Director, Digital Solutions & Cloud Platforms

The successful incumbent of this role will be part of RTI International's Global Technology Solutions (GTS) team supporting the business. GTS caters to the diverse technology needs of RTI. GTS provides technical support, resources and services to help staff work efficiently and effectively in compliance with RTI policies. GTS also aims to provide technology solutions to support the Institute's Business Units, General and Administrative functions, and make RTI a global leader in finding innovative solutions to technological challenges.

RTI is seeking a results-driven leader to join us as Director - Digital Solutions and Cloud Platforms within our Global Technology Solutions team. The Director of Digital Solutions & Cloud Platforms will lead the strategic development and delivery of cloud-native digital solutions for federal agencies and commercial clients. This role is pivotal in transforming RTI's research computing capabilities into scalable, secure platforms that accelerate scientific discovery and evidence-based decision making; migrating legacy systems to cloud-based solutions; creating replicable analytics environments for projects that meet federal data security and cybersecurity requirements; and conforming to zero trust architectural standards. The Director will also be responsible for evolving RTI Merge and related platforms into enterprise-grade digital products.

• Cloud Strategy Development. Develop and implement a comprehensive digital solutions strategy that aligns with RTI's North Star objectives and business unit growth targets.
• Digital Platform Architecture & Infrastructure. Design, deploy, and manage scalable AWS-based architectures for multi-tenant research environments with automated governance and compliance frameworks.
• Platform Product Management. Lead the evolution of RTI's digital platform portfolio including the Research Analytics Platform (RAP), custom client environments, and ready-to-deploy digital products.
• Security & Compliance. Ensure all cloud environments meet federal data security and cybersecurity requirements (FISMA, HIPAA, GDPR), and conform to zero trust architectural standards, coordinating with various staff and cross-functional teams at RTI.
• Scalable Solutions Development. Create and maintain replicable analytics environments and digital solutions that can be rapidly deployed across diverse client requirements.
• Team Leadership. Build and lead a high-performing team of cloud architects, platform engineers, and solutions specialists, providing guidance, mentorship, and support.
• Vendor Management. Manage relationships with cloud service providers (AWS, Azure) and technology vendors to ensure optimal performance and cost-efficiency.
• Innovation & Best Practices. Stay abreast of the latest trends in cloud technology, research computing, and digital solutions, incorporating them into RTI's platform strategy.
• Budget Management. Develop and manage budgets for cloud platform initiatives, implementing FinOps practices for transparent cost allocation and resource optimization.

Minimum Required Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree with 18+ years of progressive experience in in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field or Master's with 14+ years related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect) are preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in cloud architecture and platform development, with at least 5 years in a leadership role focused on digital solutions and infrastructure.
• Technical Skills. Extensive experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation), and CI/CD pipeline development. Strong understanding of federal compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, FISMA) and security standards (NIST, ISO, HIPAA).
• Leadership Skills. Proven ability to lead and manage technical teams, with excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Project Management. Strong project management skills, with experience in leading large-scale platform development and migration projects.
• Analytical Skills. Ability to analyze complex technical requirements and develop effective cloud-native solutions.

Desired Skills:

Experience with modern data and analytics platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, Palantir Foundry, Tableau Cloud, or similar cloud-native solutions for data warehousing, machine learning, and business intelligence applications.

Required Skills & Abilities:

Skills and abilities required to perform the essential duties of this job are listed below. An addendum that clarifies additional skills and abilities for incumbents in this job may be used in addition to this description.

• Strategic Thinking. Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and understanding of government contracting markets.
• Innovation. Innovative and forward-thinking approach to digital platform development.
• Quality Focus. Detail-oriented with a focus on security, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Adaptability. Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with competing priorities and evolving client requirements.
• Basic understanding of project/program management skills such as planning, scope, quality, time, cost and resource management, communication and status, risk management with small-scale (<$100K) project delivery
• Balance of collaboration and influence to lead without control within a matrix-managed organization
• Strong leadership, teamwork, relationship building, negotiation, conflict resolution, verbal/written communication, partnership orientation, and problem-solving skills
• Strong knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio

Physical/Mental Demands

Physical and mental demands of this role include those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, as outlined above. Examples include: remaining in a stationary position for long periods of time; operating a computer and other office machinery; thinking, learning, and concentrating effectively and frequently communicating with other people, both within RTI and outside of RTI; frequently moving about inside and travel between offices and laboratories; frequently conducting laboratory site inspections (if applicable), ability to handle the stress associated in meeting frequent, multiple and tight deadlines, ability to work in excess of 40 hours per week as workload and deadlines may require, consistent demonstration of mental stability and ability to have regular, reliable and predictable attendance.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job, per RTI procedure 4.2.1.

Disclaimer

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.