Solution/Application Architect

Overview

The Solutions Application Architect proactively and holistically leads and supports EA activities that guide the development and management of a portfolio of solutions. Solutions include projects, systems (including applications, technologies, processes and information), shared infrastructure services and shared application services. They communicate and ultimately solidify a broad understanding across the organization of technical capabilities and deployment options, positioning the company to fully leverage new and existing functionality for maximum benefit and return on investment. The solutions architect leads the development and application of the technical architecture. They analyze technical/business problems and recommend strategies to implement technology or improve processes to enable improved business productivity. They understand the concepts of business goals, objectives and business outcomes, business capabilities, value-streams, and business processes and their importance in solution architecture. The solutions architect provides the necessary leadership, analysis and design tasks related to support the development of technology solutions to ensure that solutions meet business needs and align with architectural governance and standards.

Below is the salary range for this position, although offers may differ based on the candidate’s location, job-specific knowledge, skills, and experience.

Additional benefits:

Responsibilities

• Monitors the current-state solution portfolio to identify deficiencies through aging of the technologies used by the application, or misalignment with business requirements.
• Supports product managers in end-of-life product decisions to maintain, refresh or retire services, or systems, including applications, technologies, processes, and information.
• Facilitates the evaluation and selection of software product standards and services, as well as the design of standard and custom software configurations.
• Consults with application and infrastructure development projects and products to fit systems or infrastructure to architecture and identify when it is necessary to modify designs to accommodate the solutions architecture.
• Provide application architectural consulting expertise, direction, and assistance to analysts, developers, project managers, database administrators, and business solution and other architects.
• Advise and oversee implementation of technology solutions that provide a scalable, reliable and predictable computing environment.
• Perform code and design reviews with other team members or vendors and serve as a mentor and advisor.
• Collaborate with end users and management to define business requirements for complex systems development, integration or system purchases and gain buy-in for all infrastructure plans.
• Develop, document, make recommendations, and communicate plans for investing in application infrastructure, including analysis of cost reduction opportunities.
• Own and develop technology roadmaps.
• Create and maintain library of current state capabilities, desired future state, and timing of what gaps will be addressed and by when.
• Ensure technology solutions meet the requirements of the business and deliver business capabilities.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information-technology, engineering, system analysis or a related study, or equivalent experience
• Minimum of five years of experience in at least two IT solution development disciplines, including technical or infrastructure architecture, network management, application development, middleware, database management or cloud development
• Exposure to multiple, diverse technologies, platforms, and processing environments
• Good understanding of strategic and emerging technology trends, and the practical application of existing and emerging technologies to new and evolving business and operating models
• Experience working in a relevant industry is helpful, but not required.
• Experience developing architecture blueprints, strategies, and roadmaps

Knowledge & Skills        

• Knowledge of various database technologies
• Knowledge of various frontend web development languages like JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
• Knowledge of various aspects of a technology architecture like integration, network and security
• Knowledge of information principles and processes
• Understanding and knowledge of system development life cycle methodologies (such as waterfall, spiral, agile software development, rapid prototyping, incremental, synchronize and stabilize, and DevOps)
• Knowledge of different modeling languages (such as UML and ArchiMate)
• Understanding of IT standards and controls
• Excellent understanding of application development methodologies and infrastructure and network architecture
• Excellent analytical, planning, organizational and technical and skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Dedication and commitment to customer service focused delivery of solutions.
• Superior problem-solving ability for addressing escalated issues.
• Experience juggling multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Demonstrated flexibility, resilience, and resourcefulness.
• Demonstrated exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to organize and plan work to meet goals and deadlines.
• Ability to understand and adapt to new technologies/technology platforms.
• Knowledge of IT architectures (hardware, software, network, process and data).
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial modeling (cost benefit analysis, return on investment, etc.).
• Ability to evaluate multiple sources of information and choose the optimal solution based on business needs and the technology environment, standards, and policies.

Competencies

Competencies

• Organizationally savvy, with the ability to navigate organizational politics.
• Skilled at influencing, guiding and facilitating stakeholders and peers with decision making.
• Ability to articulate new ideas and concepts to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to understand the long-term ("big picture") and short-term perspectives of situations.
• Ability to translate future-state business capabilities and requirements into solution architecture requirements.
• Ability to propose and estimate the financial impact of solution architecture alternatives.
• Ability to work creatively and analytically to solve business problems and propose solutions.
• Ability to quickly comprehend the functions and capabilities of new technologies.

Salary : $91,800 - $153,000