Cloud & AI Solutions Architect - 50% telework

If you can design the architecture on Monday and still be the person who knows how it really works on Friday, we want to talk.

Linchpin Software is a small, growing company, and we're hiring a Cloud & AI Solutions Architect in Chantilly, VA (50% telework). You'll design secure cloud, hybrid, and on-prem architectures that let mission teams safely use modern AI: locally hosted models on GPU servers, vector and graph data stores, knowledge models, and analytic applications that run across multiple enclaves and air-gapped networks.

This is a hands-on architecture role. You'll set direction, write the standards, and work with engineers to make sure what we build matches what we designed.

Here's what we care about, and we hire for it:
- Be helpful. Answer the question, share what you know, and leave things better than you found them.
- Take care of the customer. Our customers have hard missions. We listen, follow through, and make their day easier.
- Be a good teammate. Review the design, jump in on the tough problem, cover for each other, and celebrate the wins together.

We also build software differently. Our engineers use AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Codex, GitLab Duo) every day to design, code, test, and debug faster.

What You'll Do:
- Design secure cloud and hybrid architectures for AI workloads and enterprise systems
- Integrate systems across cloud, on-prem, and multi-enclave environments, including cross-domain solutions
- Architect data platforms: vector, graph, and relational stores, ETL, lineage, and attribute-based access control
- Shape knowledge models and ontologies that make AI output structured and explainable
- Set standards for infrastructure as code, automation, and DevSecOps
- Support AI and data governance, and guide modernization and cloud migration
- Advise leadership on technical risks, tradeoffs, and strategy

Required:
- Active Top Secret, TS/SCI, or Intel Agency clearance
- Bachelor's degree
- 10+ years of experience, including cloud architecture or technical leadership
- Deep expertise with a major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and hybrid/on-prem environments
- Experience supporting AI/ML workloads or high-performance compute
- Strong grasp of secure architecture, including zero trust
- Infrastructure as code and DevSecOps tooling
- Ability to explain technical concepts clearly to leadership and customers

Preferred:
- Classified or multi-enclave environments
- Knowledge graphs, ontologies, or semantic data modeling
- Document parsing, entity extraction, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architectures
- Kubernetes, GPU servers, and hyperconverged infrastructure
- Cloud architecture certifications (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
- Advanced degree in a technical field

The Honest Details:
- Location: Chantilly, VA, 50% telework. You'll be on site about half the time, and we mean it.
- Pay: $130,000 - $230,000, based on experience and what you bring.
- Clearance: active Top Secret, TS/SCI, or Intel Agency clearance required. We can't sponsor one for this role.

What You'll Gain:
- Real influence over the architecture of a growing AI mission program
- Modern technology across cloud, on-prem, and air-gapped environments
- A small team where your work is seen and your opinion counts
- Competitive compensation and benefits

If you're an architect who still likes to get your hands dirty, apply. A real person on our team reads every application.