Solution Architect

Position:  Solutions Architect

The Solutions Architect works directly with product managers and engineering teams to expand the capabilities of our SaaS platform and enable innovation across NWEA, while working under tight timelines in a fast-paced environment. Applies technology experience as a key member of the Architecture team to partner with other architects and technical leads in crafting highly scalable, flexible, and resilient cloud architectures. 

Responsibilities include the following: 

Partner with Product Management: Play a central role in an NWEA's efforts to introduce and successfully implement new services and technology. Serve as a trusted technical advisor by providing objective, practical and relevant advice. Work with business stakeholders to align solutions to business strategy and requirements. Determine options in making build vs. buy decisions based upon business capability model, resource capacity, and risk. Assess and communicate the business impact of technical options. Educate stakeholders on the value proposition of healthy architecture. 

Develop solutions architecture: Create architecture artifacts (logical architecture diagrams, workflows, data flow diagrams, presentations, etc.) effectively communicating solutions to varied audiences. Ensure solutions meet policies and requirements for technical standards, security, operation, and support. 

Support Delivery teams: Build deep relationships with senior technical individuals within delivery teams. Provide support to development teams for solving enterprise-wide challenging technical problems through the application of prototypes and knowledge of industry best practices. Mentor others on software design, construction, and development methodologies through one-on-one interaction, meetings, and brown bag sessions. Prototype, as needed, to engage with other technical minds and vet solution ideas. 

Author and contribute to the development of Reference Architecture & Standards: Document new reference architecture and standards to further improve NWEA's technical infrastructure. Review and provide feedback for reference architecture and standards in development. 

Manage delegated architecture deliverables: Host collaboration and design review meetings with architects and stakeholders. Track solution architecture delivery commitments. Provide guidance and support as needed to produce quality deliverables. 

Minimum Requirements:  Bachelor’s degree, or foreign equivalent, in Computer Science or Computer Engineering or closely related field; and 10 years of experience in developing software, to include the following which may have been gained concurrently: 

• 4 years of experience in cloud-based architectures: distributed data architecture, microservices architecture, event-based systems.
• 7 years of experience architecting and developing highly scalable, secure enterprise software.
• 4 years of experience utilizing AWS services (Lambda, DynamoDB, Kinesis, CloudWatch, EC2, S3, CloudFront, SQS, SNS, and Route53).
• 10 years of experience utilizing REST API design, OpenAPI specification, and spec-driven development.
• 10 years of experience modelling complex service interaction through UML modeling and data flow diagrams.
• 5 years of experience with authentication and authorization technology and protocols (SAML, OIDC, OAUTH, and SSO). 

Job Details: 

• Full-time position with NWEA located at 121 NW Everett Street, Portland, OR 97209.
• This position may be performed remotely (telecommuting or telework, including from the employee’s home) from currently unanticipated locations anywhere in the U.S. 

Send resume to: Hayley Cole, Paralegal, NWEA, 121 NW Everett Street, Portland, OR 97209; or by email: hayley.cole@nwea.org.