Principal Classified Systems Architect, Okta Federal

The role

This person will define the architectural vision for air-gapped infrastructure and design a scalable developer platform for US Classified environments. They will select hardened tooling and bridge the gap between DoD compliance and modern DevOps velocity.

What you will do

• Define and evolve the architecture of SIPR/JWICS environments.
• Design resilient, scalable infrastructure-as-code and blueprints for air-gapped environments.
• Collaborate with engineering and security teams to translate compliance controls into automated implementations.
• Guide the selection and integration of High Side tools and technologies.
• Review and approve architectural changes and major system upgrades across the classified boundary.
• Measure success through platform uptime, ATO velocity, patch latency, and vulnerability resolution time.
• Establish technical strategy for High Side observability and continuous monitoring.

Required qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in systems architecture, DevSecOps engineering, or a similar role.
• At least 5 years focused on DoD Classified environments (IL6/Secret or higher).
• Deep expertise in the DoD software ecosystem, specifically with Platform One/Cloud One, Big Bang, and Iron Bank.
• Strong understanding of Kubernetes (EKS/RKE2) and container orchestration in air-gapped setups.
• Hands-on experience architecting solutions that meet DoD CC SRG IL6, NIST 800-53, and FIPS 140-3 cryptography standards.
• Proven experience working with Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) and architecting secure data transfer workflows between Low Side (IL5) and High Side (SIPR/JWICS) networks.
• Experience implementing Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) principles in legacy or restrictive network environments.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills.

Nice to have

• Bias for action and the ability to solve complex air gap challenges outside the box

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Flexible spending account
• Paid leave (including PTO and parental leave)

Before you apply

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance (Secret or Top Secret).
• Selected candidate may be subject to drug testing to the extent required by U.S. Government contracts.

About the company

Okta Federal, Inc. builds and maintains a robust, compliant, and scalable High Side developer platform for the U.S. Government’s most sensitive missions.