Solutions Architect Job

Vacancy No. IE-2026-0002 Department Office of the Chief Information Officer
Salary $147,945.00 to $197,200.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 2/5/2026 Close Date 2/11/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
San Francisco, CALakewood, COWashington, DCOrlando, FL
Tampa, FLAtlanta, GAChicago, ILBoston, MA
Kansas City, MORaleigh, NCNew York, NYPortland, OR
Philadelphia, PAFort Worth, TXHouston, TXSan Antonio, TX
Norfolk, VASpokane, WATacoma, WA


Summary

As a Solutions Architect, you will serve as a senior technical architect responsible for the design, development, and implementation of the USAi platform.

Location of position:
The Office of Enterprise Data & Privacy Management

The Office of Enterprise Data and Privacy Management focuses on continually improving data and information management, privacy, and accessibility.

We are currently filling one vacancy, but additional vacancies may be filled as needed.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

This public notice is issued under Direct Hire Authority (DHA) to recruit talent to occupations for which there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need. This means that we can hire any qualified candidate from this notice or any other source. About this DHA notice: -Current civil service employees will receive new appointments if selected under this DHA. -For information on DHA, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/direct-hire-authority/

Duties

As a Solutions Architect, you will perform the following duties:

  • Translates business needs and strategic goals into actionable technical requirements and comprehensive architectural designs. Develops detailed architectural blueprints and specifications for data and AI systems, ensuring solutions are scalable, resilient, secure, and compliant with federal security standards (e.g. NIST, FedRAMP) and data privacy regulations. Creates innovative architectural approaches for integrating artificial intelligence capabilities into existing GSA systems and processes. Designs cloud-native architectures leveraging modern cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) to support large-scale data processing and AI workloads. Develops and implements data integration strategies to create unified and accessible data and Enterprise AI ecosystems, ensuring data quality and consistency across diverse internal and external systems. Establishes architectural patterns for real-time data processing, batch processing, and hybrid approaches to meet varying business requirements.
  • Provides expert technical leadership for data and Enterprise AI initiatives within the USAi program. Serves as a recognized technical authority on complex data architecture and AI implementation issues, making critical decisions that significantly influence GSA's data and AI strategy. Researches, evaluates, and recommends emerging technologies, tools, and platforms to enhance data capabilities and support AI initiatives. Conducts proof-of-concept projects to evaluate feasibility and value of new technologies, leading the adoption of innovative solutions that advance GSA's technical capabilities. Develops and enforces architectural standards, patterns, and best practices for Enterprise data and AI solutions across GSA. Conducts comprehensive architectural reviews to ensure consistency, quality, and alignment with enterprise architecture principles and federal guidelines.
  • Contributes to the development of GSA's long-term data and Enterprise AI strategy, anticipating future technology trends and organizational needs. Examines technical policy issues and strategic planning with a long-term perspective, ensuring architectural decisions support both current requirements and future scalability.
  • Drives the integration of diverse systems and data sources, both internal and external, to create unified and accessible data ecosystems for the USAi platform. Develops complex integration architectures that enable seamless data flow across multiple systems while maintaining security and performance standards. Designs and implements ETL/ELT processes, data warehouses, and data lakes that support enterprise-wide analytics and AI capabilities. Ensures all integration solutions adhere to established data governance frameworks and maintain high standards for data quality and consistency. Manages the technical aspects of cloud infrastructure supporting data and Enterprise AI workloads, including performance optimization, cost management, and disaster recovery planning. Implements DevOps practices and automated deployment pipelines to ensure reliable and efficient system operations.
  • Collaborates extensively with product managers, engineers, data scientists, policy experts, and other stakeholders to understand requirements and communicate technical solutions effectively. Facilitates technical discussions and decision-making processes, ensuring enterprise-wide alignment across teams and with organizational AI objectives. Serves as a technical liaison to high-ranking stakeholders within GSA, other agencies and across government, conveying information regarding USAi platform activities, architectural decisions, and technical capabilities. Provides expert technical advice on enterprise AI activities, architectural design, and guidance to support informed decision-making at the executive level. Mentors junior technical staff and contributes to a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing within the team. Documents architectural decisions and technical designs, creating reusable knowledge assets that benefit GSA’s enterprise architecture and data communities.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • US Citizenship or National (Residents of American Samoa and Swains Island)
  • Meet all eligibility requirements within 30 days of the closing date.
  • Register with Selective Service if you are a male born after 12/31/1959
  • Direct Deposit of salary check to financial organization required.

If selected, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Undergo and pass a background investigation (Tier 4 investigation level).
  • Have your identity and work status eligibility verified if you are not a GSA employee.  We will use the Department of Homeland Security’s e-Verify system for this. Any discrepancies must be resolved as a condition of continued employment.
  • Serve a one probationary period, if required.

Qualifications

For each job on your resume, provide:

  • the exact dates you held  each job (from month/year to month/year)
  • number of hours per week you worked (if part time).    

If you have volunteered your service through a National Service program (e.g., Peace Corps, Americorps), we encourage you to apply and include this experience on your resume.

The GS-15 salary range starts at $147,945 per year.

If you are a new federal employee, your starting salary will likely be set at the Step 1 of the grade for which you are selected.  

To qualify, you must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level or higher in the Federal service.

Applicants applying for the GS-15 grade level must meet the following requirements: Have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies AND one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 level in the Federal service as described below:

IT SPECIALIST COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS:

? Attention to Detail - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant keeps abreast of latest technology, information, research, etc., to maintain knowledge in field of expertise (for example, reads trade journals, participates in professional/technical associations, maintains credentials).

? Customer Service - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant promotes or develops and maintains good working relationships with key individuals or groups.

? Oral Communication - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant serves on panels, committees, or task forces as a representative for the organization on technical or professional issues.

? Problem Solving - This skill is generally demonstrated by assignments where the applicant monitors current trends or events (for example, technological, economic, political, social, educational, or employment trends or events) and applies the information as appropriate.

Specialized experience is defined as leading the architecting and implementation of scalable, resilient, and secure modern IT solutions using iterative or agile development methodologies. This includes leading complex, multi-workstream technical initiatives that have a significant programmatic or operational impact, exercising independent judgement to resolve ambiguous technical problems, and navigating complex organizational relationships to align cross-organizational stakeholders.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Applicants are encouraged to make their resume searchable in their USAJOBS.gov profile. This will allow Federal hiring specialists and hiring managers across agencies to find their resume as part of agency recruitment campaigns or staffing searches.

If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency or visit GSA's webpage.

Relocation-related expenses are not approved and will be your responsibility.  

Additional vacancies may be filled through this announcement in this or other GSA organizations within the same commuting area as needed; through other means; or not at all.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

You will have access to many benefits including:

  • Health insurance (choose from a wide range of plans)
  • Life insurance coverage with several options
  • Sick leave and vacation time, including 11 paid holidays per year
  • Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401(k) plan)
  • Flexible work schedules
  • Transit and child care subsidies
  • Flexible spending accounts
  • Long-term care insurance
  • Training and development

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Applications will be evaluated against the basic qualifications. Qualified candidates will be considered in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management Direct Hire Guidelines. Applications will not be rated or ranked. Veterans’ Preference does not apply to the direct hire recruitment procedures.

You may not be considered for the position, if any part of the application is incomplete or missing the required supporting documentation. Falsifying your background, education and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or dismissing you if hired. 

ICTAP/CTAP Candidates: The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found “well-qualified" for this vacancy. In addition to meeting the basic qualifications stated in the qualification section of this announcement, well qualified is defined as: experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position, demonstrated by meeting at least 3 out of 5 KSA’s listed below:

  1. Skill in designing cloud-native architectures to leverage modern cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) to support large-scale data processing and AI workloads sufficient to generate cost-effective solutions.
    Skill in developing and implementing data integration strategies, technologies (relational, NoSQL) and data modeling techniques for both structured and unstructured data.
  2. Knowledge of security standards, data privacy regulations, and cybersecurity and best practices sufficient to make critical decisions and conduct comprehensive architectural reviews to ensure all architectural solutions meet compliance requirements.
  3. Skill in designing and implementing data architecture principles, AI/ML technologies, and cloud computing concepts sufficient to optimize complex enterprise-scale data and AI systems.
  4. Skill in software development methodologies, DevOps practices, and agile development approaches commonly used in data and AI applications (Python, SQL, R) and AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn) sufficient to lead complex technical projects and mentor development teams.
  5. Skill in written and verbal communications sufficient to present complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, facilitate stakeholder alignment, and document architectural decisions for future reference.

Demonstration of these KSA’s must be supported by your resume. Applicants should also make note of each KSA, as you will be asked to address them later in the application process.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) may be utilized in the evaluation of qualifications and KSAs.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

ALL required documents must be submitted before the closing date. Review the following list to determine what you need to submit.

Resume: Your resume should not exceed 2 pages and must demonstrate the specialized experience related to the position for which you are applying. Resumes exceeding two pages will not be accepted by USAJOBS and will prevent your application from moving forward in the hiring process.  Your resume must contain the following information:

  • Name, address, telephone number, email address;
  • Job Title (if Federal Service, provide series and grade; if not in GS plan, provide GS equivalent grade);
  • Relevant work experience—should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how you meet the required qualifications in the job announcement.
  • Education, certifications or licensures—If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure to include the required information and any required documents like transcripts.

Your resume should contain enough information to make a valid determination that you fully meet the basic, general, or specialized experience requirements for each grade level you are applying. This information must be clearly identified in your resume. If you do not provide enough information for us to determine your qualifications, you may be rated ineligible.

If you are ICTAP/CTAP eligible - submit a, b, and c: (a) proof of eligibility including agency notice; (b) SF-50, and (c) most recent performance appraisal.

Current or Former Political Appointees: Submit SF-50.  

How to Apply

Submit a complete online application including any required documents prior to 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of the announcement. You can modify or complete your application any time before the deadline. Simply return to USAJOBS, select the vacancy, and update your application.  For more detailed instructions on how to apply, click here: Apply for a GSA Job.

If you are having issues applying to this announcement, you should switch to a different browser, network or device. Note: Your firewall may block your transfer from USAJOBS to your GSA application. 

To begin, click the Apply Online button on the vacancy announcement.

  • Sign in or register on USAJobs and select a resume and documents to include in your application.
  • Resumes exceeding two pages will not be accepted by USAJOBS and will prevent your application from moving forward in the hiring process. Please see Required Documents for additional details.
  • Once you have clicked Apply for this position now, you will be taken to the GSA site to complete the application process.
  • Click the Apply To This Vacancy and complete all steps in the application process until the Confirmation indicates your application is complete.  If you click Return to USAJobs or get timed out prior to receiving confirmation, your application will not be submitted and cannot be considered for this job.
  • Note:  Review the REQUIRED DOCUMENTS section of this announcement to determine which apply to you and must be submitted online. You may choose one or more of the following options to submit your document(s): Upload (from your computer) or USAJOBS (click the "USAJOBS" link to complete the transfer process). 

Need Assistance? 

  • Questions or issues completing an application and/or submitting documentation - contact mgshelp@monster.com or 1-866-656-6831 Monday-Friday 7AM - 7PM EST, except for Federal holidays
  • Specific questions on the position - contact the HR representative (Monday-Friday during normal business hours) listed on the announcement, prior to the application deadline

You must receive HR approval before deviating from these instructions.

Be sure to APPLY EARLY as most assessments must be completed fully and submitted before the announcement closing.

Agency contact information

Aisha Moody
Phone
618-975-3747
Fax
000-000-0000
Email
aisha.moody@gsa.gov
Address
GSA, Office of GSA IT
Servicing HR Office: Branch D
GSA, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20405
United States

Next steps

After the closing date/deadline:

  1. ELIGIBILITY/QUALIFICATIONS: Your application will be reviewed for all requirements.
  2. REFERRAL TO MANAGEMENT: If you meet all the requirements, you may be referred to management for review and a possible interview.  
  3. SELECTION/TENTATIVE JOB OFFER: If you are selected, you will receive a tentative offer and start the suitability and/or security background investigation process.
  4. FINAL JOB OFFER: Once our security office determines you can come on board, you will be given a final offer, which is typically 40 days after the announcement closes
  5. FINAL COMMUNICATION: Once the position is filled, we will notify you of your status. You may also check your application status by logging into USAJOBS and clicking “Track this Application” on the Applicant Dashboard.

Thank you for your interest in working for the U.S. General Services Administration!

Additional locations

Tampa, FL
Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
Boston, MA
Kansas City, MO
Raleigh, NC
New York, NY
Portland, OR
Philadelphia, PA
Fort Worth, TX
Houston, TX
San Antonio, TX
Norfolk, VA
Spokane, WA
Tacoma, WA