Principal Cloud Platform Architect

DescriptionThis role is part of a growing program, and hiring will depend on available funding. We review applications on a rolling basis, but the timeline for interviews and offers may vary. In some cases, we may extendcontingent offersthat become active once funding is confirmed.This position is located inGaithersburg, MD; Egg Harbor Township, NJ; or Eagan, MN. This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that impact millions of air travelers.This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and 2 days remote work. Candidates should reside a commutable distance to one of the above locations.Leidos is seeking a Principal Cloud & Platform Architect to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, supporting the development of the Leidos Common Automation Platform (L-CAP). L-CAP is a mission-critical, future-ready automation platform built on a hybrid cloud data mesh architecture, enabling next-generation air traffic management capabilities. You will serve as the enterprise platform architect responsible for designing the hybrid cloud infrastructure and platform services that underpin the L-CAP automation platform. We are building with an AI-first engineering mindset, embracing emerging AI capabilities and modern development practices to accelerate delivery, improve software quality, and continuously evolve how we design and build mission-critical systems. This position supports government programs and requires the ability to obtain andmaintaina favorable Public Trust investigation.What You'll DoDesign the hybrid cloud architecture spanning on-premises and cloud environmentsDefine Kubernetes orchestration strategy for containerized workloads at scaleEstablish Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) governance using TerraformArchitect FedRAMP-compliant platform designs across multiple environmentsDesign and govern CI/CD platform services for engineering teamsLead capacity planning and infrastructure cost modelingDefine platform reliability standards including SLOs and SLIsDesign multi-environment deployment strategy (dev, test, staging, production)Oversee container orchestration patterns and service mesh architectureDrive cloud cost optimization and FinOps practicesDesign platform architecture to host safety-critical ATC applications with deterministic performance characteristics rather than general enterprise IT workloadsEnsure operational resilience and failover capabilities for distributed real-time ATC services across hybrid cloud deploymentsDefine platform requirements for deterministic distributed services including latency guarantees and predictable resource allocationChampion an AI-first engineering culture byidentifyingand applying AI-assisted development capabilities, automation, and emerging software engineering practices that improve developer productivity, code quality, testing, and delivery.Core Technical QualificationsBachelor's degree with 12+ years of cloud and platform engineering experienceExpert-level cloud architecture experience with AWS or Azure GovCloudProduction Kubernetes experience at scale (100+ nodes)Deep Terraform/IaCexpertisefor enterprise infrastructure managementPlatform engineering leadership for large development organizationsFedRAMP platform compliance and boundary design experienceContainer orchestration and microservices platform designDistributed systems architecture and reliability engineeringMicroservices platform design supporting hundreds of servicesAbility to obtain andmaintaina Public Trust clearance; US citizenshiprequired; subject to government background investigationExperience supporting deterministic distributed services with strict latency and availability requirementsKnowledge of platform engineering for safety-critical applications versus general enterprise workloadsAbility to obtain and maintain a Public TrustU.S. citizenship requiredSuccessful completion of background investigations as required by the government customerPreferred / Desired QualificationsAWS Solutions Architect Professional or Azure Solutions Architect Expert certificationGovCloud deployment and operations experienceAir-gapped and disconnected environment architecturePlatform-as-a-Service design for internal developer teamsSRE and reliability engineering practicesHelm,ArgoCD, andGitOpsdeployment patternsService mesh implementation (Istio,Linkerd)Experience with hybrid cloud deployment of real-time operational systems in aviation or similar safety-critical domainsWhy Leidos? You’ll work on systems where performance, precision, and reliability matter — every second. This is not experimental AI for prototypes. This is disciplined, responsible AI applied to mission-critical software that supports national infrastructure.If you’re excited by solving complex problems in regulated, real-world environments — and using AI as a force multiplier rather than a shortcut — we’d like to talk.ATMCIf you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.Original PostingAugust 18, 2026For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.Pay RangePay Range $131,300.00 - $237,350.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.About LeidosLeidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.Pay And BenefitsPay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.Securing Your DataBeware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos’ name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work). Further, Leidos will only communicate with you through emails that are generated by the Leidos.com automated system – never from free commercial services (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail) or via WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. If you received an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information (e.g., about you or your previous employer), and you are concerned about its legitimacy, please make us aware immediately by emailing us at LeidosCareersFraud@leidos.com.If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement and report the incident to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.Commitment to Non-DiscriminationAll 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. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.