Systems Architect

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Why Bixal?

Bixal is a consulting company headquartered in Fairfax, VA, working alongside governments and organizations to help them deliver better services and experiences to the communities they serve. Using evidence-based knowledge and technology, Bixal empowers clients to deliver on their missions more effectively by fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement.

Our Values

• People-First: Emphasizing the importance of people in all aspects of work.
• Collaboration and Transparency: Valuing teamwork and open communication.
• Growth Mindset: Encouraging innovation and continuous improvement.
• Creating Lasting Impact: Focusing on meaningful outcomes and positive change.

About The Role
The Systems Architect plays a central role in designing, implementing, and optimizing cloud data solutions that power a large data lakehouse at CMS. You will work directly with engineers, data analysts, and stakeholders to develop solutions in Databricks and AWS that are scalable, compliant and efficient . This position is hands-on, focused on delivering practical, secure, and maintainable architectures that support data ingestion, transformation, and visualization.

This is a full-time position contingent on contract award by our client, with a defined performance period of one year with two one-year option periods. This role offers you a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on a project that aligns with Bixal's mission of delivering innovative, human-centered solutions. While the role has a fixed duration, we are committed to transparency and collaboration, keeping you informed about contract updates and new opportunities. At Bixal, we support your professional journey, ensuring your experience reflects our inclusive, purpose-driven culture and prepares you for future success.

Compensation
The salary range for this role is $135,000 – $155,000. In the spirit of transparency, most offers tend to land near the midpoint of the range. We make compensation decisions thoughtfully, considering your experience, the skills you bring, and our commitment to internal equity. Fairness and transparency are core to how we operate.

Responsibilities
Solution Architecture and Design

• Design and document end-to-end data solutions in Databricks and AWS, including ingestion pipelines, transformations, and storage patterns.
• Define technical standards and configurations that ensure performance, reliability, and security.
• Develop and maintain architecture diagrams, schemas, and documentation for engineering teams.
• Review requirements and propose efficient, cost-effective cloud solutions that align with client standards.
• Support integration of Databricks with AWS services, QuickSight, and other client systems.
• Other relevant duties as assigned and qualified/trained to perform.

Implementation and Delivery

• Work closely with data engineers to design and implement pipelines using Spark, Delta Lake, and Databricks Workflows.
• Optimize cluster configurations, job performance, and data access for large-scale workloads.
• Support automation of deployment and monitoring processes using CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code tools.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across the Databricks and AWS environments.
• Design, deploy, and operate secure hosting for custom and proprietary models using AWS Bedrock, including model access controls, network isolation, and MLOps-ready deployment pipelines.
• Collaboration and Communication.
• Partner with CMS stakeholders to assess data maturity and establish governance, quality, and transformation approaches that produce AI-ready datasets within the lakehouse.

Performance and Cost Optimization

• Monitor resource usage and performance to ensure stability and efficiency.
• Provide recommendations for compute optimization, storage lifecycle policies, and job scheduling to control costs.
• Partner with client to review cloud usage metrics and cost forecasts for Databricks and AWS services.

Security and Compliance

• Work with the Security and DevOps teams to maintain compliance with FedRAMP and CMS ATO requirements.
• Implement data security best practices for encryption, access control, and audit logging.
• Contribute to technical documentation for security reviews and system authorization.

Collaboration and Communication

• Collaborate with client and partner teams on solution planning and design decisions.
• Present technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Participate in architecture review and design sessions to ensure consistency across the platform.
• Excellent presentation and relationship building skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 8 or more years of experience designing and implementing solutions in AWS.
• 4 or more years of hands-on experience with Databricks, including Spark, SQL, Delta Lake, and Python.
• Strong background in data engineering, ETL/ELT design, and cloud data architecture.
• Experience designing secure, compliant, and scalable data environments.
• Strong understanding of networking, IAM, and infrastructure concepts within AWS.
• Ability to lead solutioning discussions and provide practical technical guidance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust Security Clearance.

Nice To Have Skills And Experience

• Experience with federal healthcare data.
• Familiarity with QuickSight or similar BI tools.
• Experience with AI agents and production of AI-ready dataset.
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, GitHub integration, and DevOps practices.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Databricks certification.
• Familiarity with Agile or SAFe delivery environments.

How We Support Our Team

• Flex hours
• 401K with matching incentive
• Parental Leave
• Medical/dental/vision benefits
• Flex Spending Account
• Company provided short-term disability and life insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 11 Paid holidays

Our company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all individuals and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and business needs.

We leverage technology, communications, data, and human-centered design to help governments and leading organizations be more efficient, effective, and impactful.