is hybrid and requires regular on-site support at the customer facility in Quantico, VA, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, and Ft. Meade, MD.

What You'll Be Doing:

+ Architect and operationalize Kubernetes platforms atop hyper-converged infrastructure (e.g., Harvester, Nutanix, vSphere)

+ Lead a team to design and implement OSS Apache Kafka clusters for high-throughput, low-latency data streaming

+ Develop Kafka Connect pipelines for ingest, enrichment, and delivery across heterogeneous systems

+ Lead design of cloud-native platforms with service meshes (e.g., Istio, Strimzy) and microservices

+ Collaborate with data engineering teams to optimize stream processing architectures

+ Ensure platform high availability, fault tolerance, and observability

+ Contribute to DoD CIO-aligned platform reference architectures, including Zero Trust and SBOM-integrated pipelines

+ Guide container orchestration best practices across dev/test/prod, including GitOps and declarative configuration management

+ cy systems and data platforms into the AWS GovCloud or IL5/IL6-compliant environments

+ Provide technical leadership and guidance to IT teams and project managers.

+ Conduct regular assessments and audits of existing systems to identify areas for improvement

+ Document and communicate architectural plans and strategies to stakeholders at all levels

+ Participate in project planning and provide technical input to ensure successful project execution

+ Serve as a mentor and SME across multiple programs and stakeholders, promoting data strategy alignment across DoD initiatives

What Required Skills You'll Bring:

+ Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field and 8+ years of experience in infrastructure or platform engineering, data architecture, and integration

+ Deep expertise with Kubernetes architecture, operations, and HA clustering

+ Proven experience with Apache Kafka, Kafka Connect, Schema Registry, and stream observability tools

+ Experience deploying and managing Kubernetes on HCI platforms

+ Strong background in cloud-native patterns (containers, microservices, Helm, CRDs)

+ Familiarity with DoD CIO Kubernetes reference architecture, STIGs, and container hardening

+ Experience with service meshes for traffic control, zero trust, and telemetry

+ Experience with data pipeline architecture (ETL/ELT, real-time streaming, event-driven systems)

+ Understanding of SRE and platform-as-a-product practices

+ Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills

+ Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with diverse

+ U.S. Citizenship and active DoD Secret clearance

What Desired Skills You'll Bring:

+ Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field

+ Experience with Rancher, OpenShift, or RKE2 in secure environments

+ Knowledge of Kafka Streams, Flink, or Spark Streaming

+ Familiarity with Harvester, Proxmox, or other open HCI platforms

+ Experience with DoD DevSecOps Reference Design (Platform One, Iron Bank, etc.)

+ Familiarity with Agile development methodologies

Security Clearance Requirement:

An active Secret security clearance is required for this position.​

This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.

The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what’s next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.

Salary Range: $144,800.00 - $260,600.00

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/ .

About Us

Parsons is a digitally enabled solutions provider focused on the defense, security, and infrastructure markets. With nearly 75 years of experience, Parsons is uniquely qualified to deliver cyber/converged security, technology-based intellectual property, and other innovative services to federal, regional, and local government agencies, as well as to private industrial customers worldwide.

Parsons is an equal opportunity, drug-free employer committed to diversity in the workplace. Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veteran/LGBTQ+.

For more about Parsons, visit parsons.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.