Why do you need to choose between doing important work and having a fulfilling life? At Ardent, we have both. Ardent employees are committed to solving our customers’ most difficult problems—and we are committed to the well-being, personal goals, and professional development of our employee. We are “All In.” We put forth our strongest effort possible to get the mission accomplished and we do it together. We respect the skills and experience you bring to the Ardent team. And we provide a rewarding environment to help you succeed. 

We offer highly competitive benefits, professional development opportunities, and an exceptional culture that embraces flexibility, innovation, collaboration, and career growth. A collective service mindset underpins our work, and a shared camaraderie to serve clients, colleagues and our communities set us apart. Our full commitment to being "All In" for our employees and our clients is not just our approach, it is our standard. If this sounds like the perfect fit for you, choose Ardent and make a difference with us. 


Ardent is seeking a Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) Architect to join our team.  The ideal candidate possesses a deep understanding of GIS technologies, extensive architectural experience, and a proven track record in delivering impactful solutions for federal clients. If you are passionate about shaping the future of geospatial technology in a government contracting environment, we invite you to apply and contribute to our dynamic team.

This is a remote/hybrid position. Will be onsite at various locations. Initially will be onsite in Hampton Roads, VA.

Position Description:

Ardent is hiring a GIS Architect supporting a prestigious geospatial government agency and program. We are seeking an accomplished GIS Architect to join our dedicated team, that has the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking projects and play a pivotal role in advancing space and Earth sciences. As the GIS Architect you will lead the design, development, and maintenance of geospatial systems critical to the agency's mission. Your expertise will be instrumental in shaping the infrastructure that empowers the government's geospatial initiatives, collaborate with cross-functional teams and government leaders to deliver innovative solutions.

Responsibilities:

Architectural Design and Documentation:

  • Lead the design of complex geospatial architectures and applications, adhering to industry best practices.
  • Develop and maintain detailed documentation, system hardware specifications, and design strategies.
  • Ensure robust configuration management and version control practices.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD):

  • Implement and manage modern CI/CD pipelines to streamline software development and deployment processes.
  • Drive automation of testing, deployment, and monitoring of geospatial systems.

Enterprise GIS Solutions:

  • Provide technical leadership in planning, designing, and implementing enterprise-level GIS solutions.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements, perform data analysis, modeling, testing, and deployment.
  • Ensure seamless integration of geospatial solutions with existing systems.

Agency Policy and Enterprise Alignment:

  • Coordinate with Government Agency IT leads to ensure adherence to its policy and alignment with enterprise strategies.
  • Stay updated on industry trends and emerging geospatial technologies.

ESRI Enterprise Platform:

  • Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the ESRI Enterprise platform and related technologies.
  • Utilize ESRI solutions to enhance and expand GIS capabilities.

Technical Leadership:

  • Serve as the GIS technical lead, providing guidance and structure for geospatial system design.
  • Develop comprehensive documentation, design strategies, and hardware specifications.
  • Support the planning, design, and implementation of enterprise GIS solutions.
  • Ensure compliance with the agency policy and alignment with enterprise strategies.
  • Possess excellent written and oral communication skills for effective collaboration with subject matter experts.

Qualifications: 

  • Master's Degree or higher (or Bachelor’s degree with additional years of experience) in Geography, Engineering, Environmental Science, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • A minimum of twelve (12) years of experience in designing complex architectures and applications, with at least 10 years of experience in geospatial systems.
  • Proven IT architecting experience, including strong documentation and configuration management skills.
  • Proficiency in modern CI/CD tools and practices.

Due to the nature of the work we support, all candidates in consideration for this role must be U.S. Citizens willing to undergo the government issued background investigation process.


Ardent is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

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