Software Architect Jobs in Virginia
Software Architect jobs in Virginia are among the most actively recruited in the country, concentrated in federal contracting, defense technology, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure, with demand at every level from mid-level associate architect through principal and distinguished engineer. Northern Virginia, Reston, and the Richmond corridor account for the bulk of openings, anchored by large employers like Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Amazon Web Services. Systems design, cloud-native architecture, and enterprise security architecture are the most consistently sought specialties. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Enterprise Solutions and Management (ESM) is a rapidly growing government contractor that provides strategic IT services that meet mission needs for Defense and Federal customers. We are hiring a Lead Cloud Solutions Architect - SOFTWARE ARCHITECT to support an enterprise-level program within a federal environment.
Job Description and Responsibilities
Leads the end-to-end technical architecture, engineering, and deployment of TDMT's AWS GovCloud hosting environments across Development, Test, and Production. Provides strategic and technical leadership in designing, implementing, and maintaining secure, scalable, and resilient cloud infrastructure that meets Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level 4 (IL4) and Impact Level 5 (IL5) requirements. Establishes and enforces cloud governance standards, ensures compliance with the Secure Cloud Computing Architecture (SCCA), and drives automation, scalability, and continuous operational readiness. Ensures alignment with DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG), DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) enterprise architecture standards while advancing a secure, compliant, and mission-ready cloud environment.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA)
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience designing, architecting, implementing, and managing secure, scalable, and highly available AWS GovCloud environments across Development, Test, and Production. Ability to develop cloud architectures that support DoD mission requirements and Impact Level 4 (IL4) and Impact Level 5 (IL5) workloads.
- Extensive knowledge of DoD cloud security requirements, including the DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide (SRG), DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), Risk Management Framework (RMF), and Security Control implementation. Ability to ensure cloud infrastructure meets applicable security, authorization, and compliance requirements.
- Ability to establish, implement, and maintain cloud governance frameworks and Secure Cloud Computing Architecture (SCCA) requirements. Knowledge of cloud security boundaries, identity and access management (IAM), network segmentation, encryption, access controls, and security monitoring within regulated government cloud environments.
- Demonstrated ability to automate cloud infrastructure provisioning, configuration, deployment, and management using Infrastructure as Code tools such as AWS CloudFormation, Terraform, and AWS automation services. Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, automated security controls, auto-scaling, and configuration management to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
- Ability to design and maintain resilient, highly available, and performance-optimized cloud environments. Knowledge of AWS monitoring, logging, incident response, disaster recovery, backup strategies, capacity planning, automated scaling, and continuous operational readiness across multiple cloud environments.
- Ability to translate business and mission requirements into secure, compliant, and sustainable cloud architecture solutions. Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership, developing architecture standards, evaluating emerging cloud technologies, and ensuring alignment with DLA enterprise architecture, DoD cloud policies, and organizational IT modernization objectives.
Desired KSA
- Be a positive, self-motivated, and proactive person with the ability to adapt to change and tolerate stressful situations
- Candidate must communicate effectively with team members, team lead, management, and government customers
- Must have the ability and desire to research and develop creative solutions to unique problems with minimal supervision
Minimum Training, Education, and Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline.
- Must hold active CISSP or CASP+
- Must hold active AWS Certified Solutions Architect- Professional
- Eight (8) years of hands-on cloud architecture and engineering experience.
- Must have demonstrated expertise architecting enterprise solutions in AWS GOVCLOUD, including VPC peering, Direct Connect, IAM role governance, and SCCA Virtual Datacenter Security Stack integration.
- Commuting proximity to Ft Belvoir, VA required
Minimum Clearance
Physical Requirements
- Required to stand, walk and sit; communicate verbally both in person and by telephone; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects or controls; reach with hands and arms. Regularly required to stoop, kneel, bend, crouch and lift up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, color vision and the ability to adjust focus.
- Physical demands associated with this position include extensive walking (including stairs) throughout offices and between buildings. May require use of public transportation, personal or Government vehicle to drive to local and/or remote office locations.
Additional Requirements
- Other duties as assigned
ESM provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identification or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local law.
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Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Software Architect Job Market in Virginia
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What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in software architect jobs across Virginia.
- Active security clearance or eligibility for federal clearance required by many Virginia employers
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical discipline
- Proficiency in cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud with enterprise-scale experience
- Demonstrated leadership of system design decisions across multiple development teams
- Experience with microservices, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines in production environments
- Strong communication skills to translate technical architecture decisions for non-technical stakeholders
Software Architect Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a software architect in Virginia?
Virginia does not require a state-issued license to work as a software architect. The typical path is a bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering, followed by several years of software engineering experience before moving into architecture. Many Virginia employers, particularly federal contractors, expect proficiency in cloud platforms and enterprise systems design. Certifications from AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud are widely recognized by Virginia hiring managers and help candidates advance.
How much do software architects make in Virginia?
Software architects in Virginia earn a median of about $136,460 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $83,350 for the lowest 10% to over $211,930 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire software architects in Virginia?
Employers hiring software architects in Virginia right now include Umbra, Redhorse Corporation, and General Dynamics Information Technology, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Virginia's dense concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors means a significant share of these roles require candidates to hold or be eligible for a security clearance.
Which Virginia cities have the most software architect jobs?
Chantilly, Herndon, and Arlington have the most software architect openings in Virginia. Northern Virginia dominates due to the concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and the AWS headquarters presence, while Richmond draws openings from financial services firms and state government technology offices, and smaller suburban markets like Reston and Herndon contribute heavily through major IT consulting and government contracting hubs.
Are there remote software architect jobs in Virginia?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 50% of software architect openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the desk-based, design-heavy nature of the role. Fully remote positions are most common in cloud architecture and enterprise application design, while roles tied to classified federal programs or secure government facilities typically require on-site presence in Northern Virginia.
How can I get hired as a software architect in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into an associate architect or senior software engineer role at one of Virginia's large federal contractors or technology firms, such as those concentrated in the Northern Virginia and Reston corridor. Many of these employers run structured associate programs that develop engineers into architects over two to three years. Building a portfolio of system design work, earning a cloud certification, and targeting roles with titles like solutions engineer or technical lead gives candidates a concrete edge without prior architect experience.
Where can I find and apply to software architect jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to software architect jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across Northern Virginia, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly to each one.
See All 24 Software Architect Jobs in Virginia
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