Principal Application Architect

Essential Job Functions

• Reviews and conducts technical research, testing, evaluation and documentation of complex hosting/configuration tools and methodologies to ensure that tools are current and functional.
• Creates complex application architectures and populates an application host/configuration matrices with appropriate strategies, timelines and cost information to increase cost efficiency and effectiveness.
• Coordinates with application developers, managers and customer application experts to ensure that required features and modifications are included in the appropriates releases to support cross-product features and to communicate architectural designs and standards.
• Develops and designs complex multi-tier web applications; determines project requirements and functional specifications to ensure that client specifications are met.
• Defines and approves application standards and specifications; provides oversight for definition of product content to ensure that appropriate parties are kept informed of client and company requirements and policies.
• Designs application modules that work together to produce desired product. Ensures that completed modules provide functionality described by application experts and to ensure that performance guidelines are met.
• Plans technical support infrastructure through the creation of service level agreements; leads the transition from application development to support to ensure that appropriate support is available to clients in a timely and efficient manner.
• Provides analysis and design reviews to other department members to avoid duplication of effort in solving the same application problems with different products.
• Works with product development teams and senior designers on complex projects to develop architectural requirements to ensure client satisfaction with product. Works with third party vendors to develop software and/or integrate their software into company products.
• Evaluates new technologies and software products to determine feasibility and desirability of incorporating their capabilities into company products. Acts a liaison between third party vendors and company to procure, develop and/or integrate their applications into company products and to ensure that applications are in accordance with company product standards and guidelines.
• May provide leadership and work guidance to less experienced personnel.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Bachelor's degree in business, software engineering, computer sciences or related field preferred
• Twelve or more years of application architecture and/or product development experience
• Experience working with software systems, applications and network markets
• Experience working with technical products, vendors, and families of technologies and company hardware and software products
• Experience working with broad business area and knowledge of competitor products and services
• Experience working with application design principles and product configurations
• Experience working with appropriate programming languages, operating systems, hardware and software to understand product line software and hardware
• Experience working with mainframes, scheduling software, and other related technologies
• Experience working with software development life cycle and client requirements

Other Qualifications

• Strong personal computer and business solutions software skills
• Strong skills in application administration, design and architecture
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills for design, coordination and testing of applications
• Leadership skills to guide and mentor the work of less experienced personnel
• Good communication skills to communicate with customers, support personnel, application development personnel and management
• Good interpersonal skills for communicating with business unit personnel, customers and vendors
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Ability to create and maintain formal and informal networks
• Ability to work with relational databases

Work Environment

• Office environment