Senior Automation Architect, Migration Factory & Orchestration
Emergent, LLC
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Office
Location: Virginia Beach • Virginia • United States
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About the role
- The Senior Automation Architect serves as the visionary lead for our Ansible Migration Factory.
- This role is the architect of the "Glue," designing autonomous systems that ensure thousands of virtual machines are not merely migrated, but seamlessly re-integrated into the enterprise ecosystem.
- The Senior Automation Architect operates at the intersection of platform engineering, automation architecture, and enterprise service integration, defining patterns that will be reused across business units and future transformation initiatives.
- This role leverages strategic thinking with a viewpoint of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) as a craft and scalability as a mandate.
- Design and lead the execution of the "Migration Wave" engine, utilizing the Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) to move enterprise workloads with precision and zero manual intervention.
- Engineer sophisticated, API-driven "Pre- and Post-Migration" integration hooks to ensure VM is automatically registered with CMDB (ServiceNow), updated in DNS/IPAM (Infoblox), and secured via Automated Firewall/EDR policies.
- Implement Event-Driven Ansible (EDA) to create "Self-Healing" migration patterns by designing systems that detect environmental friction and trigger automated remediation, so the factory remains at peak velocity 24/7.
- Define and enforce enterprise-grade automation standards, including naming conventions, error-handling frameworks, idempotency guarantees, and reusable role/workflow design patterns across the Migration Factory.
- Partner with Red Hat Consulting to refine Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) workflows, turning individual migration successes into a repeatable, high-velocity organizational capability.
- Architect secure secret management, credential rotation, and RBAC models within AAP to support large-scale, multi-tenant migration operations.
- Design and maintain observability for the Migration Factory, integrating logging, metrics, and event telemetry to provide real-time visibility into migration health, bottlenecks, and failure domains.
- Serve as a technical SME, guiding legacy infrastructure teams through the cultural and technical transition to a GitOps-driven, Everything-as-Code reality.
- Support mentorship of automation engineers and platform teams, reviewing code, shaping architectural decisions, and raising the overall maturity of automation practices across the organization.
- Collaborate with security, compliance, and risk teams to ensure migrations meet regulatory, audit, and data-handling requirements without sacrificing automation velocity.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in an IT-related field or equivalent work experience, required.
- 10-12 years of progressive experience in infrastructure automation, platform engineering, or large-scale enterprise migrations.
- Proven experience leading automation architecture for high-volume, factory-style transformations (hundreds to thousands of workloads).
- Hands-on experience operating in hybrid environments spanning on-prem virtualization, Kubernetes/OpenShift platforms, and public cloud services.
- US Citizens required for clearable projects. Top Secret clearance preferred.
- Master-level expertise in Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP), specifically in developing custom Execution Environments, Roles, and complex multi-tier Workflows
- Expert-level capability in RESTful API orchestration for enterprise services (F5 BIG-IP, Cisco/Palo Alto, Infoblox, and ServiceNow)
- Advanced hands-on experience with the Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) and the underlying KubeVirt API
- Strong architectural understanding of networking, identity, security controls, and storage dependencies in large-scale VM and container platforms
- Demonstrated ability to design automation that is resilient to partial failure, supports rollback, and preserves transactional integrity across distributed systems
- A deep commitment to modern Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) practices, including CI/CD pipeline construction (GitLab/GitHub), linting, and automated testing of infrastructure code
- Ability to translate a VMA (Assessment) report into a technical execution plan
- Strong understanding and comfortability working in a "Global Delivery Model" with seamless hand-offs between EU-based centers and US-based stakeholders
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex automation concepts into executive-level and non-technical narratives
- A mindset oriented toward product thinking – treating automation as a long-lived platform rather than a one-time migration tool.
Benefits
- Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision plans
- Premier 401k retirement plan with corporate matching and a 529 college saving plan
- Tax-advantaged Health Savings Account and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account options
- Legal Resources
- Unlock Exclusive Benefits for Full-Time Employees: Generous work/life balance opportunities supported by a PTO bank, paid holidays, leave programs and additional flex time off
- Employee referral program
- Employee recognition, gift and reward program
- Tuition reimbursement for continuing education
- Remote or hybrid work options
- Engaging company events such as team building activities, annual awards and kick-off parties
- Health and wellness-focused activities
- Relaxation Spaces
- In-office gourmet coffee, tea, fresh fruit and healthy snacks
- Corporate GREEN approach – tracking energy consumption for reduction and purchasing only environmentally friendly products for our offices
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
Ansible Automation PlatformInfrastructure as CodeAPI-driven integrationEvent-Driven AnsibleRESTful API orchestrationMigration Toolkit for VirtualizationKubernetesCI/CD pipeline constructionautomated testingnetworking architecture
Soft Skills
strategic thinkingmentorshipcommunication skillscollaborationproblem-solvingleadershiptechnical guidancecultural transition supportproduct thinkingorganizational capability development
Certifications
Bachelor’s Degree in IT-related fieldTop Secret clearance