Sr. Director - Solutions Architect with Security Clearance

About the Team

BAE Systems Intelligence & Security (I&S) is a forward-leaning engineering organization within a top-tier aerospace and defense prime. Our mission is to improve the future and protect lives by defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. Based in McLean, Virginia, our team designs and delivers advanced defense, intelligence, and security solutions that support critical missions for the U.S. military and government.

We are not a traditional architecture group that simply draws boxes and lines. We are a culture that bets on innovation, speed, and technical excellence as competitive weapons. Our leadership invests in people, modern tools, and progressive capture practices because we believe the next generation of defense programs will be won by teams that think differently. We sponsor continuous learning, encourage experimentation with AI-assisted engineering tools, and maintain an environment where the best idea wins regardless of rank.

About the Role

We are seeking Solutions Architects to serve as the primary technical authorities on major defense captures and proposals. This role is for technical leaders who have stood before Source Selection Evaluation Boards and earned top marks because their solution was the sharpest, most innovative, and most mission-aligned offering on the table.

You will own the technical vision from early shaping through proposal delivery, post-submission orals, and program standup. You won't be handed a stale architecture template; instead, you will drive real technical outcomes by designing scalable, secure, and cost-effective solutions that align with enterprise strategy. Your day-to-day involves leading technical strategy, conducting trade studies to differentiate our offering, and translating complex concepts into clear, compelling, evaluator-ready content. You will lead high-performance teams, integrate technology partners, and present solutions to leadership and government customers with confidence and credibility.

Our Culture and Mindset

We hire architects who bring a modern mindset to the transforming defense acquisition landscape. We value those who are AI-fluent, actively using generative AI tools to accelerate solution design and proposal writing. While we are grounded in structured capture methodologies like Shipley, we demand flexibility to adapt to compressed timelines, prototype-first pathways, and non-traditional formats without losing rigor.

Character is non-negotiable. We seek individuals with competitive fire who take losses personally but study them to come back stronger. We value intellectual honesty regarding technical risk and feasibility, and collaborative leadership that elevates the people around you. Behind every architecture diagram is a warfighter, analyst, or decision-maker whose mission depends on getting this right.

Hiring Process

We are looking for candidates with a proven track record of winning major proposals valued at $100M+. If you can articulate the specific discriminators you identified, the architecture trades you made, and the risks you retired that competitors could not, we want to hear from you. The selection process focuses on your ability to think like an evaluator and your demonstrated experience in shaping technical strategies behind contract awards.

Equal Opportunity Statement

BAE Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse workforce and fostering an inclusive environment where all employees can thrive. We consider qualified applicants regardless of background, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.