Systems Architect Jobs in Colorado
Systems Architect jobs in Colorado are in strong demand, concentrated in enterprise technology, defense contracting, aerospace, and cloud infrastructure across Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Palantir maintain substantial engineering operations in the state and consistently hire systems architects at mid-level to principal seniority. The most sought-after specializations are cloud and hybrid architecture, cybersecurity systems design, and enterprise integration for defense and government clients. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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As a Control Systems Architect on our Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) program, you will define the control system architecture for Xcimer’s fusion power plant and carry it from concept through detailed design. You will work directly with the program’s control systems director as the hands-on engineering counterpart, turning plant-level control philosophy into architecture, interface definitions, and design baselines. You will also contribute as a working controls engineer within the plant’s other major systems such as laser, fusion chamber, fuel processing, and power conversion, as their control and instrumentation designs mature. Working within the Electrical & Control Systems Engineering department, you will exercise independent judgment on complex, first-of-a-kind problems, with work reviewed against program objectives. We are looking for our engineers to apply their technical expertise, problem solving skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the future of energy!
Responsibilities:
- Define and maintain the plant control system architecture: safety, real-time, and supervisory control layers, network segmentation, precision timing and triggering, and plant data capture, documented in architecture descriptions and control narratives.
- Develop control system requirements and interface definitions between the plant control system and the plant’s major systems, and carry them through gated design reviews and change control.
- Contribute hands-on controls and instrumentation design within other plant systems: I/O and signal definitions, control sequences, interlocks, and operating modes.
- Evaluate and select control platforms, protocols, and standards, and build prototype or testbed implementations to retire architecture risk early.
- Support the program’s control systems director with trade studies, technical analyses, design review material, and staffing and schedule inputs for the control system scope.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM field; an advanced degree is a plus.
- Experience: Typically 10+ years of relevant experience in control systems engineering for large, multi-subsystem facilities such as power plants, process plants, accelerators, or large laser or research facilities, including ownership of system-level or architecture design.
- Working knowledge of industrial control architectures: PLC or DCS and safety instrumented systems, SCADA/HMI, industrial networks, and plant historians.
- Experience developing control requirements, interface control documents, control narratives, and architecture descriptions through formal design reviews.
- Ability to work independently on complex, loosely defined problems and to communicate architecture decisions clearly to engineers, scientists, and leadership.
- Willingness to travel 10 to 20% of the time between Xcimer’s Denver headquarters and the program’s future plant site.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee of granted asylum.
Desired:
- Experience with nuclear or other licensed facilities, including safety classification, defense in depth, and instrumentation and control qualification.
- Experience with functional safety lifecycle work (IEC 61508/61511), SIL allocation, and cause and effect design.
- Experience with precision timing and triggering, high-speed data acquisition, or pulsed power controls.
- Experience with OT cybersecurity (IEC 62443) and segregated control network design.
- Hands-on experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT, Siemens, Rockwell, or EPICS-class control platforms, and with Python or LabVIEW for test automation.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
As a Control Systems Architect on our Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) program, you will define the control system architecture for Xcimer’s fusion power plant and carry it from concept through detailed design. You will work directly with the program’s control systems director as the hands-on engineering counterpart, turning plant-level control philosophy into architecture, interface definitions, and design baselines. You will also contribute as a working controls engineer within the plant’s other major systems such as laser, fusion chamber, fuel processing, and power conversion, as their control and instrumentation designs mature. Working within the Electrical & Control Systems Engineering department, you will exercise independent judgment on complex, first-of-a-kind problems, with work reviewed against program objectives. We are looking for our engineers to apply their technical expertise, problem solving skills, and dedication to quality to positively impact the future of energy!
Responsibilities:
- Define and maintain the plant control system architecture: safety, real-time, and supervisory control layers, network segmentation, precision timing and triggering, and plant data capture, documented in architecture descriptions and control narratives.
- Develop control system requirements and interface definitions between the plant control system and the plant’s major systems, and carry them through gated design reviews and change control.
- Contribute hands-on controls and instrumentation design within other plant systems: I/O and signal definitions, control sequences, interlocks, and operating modes.
- Evaluate and select control platforms, protocols, and standards, and build prototype or testbed implementations to retire architecture risk early.
- Support the program’s control systems director with trade studies, technical analyses, design review material, and staffing and schedule inputs for the control system scope.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related STEM field; an advanced degree is a plus.
- Experience: Typically 10+ years of relevant experience in control systems engineering for large, multi-subsystem facilities such as power plants, process plants, accelerators, or large laser or research facilities, including ownership of system-level or architecture design.
- Working knowledge of industrial control architectures: PLC or DCS and safety instrumented systems, SCADA/HMI, industrial networks, and plant historians.
- Experience developing control requirements, interface control documents, control narratives, and architecture descriptions through formal design reviews.
- Ability to work independently on complex, loosely defined problems and to communicate architecture decisions clearly to engineers, scientists, and leadership.
- Willingness to travel 10 to 20% of the time between Xcimer’s Denver headquarters and the program’s future plant site.
- Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee of granted asylum.
Desired:
- Experience with nuclear or other licensed facilities, including safety classification, defense in depth, and instrumentation and control qualification.
- Experience with functional safety lifecycle work (IEC 61508/61511), SIL allocation, and cause and effect design.
- Experience with precision timing and triggering, high-speed data acquisition, or pulsed power controls.
- Experience with OT cybersecurity (IEC 62443) and segregated control network design.
- Hands-on experience with Beckhoff TwinCAT, Siemens, Rockwell, or EPICS-class control platforms, and with Python or LabVIEW for test automation.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
See All 18 Systems Architect Jobs in Colorado
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Find Systems Architect JobsSystems Architect Jobs by City in Colorado
Where Colorado roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Systems Architect Job Market in Colorado
A snapshot from current Colorado openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
What Colorado Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in systems architect jobs across Colorado.
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, systems engineering, or a related technical field
- Five or more years of experience designing enterprise or large-scale distributed systems
- Proficiency with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Experience with systems integration, microservices architecture, or SOA design patterns
- Strong documentation skills including architecture diagrams and technical specifications
- Active security clearance or eligibility to obtain one preferred for Colorado defense roles
Systems Architect Jobs in Colorado: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a systems architect in Colorado?
Most Colorado systems architect roles require a bachelor's degree in computer science, systems engineering, or information technology, followed by several years of hands-on engineering experience. Colorado does not issue a state-specific license for systems architects, so candidates advance through technical certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or TOGAF. Defense-focused employers in Colorado Springs and the Denver metro frequently require or prefer candidates who can obtain a federal security clearance.
How much do systems architects make in Colorado?
Systems architects in Colorado earn a median of about $139,580 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $76,140 for the lowest 10% to over $170,800 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire systems architects in Colorado?
Employers hiring systems architects in Colorado right now include Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems USA, and Northrop Grumman, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Colorado's concentration of aerospace, defense, and enterprise software firms means demand stays steady throughout the year across both contractor and direct-hire openings.
Which Colorado cities have the most systems architect jobs?
The cities with the most systems architect openings in Colorado are Denver, Colorado Springs, and Littleton. Denver leads because of its dense concentration of tech companies, financial services firms, and government contractors, while Colorado Springs draws heavily from defense and aerospace employers such as Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Space Force installations, and Boulder's research and cloud-software ecosystem adds a steady stream of smaller but technically demanding openings.
Are there remote systems architect jobs in Colorado?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 40% of systems architect openings tied to Colorado are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how much of the work involves design, documentation, and cross-team collaboration rather than on-site hardware. Architecture roles tied to classified defense programs or secure government facilities are the main exception and typically require in-person presence at Colorado Springs or Denver-area sites.
How can I get hired as a systems architect in Colorado with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into an associate or junior systems engineer role at a Colorado employer and building toward architecture responsibility from there. Large Colorado defense contractors including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon hire new graduates into rotational engineering programs that expose candidates to systems design early. Earning an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate or a TOGAF Foundation certificate before applying signals readiness for architecture-track work and meaningfully strengthens a junior candidate's profile with Colorado hiring teams.
Where can I find and apply to systems architect jobs in Colorado?
You can find and apply to systems architect jobs in Colorado on Migrate Mate, which lists current Colorado openings. Find roles that fit your experience and specialization, then apply directly to the employers posting them.
See All 18 Systems Architect Jobs in Colorado
Find roles in Colorado that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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