Cloud Architect

About this role

Job Family : IT Architecture/Cloud Travel Required : Up to 10% Clearance Required : Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What You Will Do :   Role Summary Guidehouse is seeking a Senior Cloud Architect to lead the modernization and migration of large, mission-critical applications from AWS to Google Cloud. This role provides architectural leadership across cloud platforms, data modernization, security, DevSecOps, and enterprise systems engineering. The Architect will support a high‑visibility federal system, ensuring secure, reliable, and scalable cloud operations aligned with federal SDLC/SELC methodologies.

Key Responsibilities

Cloud Architecture & Modernization • Lead the end-to-end strategy, design, and implementation of cloud modernization initiatives for a complex federal enterprise system.

• Architect secure, scalable environments in Google Cloud and drive migration from AWS using industry-standard patterns (rehost, re-platform, refactor).

• Establish cloud governance, resource hierarchy, network architecture, IAM policies, and resiliency strategies.

• Support teams in deploying managed Google Cloud AI products (e.g., Vertex AI endpoints, Gemini-based developer tools, Dialogflow agents) as part of broader cloud modernization efforts

Migration Leadership (AWS → Google Cloud) • Assess existing architectures and develop migration roadmaps, sequencing, and cutover plans.

• Map AWS services to Google Cloud equivalents and ensure platform readiness for production workloads.

• Oversee containerization, orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes/GKE), data migration, and modernization of legacy components.

DevSecOps, CI/CD, and Infrastructure Automation • Define and implement Terraform-based IaC, GitOps workflows, automated deployments, security gates, and policy-as-code.

• Mature CI/CD pipelines to support release-on-demand, automated testing, and compliance validation.

SDLC / SELC Compliance (Federal Environment) • Ensure all architecture deliverables, design artifacts, security documentation, readiness reviews, and testing approaches comply with federal SDLC/SELC standards, including traceability, documentation, verification/validation, and audit readiness.

• Partner with program management, engineering teams, and federal stakeholders to meet lifecycle governance requirements.

Operational Excellence & Reliability • Implement observability across logging, monitoring, tracing, performance tuning, and resilience testing.

• Maintain high availability and continuity-of-operations (COOP) expectations required for critical federal systems.

Technical Leadership & Collaboration • Advise senior leadership and technical teams; guide architectural decisions and modernization direction.

• Mentor engineering teams across multiple Agile squads and support PI planning, backlog refinement, and architectural reviews.

• Represent the cloud architecture discipline in stakeholder engagements, technical forums, and enterprise planning sessions.

AI-Enablement • Demonstrates expertise in designing, implementing, and governing AI-enabled cloud solutions. 

• Applies knowledge of generative AI, machine learning, and large language model (LLM) technologies to architect scalable, secure, and cost-effective enterprise solutions. 

• Develops Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, vector search solutions, and AI-driven automation workflows that integrate enterprise data sources while adhering to security, privacy, and regulatory requirements.

What You Will Need :   Required Qualifications • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

• TEN (10+) years of progressive experience in cloud architecture and enterprise modernization.

• Demonstrated experience migrating complex systems from AWS to Google Cloud at scale.

• Deep expertise across GCP services: Compute, GKE, VPC networking, IAM, Cloud SQL/AlloyDB, BigQuery, KMS, logging/monitoring. 

• Strong understanding of federal SDLC/SELC or similar structured lifecycle methodologies.

• Expert-level proficiency with Terraform, CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps, and security engineering principles.

• Experience leading large cloud engineering teams in Agile environments.

• Google Professional Cloud Architect certification ( or obtained within first 6 months ).

What Would Be Nice To Have : • Experience modernizing large federal systems or other regulated enterprise environments.

• Hands-on experience with data modernization, analytics platforms, and cloud-native data pipelines.

• Experience developing cloud governance frameworks, COE structures, FinOps practices, and cost‑optimization strategies.

• Experience deploying or integrating cloud-based AI/ML services—such as Google Cloud Vertex AI, Gemini, or Dialogflow—into enterprise applications.

The annual salary range for this position is $130,000.00-$216,000.00. Compensation decisions depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, security clearances, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. What We Offer: Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits include: • Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance

• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays

• Parental Leave

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Group Term Life and Travel Assistance

• Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance

• Health Savings Account, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Transit and Parking Commuter Benefits

• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability

• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development, Certifications & Learning Opportunities

• Employee Referral Program

• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach

• Care.com annual membership

• Employee Assistance Program

• Supplement

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