Software Architect

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.Job DescriptionParsons is looking for an amazingly talented Software Architect to join our team!In this role you will lead the architecture, technical evolution, and operational design of a large-scale, globally distributed mission platform deployed across multiple countries and managed remotely from the United States.This platform supports real-time transaction processing, distributed data management, integration with external government and commercial systems, peripheral/device orchestration, and centralized observability and administration.The successful candidate will be the overall software architecture authority for a modern Linux-based platform composed of approximately 25 core microservices and a broad set of supporting/integration services. The environment is cloud-heavy, distributed, operationally critical, and deployed in both constrained edge settings and larger centralized/cloud environments.This role requires someone who can define and govern architecture while remaining grounded in the realities of runtime operations, resilience, fieldability, and maintainability.What You'll Be DoingOwn the overall software architecture for a distributed microservices platform running across global environmentsMaintain and evolve an ecosystem of approximately:25 core Java-based microservicesa comparable set of supporting and integration servicesDefine and govern architecture across:service boundaries and contractsdata flows and event patternscontrol plane and backplane behaviornode roles and deployment topologiesobservability, fault tolerance, and service recoveryLead architecture for a platform based on:RHEL / Rocky LinuxJava (JDK 21+)Vue.js 3 frontendsMongoDB for persistent dataElasticsearch / Logstash and RabbitMQ for ephemeral/search/event data flowsConsul, Nomad, and Vault for service discovery, orchestration, and secrets managementArchitect deployment patterns for multiple node types, including:server nodesdata nodesarbiter nodesworkstation/user-facing nodesGuide the technical design of core operational services responsible for:transactional processingrules/screening/correlation workflowsauthorization and access controlreference/master data managementlanguage/internationalization supporthealth/status servicesbiometric or matching-oriented services built on open-source componentsOversee architecture for peripheral/device services supporting integration with a broad set of external devices and sensorsLead integration architecture for external standards-based and partner system interfaces, including:third-party government systemscommercial travel/identity/manifest-style systemscountry/customer-specific extensionsEnsure the platform remains remotely observable, supportable, and maintainable across all deploymentsPartner with cloud, network, security, data, field engineering, and operations teams to align architecture with deployment realitiesReview and guide software design decisions, technical debt reduction, modernization priorities, and roadmap sequencingServe as a senior technical authority in design reviews, readiness reviews, problem resolution, and major incident analysisWhat Required Skills You'll BringBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field. 4 Additional years of experience can substitute for a degree.12+ years of software engineering experience, including significant time in software architecture roles for distributed or mission-critical systems5+ years architecting microservices-based platforms in productionDemonstrated ability to serve as the technical authority over a multi-service software ecosystemExperience guiding multiple development teams and reviewing architecture across service boundariesStrong written and verbal communication skills, including ability to produce design artifacts and present architecture decisions clearlyExperience balancing long-term architecture quality with delivery constraints and operational realitiesDeep hands-on expertise with:Java on modern JDKs, preferably JDK 21+Linux-based production environments, preferably RHEL / Rocky Linuxdistributed service design and operational patternsStrong experience with:MongoDBElasticsearch / LogstashRabbitMQ or equivalent event/messaging platformsservice discovery/orchestration/secrets technologies such as Consul, Nomad, Vault, Kubernetes, or similarExperience designing systems that operate across:constrained edge environmentscentralized or cloud-heavy environmentsglobally distributed deployments with intermittent or variable connectivityProven ability to architect for:resilience and graceful degradationobservability and diagnosabilitysecure service-to-service communicationmulti-role user administration and authorizationremote support and lifecycle managementTS/SCI minimum clearance required.Domestic and/or international project travel may be required.What Desired Skills You'll BringMaster’s degree in Data Engineering, Computer Science, Analytics, or related fieldExperience with Vue.js 3 and modern frontend architecture patterns for administrative or operational interfacesExperience with hybrid cloud and cloud-heavy deployments where backend services are centralized and edge nodes are thinExperience integrating with external standards-based government, identity, travel, or partner ecosystemsExperience designing platforms that manage or integrate with peripherals/devices such as scanners, readers, imaging devices, kiosks, or other edge hardwareExperience with Nomad/Consul/Vault specifically in productionExperience architecting systems with zero/low downtime upgrade pathsExperience with semantic, cognitive, or advanced search use cases on ElasticsearchFamiliarity with event replay, reconciliation, and offline-sync patternsExperience working closely with field engineering or remote deployment teamsExperience with large-scale modernization of legacy monoliths to service-oriented or microservices-based platformsFamiliarity with open-source biometric, matching, search, or image processing componentsExperience with multilingual/internationalized systems deployed across multiple countries or regionsExperience supporting operational analytics/reporting services built on transaction/event dataExperience with CI/CD pipelines and release discipline for multi-service distributed systemsSecurity Clearance RequirementAn active Top Secret SCI 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: $148,300.00 - $266,900.00We 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, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 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/.