Senior GCP Solution Architect

Senior GCP Solution Architect — Federal Cloud Modernization Remote (US) · Contract · $130–$155/hr DOE A Google Cloud Partner is building a team to modernize one of the largest federal agencies in the country. This is real architecture work — not staff augmentation. You'll lead the design of a GCP landing zone from scratch, stand up Vertex AI Search and BigQuery data warehousing, and own the MLOps pipeline architecture for a system that processes millions of documents. This is a FedRAMP High environment supporting the IRS. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with Google PSO engineers and agency stakeholders who know their stuff. If you've spent your career in cloud consulting and want a program where the architecture decisions actually matter, this is it. What you'll actually do:— Design the full GCP org hierarchy, landing zone, and shared VPC topology— Architect Vertex AI Search for semantic retrieval across 4M+ documents— Build BigQuery data warehouse schemas and MLOps pipelines— Lead architecture reviews with Google and agency technical teams— Produce the Technical Design Document (TDD) that governs the build— Mentor junior cloud engineers on GCP best practices What you need (non-negotiable):— GCP Professional Cloud Architect certification (active, verifiable)— 7+ years designing GCP architectures in production (not just sandbox/POC)— Deep experience with landing zones, org policy, shared VPC, IAM— Hands-on with Vertex AI, BigQuery, and Cloud Foundation Toolkit— US Citizen — this is a hard requirement, no exceptions— IRS MBI clearance (active) or ability to obtain one What puts you ahead:— Additional GCP certs (Data Engineer, ML Engineer)— Direct IRS, Treasury, or TIGTA experience— Prior Google PSO or Google partner delivery work— NIST 800-53 Rev 5 / IRS Pub 1075 familiarity— Terraform modules for federal landing zones About the engagement:This is a 12-month contract with a Google Cloud Partner supporting a major federal modernization program. The team is small, senior, and fully remote (US only). You'll have real ownership over the architecture — not just a seat at the table, but the pen in your hand. Pay: $130.00 - $155.00 per hour Application Question(s): Do you hold an active GCP Professional Cloud Architect certification? Do you currently hold or have you previously held an IRS MBI, Public Trust, or higher federal clearance? Security clearance: Confidential (Preferred) Work Location: Hybrid remote in Washington, DC 20001