Computer Systems Architect - Mid to Expert Level (Maryland)

Fort George G. Meade Complex, MD – GG pay plan, grades 11/1 to 15/10. Open: 2026-08-10, Close: 2026-08-23.

Responsibilities

• Modernize IT architecture through analysis of research and introducing changes based on evolving project requirements.
• Integrate industry trends, emerging technologies and standards, and new vendor features.
• Collaborate with experts in technical and application teams to identify, evaluate, and recommend technical solutions to support project requirements.
• Produce compliance results for established project requirements and IT architecture.
• Define and analyze data requirements, mapping legacy data stores and formats to logical and physical data models.
• Propose standard ways for information transport between IT systems and stored within corporate knowledge databases.
• Perform architectural alignment of the enterprise logical data model and physical data models.

Qualifications

The qualifications listed are the minimum acceptable to be considered for the position.

• Degree: Must be in Computer Science (CS). Related fields (e.g., Engineering, Mathematics, Information Technology, Information Systems) may be considered relevant if the programs contain, at minimum, a concentration of courses in the following foundational CS areas: algorithms; computer architecture (not network architecture); programming methodologies and languages; data structures; logic and computation; and advanced mathematics (for example, calculus, discrete mathematics).
• Relevant Experience: Must be in the design/development of computer or information systems and include engineering hardware and/or software over their lifecycle (i.e., requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing, integration, deployment/installation, and maintenance), programming, computer systems research, reverse engineering, and/or computer/network security. Completion of military training in a relevant area such as JCAC (Joint Cyber Analysis Course) will be considered towards the relevant experience requirement (i.e., 24-week JCAC course will count as 6 months of experience).

Experience Levels

• Full Performance: Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 3 years of relevant experience, a Master's degree plus 1 year of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree and no experience. An Associate's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.
• Senior: Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 6 years of relevant experience, a Master's degree plus 4 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 2 years of relevant experience. An Associate's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.
• Expert: Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 9 years of relevant experience, a Master's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 5 years of relevant experience. An Associate's degree plus 11 years of relevant experience may be considered for individuals with in-depth experience that is clearly related to the position.

Competencies

The ideal candidate is a self-starter with a desire for continual learning and strong problem-solving, analytic, and interpersonal skills who is able to:

• Work in a team environment.
• Adapt to change.
• Provide innovative solutions.
• Communicate effectively.
• Multi-task across multiple projects.

The ideal candidate will also reflect specialized skills and experience in one or more of the following:

• System administration with Windows, UNIX, and/or Linux.
• Programming and scripting experience (e.g., C, C++, Java, Assembly, Python, Perl, Ruby, Bash, Node.js, Spark, Puppet, SALT, KAFKA, HADOOP).
• Database design/development (e.g., NiFi, MongoDB).
• Network protocols and hardware.
• Virtualization fundamentals.
• Cloud architecture.
• Security architectures and appliances.
• Firewalls boundary device solutions/architecture.
• High performance computing/data center.

Pay

Salary offers are based on candidates' education level and years of experience relevant to the position and also take into account information provided by the hiring manager/organization regarding the work level for the position.

Salary Range: $105,262 - $197,200 (Full Performance, Senior, Expert). Salary range varies by location, work level, and relevant experience to the position.

Benefits

NSA offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Schedule

This is a full-time position, Monday - Friday, with a basic 8-hour/day work requirement between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (flexible).

If selected for this position, you will be required to serve a two-year DCIPS trial period, unless you are a veterans' preference-eligible employee, in which case you are required to serve a one-year trial period. This trial period runs concurrently with your commitment to the position, if applicable.