Cloud Platform Enablement Architect

Overview Cloud Platform Enablement Architect At the Department of Commerce, we’re reimagining what’s possible in government. We’re builders, thinkers, and change-makers, working at the intersection of innovation, community, and impact. From unlocking critical funding to fueling inclusive economic growth, we’re turning big ideas into real-world solutions that uplift people and places. Our agency’s strength lies in the diversity of our workforce and the breadth of the lived experiences and perspectives employees bring to the work. We believe equity is not just a value but a practice, which is reflected in how we design programs, engage communities, and deliver outcomes. We foster a workplace culture where curiosity is encouraged, bold thinking is welcomed, and collaboration drives our impact. This job is a commitment to reshape systems so they work better for everyone. If you’re ready to challenge the status quo and build meaningful connections, we want to meet you. Let’s build what’s next, together. Role & Responsibilities The Cloud Platform Enablement Architect is responsible for defining and evolving the agency’s cloud platform development architecture and Platform Baseline Standards (PBS). This role ensures that product and application teams can consistently deliver secure, reliable, and cost-effective solutions across state-authorized environments, including state data centers, hybrid/on-premises setups, and government-authorized cloud offerings such as Azure Government or AWS GovCloud (US) . Key responsibilities include producing reference architectures, application landing-zone patterns, and policy-backed guardrails encompassing policy-as-code, identity, observability, and security. The architect operates the platform as a product, complete with a roadmap, templates, documentation, training, and adoption KPIs. The role serves as the intermediary between business priorities and delivery teams, facilitating developer enablement through golden paths, repository templates, pipeline automation, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) modules, all designed with security and compliance as default features. They lead efforts in application modernization toward cloud-native designs, emphasizing API-first, PaaS-first, serverless/containers, and event-driven patterns. Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) are used to ensure transparency and auditability of decisions. The role also defines service-level guidance (SLOs) and establishes observability/resiliency patterns to guarantee measurable, dependable, and cost-aware services from the outset, irrespective of provider toolsets or the mix of on-premises and cloud capabilities. Note: this position focuses on defining patterns, PBS, and enablement assets. Implementation or operation of tenant/account resources, servers, pipelines/agents, backups, or daily monitoring/on-call duties remain the responsibility of the existing Cloud Solutions Architect and Infrastructure/Operations teams. Platform Reference Architecture & Patterns Platform Reference Architecture & Patterns define and maintain the agency’s reference architectures, application patterns, and PBS so solutions meet security, compliance, reliability, and cost requirements across state-authorized environments. Own the application layer and collaborate with IT Operations architects on provider landing-zone architecture and IaC integration to avoid overlap. Create and maintain version-controlled reference architectures (web/API, event-driven, scheduled, analytics) with layered diagrams and narrative guidance in the Platform Playbook. Define PBS-compliant application patterns that specify app identity and secret use, permitted exposure of endpoints and boundary controls, required encryption in transit/at rest, mandatory app tags/metadata, app-tier backup/restore expectations, and cost/usage signals for reporting and guardrails. Partner with IT Operations/Security architects to design provider landing-zone architecture and consume IaC modules inside application templates; supply application-layer requirements to ensure PBS alignment. Convert policy into policy-as-code guardrails and outline criteria for enforcement and exceptions. Maintain a record of anti-patterns, depreciation schedules, migration documentation, and sunset notifications. Develop reference dataflow and trust-boundary models for common patterns, including public web, partner integrations, and low-code extenders. Provide platform compatibility matrices, including approved services and SKUs, as well as version and runtime baselines; incorporate a straightforward waiver workflow documented through ADRs. Developer Enablement & Knowledge (Golden Paths) Developer Enablement & Knowledge (Golden Paths) Manage enablement as a product by providing golden paths, including repository templates, CI/CD pipelines, and IaC modules. Accompany these with clear documentation and training to ensure PBS-compliant delivery becomes standard practice. Tasks include: Provide self-service scaffolding, including template catalogs or CLI wizards, that provisions PBS landing zones, pipeline frameworks, and sample applications efficiently. Develop and maintain repository templates and CI/CD gates, incorporating security scans, policy checks, IaC plans and applications, and approvals, with semantic versioning and release notes. Curate the Platform Playbook with quick start guides, tours, FAQs, and code samples, plus decision trees for pattern usage. Conduct office hours and clinics; publish labs on authentication, API publishing, event onboarding, secret rotation, and cost tagging. Implement developer telemetry for enablement assets to inform backlog priorities. Provide onboarding checklists and readiness criteria for new teams, coordinating with Operations and Security for seamless handoffs. Application & Integration Architecture (Modernization) Application & Integration Architecture (Modernization) Facilitate migration of priority systems from legacy implementations to cloud-native architectures and implement consistent integration patterns (API-first and/or event-driven) to ensure safe and predictable system interoperability. Tasks include: Conduct modernization assessments and define target-state architectures (API-first, serverless/containers, managed data services) with phased roadmaps. Develop migration playbooks with strategies like strangler-fig, domain decomposition, data offload/dual-write, blue-green/parallel run, plus rollback plans. Establish API gateway standards and publish reusable API skeletons covering authorization, versioning, throttling, error models, and deprecation policies. Define event patterns including schema versioning, idempotency keys, retries, dead-letter queues, outbox/inbox, and eventual consistency. Standardize ETL/ELT processes to analytics with data lineage, quality checks, and PII handling; specify contract tests for interfaces. Govern low-code extensibility with an environment strategy, DLP, ALM, and pro-code interoperability patterns. Reliability, Observability & Performance Reliability, Observability & Performance Integrate comprehensive observability and resiliency into platform patterns, aligning telemetry with business service objectives and runbooks, independent of any specific monitoring stack. Tasks include: Define SLO/SLI guidance and a cross-platform telemetry model (traces/metrics/logs) with standard dashboards/alerts. Codify resilience practices and integrate load/performance testing guidance into templates and pipelines. Establish alert routing and severity policies mapped to business impact; provide runbook templates and escalation paths with Operations/Security. Provide capacity and scaling guidance specific to each archetype. Capture post-incident learnings and incorporate improvements back into patterns. Governance, Road mapping, Cost & Change Governance, Road mapping, Cost & Change Implement lightweight architecture governance, lead value-driven road mapping, and manage platform changes to ensure standards coherence, increase adoption, and evolve with minimal disruption, while upholding fiscal responsibility. Tasks include: Chair architecture reviews, document decisions in ADRs, and manage waivers with compensating controls and time-boxed expirations. Perform trade-off analyses between SaaS, PaaS, and custom solutions with ROI and TCO rationales; integrate cloud service cost controls into templates and pipelines. Maintain a modernization roadmap sequenced by value and risk; coordinate release communications, pilots, feature flags, and deprecation timelines with change-advisory practices. Operate pattern communities of practice; align with Security, Data, Enterprise Architecture, and Operations on cross-cutting standards. Monitor adoption and satisfaction of platform assets; adjust the roadmap based on measurable outcomes and stakeholder feedback. Required Qualifications Eight (8) years of professional IT experience in 2 of the following 3 IT disciplines: 1. Cloud Platform Architecture & Enablement : experience independently defining reference architectures, application landing zones, PBS, and policy-as-code; producing reusable patterns for identity, networking, encryption, tagging, backup posture, and cost controls. 2. Application & Integration Architecture : experience designing API-first and/or event-driven solutions and data movement to analytics, with governed low-code extensibility and DLP/ALM. 3. Developer Enablement & DevOps : experience creating repository templates, CI/CD pipelines, IaC modules, plus SLOs/SLIs and cross-platform telemetry standards. OR Associate’s degree in IT with six years of related experience, OR Bachelor’s degree with four years of related experience. Experience must include at least one year serving as a technical lead (non-supervisory) , such as leading architecture reviews, facilitating design decisions, mentoring engineers, and documenting ADRs. Experience can be concurrent with other listed experiences. Strong communication with diverse IT peers. Two (2) years or more of hands-on experience with: Experience with at least one major cloud platform (Azure, AWS, or GCP; government offerings acceptable), with emphasis on PaaS/serverless and platform services. Proficiency with IaC and CI/CD automation, including reusable modules/templates and pipeline policies. Experience embedding Security-by-Design and compliance aligned to state frameworks (e.g., NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, HIPAA, CJIS). Experience producing architecture artifacts (reference architectures, PBS, landing-zone patterns, ADRs) and maintaining versioned Platform Playbooks. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s/Master’s in IT/CS/Cybersecurity/Data/IS or training in TOGAF, ITIL 4, Prosci/ADKAR. Public sector security/compliance certifications or FinOps training. Experience with interagency design, trust boundaries, data-sharing agreements, and canonical data definitions. COOP leadership experience, tabletop exercises, and reconstitution playbooks. Experience mapping policies to technical control sets and developing evidence plans. Platform product analytics, KPIs/OKRs, telemetry, and release impact assessments. Enterprise change management for standards, deprecation campaigns, and stakeholder communications. Accessibility, records management, and e-discovery governance experience, including 508/WCAG. Instructional design for technical audiences, curricula, labs, badges, and community practice facilitation. Application & Recruitment Details To be considered, please submit: a complete online application, a cover letter detailing fit, and at least three professional references. For questions, contact our recruitment team via email: with the job number referenced. Work from Anywhere in Washington State This position may be located anywhere within Washington State with occasional travel to Commerce offices or events. Travel for equipment pickup and instruction may be required. Many Commerce employees work remotely or in hybrid schedules. Equal Opportunity & Benefits Our recruitment may be used for future vacancies over the next 60 days. Our commitment to equal opportunity: the Department of Commerce is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and provide accommodations in the application process. See the Benefits Tab for details. Benefits include medical and dental insurance, retirement, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, bereavement leave, employee assistance, and other benefits. #J-18808-Ljbffr