Enterprise Architect

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Space and Intelligence Division provides professional services to the US Space Force, Combatant Commands, Intelligence Community, and NASA. Our work includes enterprise architectural assessments, systems engineering and integration, test, planning and execution, cost estimating and analysis, acquisition support, and cybersecurity. We are trusted partners developing approaches and concepts to meet emerging high priority needs, assessing cutting-edge technologies, and supporting capabilities for our National Defense. Come join the fastest growing Division at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.!

The Space Systems Group (SSG), part of SPA's Space and Intelligence Division, provides timely and objective assessments and recommendations integrating technical, operational, programmatic, policy and business analysis. We focus on our key clients in the Space community including the US Space Force's Space Systems Command (USSF/SSC), one of the three designated Field Commands under USSF. We work tirelessly to provide integrated solutions based on information and communications throughout the chain of command. We provide clear and consistent analysis and recommendations which are aligned to strategic and leadership goals while balancing the ability to execute on time and on budget within the technical communities. Come join an organization responsible for being a key enabler of Spacepower!

SPA has an immediate need for a Enterprise Architect/Chief Engineer.

The Enterprise Architect/Chief Engineer is the senior technical authority for the KM Platform, responsible for defining, governing, and evolving the platform's architecture, engineering standards, and technical direction across all environments and capabilities. Reporting directly to the Platform Program Manager, this role leads the Systems Engineering Division, encompassing Platform Architecture, Platform Test, Account Management Services, Cybersecurity, and Configuration & Data Management.

The Chief Engineer owns both the as-is and to-be architecture, ensuring the platform evolves deliberately, responsibly, and in alignment with mission priorities. This role serves as the source of technical credibility for the program by balancing innovation with discipline, and performance with assurance while ensuring no change compromises operational stability or mission outcomes.

As a thought leader and decision authority, the Chief Engineer drives the integration of new technologies, patterns, and capabilities while upholding rigorous systems engineering practices. This role ensures that every technical decision is grounded in data, aligned to mission need, and defensible to stakeholders across government, engineering, and operational communities.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Systems Engineering Division, overseeing all branches responsible for architecture, testing, cybersecurity, configuration, and platform-level services
• Own and maintain the platform's architectural vision, including both current-state and future-state design across all environments and classifications
• Establish and enforce engineering standards, technical patterns, and design principles to ensure consistency, scalability, and interoperability across the platform
• Balance and optimize system qualities (e.g., security, performance, reliability, scalability, usability, maintainability), ensuring no single attribute is advanced at the expense of overall system integrity without justified trade analysis
• Serve as the final technical authority for major design decisions, changes, and deviations, ensuring alignment with mission requirements and operational constraints
• Ensure all engineering efforts adhere to disciplined systems engineering practices, including requirements management, trade studies, verification and validation, and configuration control
• Drive innovation and continuous modernization of the platform while ensuring new capabilities are mature, supportable, and do not introduce unacceptable risk to operations
• Partner closely with Platform Operations to ensure all architectural decisions are executable, supportable, and do not degrade performance, reliability, or user experience
• Oversee platform testing and validation strategies to ensure capabilities are production-ready, resilient, and aligned with mission use cases
• Govern configuration and data management practices to maintain integrity, traceability, and control of the platform baseline
• Collaborate with external stakeholders, including government leadership, aerospace partners, enterprise engineering organizations, and mission users, to align technical direction with mission needs
• Defend and communicate technical decisions with clarity, rigor, and evidence, ensuring stakeholder confidence and alignment
• Translate program priorities into a coherent technical roadmap that sustains platform relevance, capability, and mission value over time

Expected Outcomes

• The platform maintains a clear, coherent, and evolving architectural vision that guides all development, operations, and investment decisions
• Technical decisions are data-driven, well-documented, and defensible, with strong stakeholder alignment and confidence
• System qualities are balanced and optimized holistically, ensuring security, performance, reliability, and usability are all sustained at high levels
• New capabilities are introduced deliberately and responsibly, with no degradation to operational stability or mission performance
• Engineering practices are disciplined, repeatable, and aligned with industry standards (e.g., INCOSE), ensuring rigor across the lifecycle
• The platform remains technically credible, modern, and relevant, continuously evolving to meet mission demands without unnecessary risk
• Platform Operations executes effectively because architecture and design decisions are practical, supportable, and aligned to real-world constraints
• Configuration, testing, and cybersecurity practices ensure the platform is controlled, validated, and resilient across all environments
• Stakeholders across government and engineering communities view the platform as trusted, well-engineered, and mission-aligned
• The platform continues to deliver meaningful mission value, never losing sight of its purpose as a service provider rather than a standalone technical product

Qualifications:

• Active Top Secret clearance
• 20 years of relevant hands-on experience
• Extensive experience serving as a senior technical authority or chief architect, owning system or platformlevel architecture across multiple environments or classifications
• Demonstrated ability to define, govern, and enforce engineering standards, technical patterns, and design principles for large, integrated systems
• Proven track record making major technical decisions grounded in data, trade analysis, and mission or business requirements, with the ability to defend decisions to diverse stakeholders
• Handson experience applying rigorous systems engineering practices-including requirements management, V&V, trade studies, configuration control, and platformlevel testing
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations, driving modernization and innovation while maintaining system stability, security, performance, and operational readiness