Datacenter Architect

Who is Trace3?

Trace3 is a leading Transformative IT Authority, providing unique technology solutions and consulting services to our clients. Equipped with elite engineering and dynamic innovation, we empower IT executives and their organizations to achieve competitive advantage through a process of Integrate, Automate, Innovate.

Our culture at Trace3 embodies the spirit of a startup with the advantage of a scalable business. Employees can grow their career and have fun while doing it!

Trace3 is headquartered in Irvine, California. We employ more than 1,200 people all over the United States. Our major field office locations include Denver, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Lexington, Los Angeles, Louisville, Texas, San Francisco.  

Ready to discover the possibilities that live in technology?

Come Join Us!

Street-Smart  - Thriving in Dynamic Times

We are flexible and resilient in a fast-changing environment. We continuously innovate and drive constructive change while keeping a focus on the “big picture.” We exercise sound business judgment in making high-quality decisions in a timely and cost-effective manner. We are highly creative and can dig deep within ourselves to find positive solutions to different problems.

Juice - The “Stuff” it takes to be a Needle Mover

We get things done and drive results. We lead without a title, empowering others through a can-do attitude. We look forward to the goal, mentally mapping out every checkpoint on the pathway to success, and visualizing what the final destination looks and feels like.

Teamwork - Humble, Hungry and Smart

We are humble individuals who understand how our job impacts the company's mission. We treat others with respect, admit mistakes, give credit where it’s due and demonstrate transparency. We “bring the weather” by exhibiting positive leadership and solution-focused thinking. We hug people in their trials, struggles, and failures - not just their success. We appreciate the individuality of the people around us.

*This position can be either W2 Contract  or FTE

JOB SUMMARY:

The Regional Senior Principal Engineer/Enterprise Architect IV serves serves as a customer-facing technical lead for the discovery, architecture, design, and modernization of secure on-premises and hybrid datacenter environments. The role translates mission objectives, business requirements, workload needs, operational constraints, and security obligations into practical, supportable architectures for regulated and mission-critical customers.

The role requires broad, hands-on architecture knowledge across compute, networking, storage, virtualization, containers, automation, cybersecurity, Zero Trust Architecture, AI infrastructure, and Microsoft GCC-High hybrid-cloud solutions. Success requires strong technical judgment, analytical and project-management skills, executive presence, and the ability to communicate effectively with customers, engineers, partners, and sales teams.

SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Serve as the senior, customer-facing technical lead for datacenter discovery, architecture, design, modernization, and solution shaping engagements.
• Lead structured workshops with executive sponsors, engineering, infrastructure, platform, cybersecurity, compliance, program-management, and application stakeholders.
• Translate mission objectives, user and workload requirements, performance targets, availability goals, growth expectations, recovery objectives, and regulatory constraints into actionable architectures.
• Develop and communicate end-to-end modern datacenter architectures spanning compute, accelerated/GPU compute, network, storage, backup and disaster recovery, virtualization, containers, shared services, observability, and operational management.
• Design hybrid-cloud solutions integrating on-premises environments with Microsoft Azure Government and Microsoft GCC-High while addressing identity, secure connectivity, data protection, workload placement, governance, compliance, and operational boundaries.
• Apply Zero Trust Architecture and defense-in-depth principles across identity, access, segmentation, endpoint and workload protection, encryption, key and certificate management, logging, observability, vulnerability management, and security operations.
• Perform capacity planning, workload placement, performance analysis, resiliency planning, technology evaluation, lifecycle planning, and migration or modernization planning for current and target environments.
• Produce reference architectures, high-level and detailed designs, diagrams, sizing inputs, bills of materials, implementation roadmaps, controls mappings, assumptions, risks, and decision records.
• Present complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences; lead architecture reviews, whiteboarding sessions, demonstrations, proposal responses, statements of work, and executive briefings.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Demonstrated experience as a customer-facing technical lead, enterprise architect, solutions architect, principal engineer, or equivalent for complex datacenter or infrastructure modernization initiatives.
• Substantive architecture experience across the modern datacenter stack, including x86 compute, accelerated/GPU compute, servers, HCI or converged infrastructure, switching and routing, storage, backup and disaster recovery, virtualization, containers, management platforms, monitoring, and physical datacenter considerations.
• Strong knowledge of virtualization architecture, including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or comparable hypervisor technologies; clustering, high availability, resource management, encryption, lifecycle management, and migration considerations.
• Working knowledge of Kubernetes and enterprise container platforms, including control-plane and worker-node design, registries, namespaces, resource isolation, cluster operations, and platform security.
• Strong networking knowledge, including Ethernet and high-speed datacenter fabrics, VLANs, VRFs, routing, segmentation, out-of-band management, microsegmentation, software-defined networking, and network performance for AI and data-intensive workloads.
• Strong storage and data-protection knowledge across block, file, and object storage; all-flash and scale-out architectures; RAID or erasure coding; performance tiers; backup, replication, disaster recovery, and recovery objectives.
• Practical experience with infrastructure automation and lifecycle management using technologies such as Terraform, Ansible, APIs, configuration-management platforms, CI/CD, GitOps, and policy-driven provisioning.
• Applied knowledge of Zero Trust Architecture, including identity and federation, MFA, RBAC/ABAC, privileged access, microsegmentation, endpoint and workload protection, encryption in transit and at rest, PKI, HSM/KMS concepts, SIEM integration, observability, and vulnerability management.
• Experience designing or integrating hybrid-cloud architectures involving Microsoft Azure Government and Microsoft GCC-High, including secure connectivity, identity, workload placement, data protection, governance, and operational integration with on-premises environments.
• Ability to conduct structured discovery, assess current-state environments, identify gaps and risks, estimate capacity and growth, and convert findings into reference architectures and actionable roadmaps.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and technical-diagramming skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with customers, executives, engineers, cybersecurity professionals, program managers, partners, and sales teams.
• Ability to work across multiple technology domains without relying solely on a single-vendor specialty; relevant vendor certifications or equivalent hands-on expertise are desirable.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, travel to customer or partner locations as needed, and maintain technical credibility throughout the sales, design, and delivery lifecycle.

LOCATION: Full Time/ On-Site in Linthicum Heights, MD or Annapolis Junction, MD

CLEARANCE REQUIRMENT:  Top Secret required, TS/SCI preferred

SALARY RANGE: $185,001 to $198,458.50

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:

• Remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time.
• Operate a computer, keyboard, and other office equipment using hands and fingers.
• Communicate effectively in person, over the phone, and through electronic means.
• Occasionally move about the office to access files, office equipment, and meeting spaces.
• Lift and/or move up to 15 pounds as needed.
• Maintain specific vision abilities, including close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This position is performed within a secure, classified workspace. Employees must comply with all applicable security protocols and access control procedures, including restrictions on personal electronic devices and the handling of sensitive information.

Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors, including location, experience, skill set, performance, licensure and certification, and business needs. The range for this position in other geographic locations may differ. Certain positions may also be eligible for variable incentive compensation, such as bonuses or commissions, that is not included in the base salary.

Estimated Pay Range

$185,001—$198,458.50 USD

The Perks

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Match, 529 College Savings Plan, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability
• Competitive Compensation
• Training and development programs
• Major offices stocked with snacks and beverages
• Collaborative and cool culture
• Work-life balance and generous paid time off

Our Commitment

At the core of Trace3's DNA is our people. We are a diverse group of talented individuals who understand the importance of teamwork and demonstrating leadership, character, and passion in all that we do.

We’re committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to grow. We recognize that embracing diversity drives innovation, improves outcomes, fosters collaboration, boosts teammate satisfaction, and builds a more inclusive culture.

As an equal opportunity employer, Trace3 bases all employment decisions based on individual qualifications, merit, and business requirements. We do not engage in discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Any demographic information provided is strictly voluntary, kept confidential in accordance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations, and will not be used in employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, or mentorship programs. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process or participate in an interview, please email [email protected].

***To all recruitment agencies:  Trace3 does not accept unsolicited agency resumes/CVs. Please do not forward resumes/CVs to our careers email addresses, Trace3 employees or any other company location. Trace3 is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/CVs.