Senior Cloud GIS Modernization Lead

Responsibilities

• Modernize and Optimize Legacy GIS Workflows and Automations
• Assess current GIS workflows, applications, scheduled tasks, scripts, data-processing jobs, and automations operating on traditional compute instances, virtual machines, file shares, or other legacy infrastructure.
• Develop practical modernization roadmaps that transition appropriate workloads to containerized, serverless, or cloud-native patterns such as Docker, Kubernetes, managed container services, functions-as-a-service, or automated workflow orchestration.
• Define target-state architecture, sequencing, dependencies, risks, rollback approaches, validation procedures, security considerations, and operational acceptance criteria for each migration candidate.
• Cook up coordination with client IT, cloud, cybersecurity, geospatial operations, application development, and data-management teams to ensure migrated workflows preserve mission functionality, access controls, data integrity, observability, and maintainability.
• Document the migration process and produce migration plans, completion reports, testing summaries, operational validation records, lessons learned, and recommended next steps.
• Optimize Production Storage and Geospatial Data Management
• Analyze current production storage patterns, data growth, access frequency, retention needs, cost drivers, performance constraints, and operational dependencies across enterprise geospatial repositories.
• Design and lead implementation of storage optimization approaches using object storage, managed file systems, lifecycle policies, archival tiers, deduplication concepts, metadata standards, data-retention rules, and automated “last use” criteria.
• Ensure production storage solutions support client requirements for security, integrity, accessibility, recoverability, operational continuity, and appropriate user or system access.
• Develop and maintain storage optimization plans, data management plans, implementation reports, standard operating procedures, and training materials for technical users and system administrators.
• Collaborate with application, data integration, analytics, and operations teams so storage decisions support near-real-time workflows, dashboards, geospatial analysis, field data collection, mobile workflows, and future platform growth.
• Support Cloud-Native Development, Test, and Validation Environments
• Lead technical planning for fully functional development, test, staging, or training environments that leverage cloud-native services, automation, configuration management, and on-demand provisioning where appropriate.
• Support cloning, replication, infrastructure-as-code, or configuration synchronization approaches that maintain parity with production environments while reducing configuration drift and improving test reliability.
• Define environment inventories, provisioning/decommissioning procedures, resource documentation, validation steps, access controls, security considerations, cost controls, and operations-and-maintenance practices.
• Support software evaluation, prototype testing, integration testing, performance testing, security review, and deployment-readiness activities before production release.
• Prepare environment diagrams, deployment plans, configuration baselines, and operational documentation that can be maintained by client IT, cloud, and geospatial staff after implementation.
• Provide Technical Leadership Within the Larger Project Team
• Serve as the senior technical lead for the modernization workstream while coordinating with the overall project manager, solution development lead, data integration lead, training/change management lead, security stakeholders, and client representatives.
• Contribute technical content to status reports, technical briefings, risk discussions, decision materials, and client-facing documentation without owning overall project reporting for the full engagement.
• Translate complex modernization decisions into clear explanations for technical and non-technical stakeholders, including tradeoffs involving cost, reliability, security, scalability, maintainability, and operational continuity.
• Mentor project staff on DevSecOps, cloud architecture, GIS infrastructure modernization, documentation standards, testing discipline, and operational support practices.

Qualifications

• Degree in Geography, GIS, geospatial science, computer science, natural resources, or a closely related discipline
• 15+ years of professional geospatial technology experience, including senior-level technical leadership in GIS architecture, enterprise deployment, cloud-hosted geospatial platforms, or geospatial software systems
• Demonstrated experience modernizing production applications, scripts, workflows, data-processing jobs, or automations from legacy virtual machines or server-based environments to containerized, serverless, or cloud-native architectures
• Advanced AWS and/or Azure cloud architecture experience, including identity and access management, least-privilege design, account or subscription organization, networking concepts, production operations, security controls, cost management, backup/recovery, and compliance-oriented design
• Hands-on experience with container and orchestration technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, managed container services, container registries, and related CI/CD or deployment patterns
• Experience with object storage, managed file systems, lifecycle management, automated data-management policies, production storage optimization, and governance approaches for large geospatial datasets
• Experience with ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, enterprise GIS workflows, geodatabases, web services, dashboards, field/mobile data collection, and GIS interoperability with larger enterprise systems
• Strong programming and data engineering skills using Python, SQL, R, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Microsoft SQL Server, APIs, OpenAPI specifications, and cloud-based scripting/automation
• Experience designing engineering standards, DevSecOps processes, observability practices, security controls, disaster recovery practices, and documentation for production SaaS or enterprise software platforms
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation, architecture diagrams, migration plans, implementation reports, training materials, and executive-ready summaries for federal or enterprise stakeholders
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with client IT, geospatial SMEs, cloud/security teams, field or operational users, and project leadership

Desired Skills And Experience

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or equivalent cloud certification
• Experience architecting and operating production-grade SaaS platforms, especially GIS, AI-enabled, or workflow-automation systems
• Experience with Agentic AI, natural-language geoprocessing workflows, GenAI contextualization, or AI-enabled tools that make geospatial data more accessible to non-GIS users
• Experience with SOC 2-style controls, DevSecOps standards, OpenTelemetry, cloud monitoring, application performance monitoring, API gateways, identity services, or comparable technology stacks
• Experience supporting emergency management, public safety, logistics, infrastructure, natural resources, transportation, utilities, or other mission-critical operational environments
• Background in remote sensing, spatial statistics, ENVI, ERDAS Imagine, QGIS, TransCAD, environmental modeling, forestry, transportation, natural resources, land use/land cover change, or field data collection