Solutions Architect

What are we looking for in our Solutions Architect?

Title: Solutions Architect

Duration: 6+ Month of Contract

Location: Denver, Colorado 80203

Job Description:

The IT Solution Architect will be responsible for the following:

Solutions Architecture:

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
• Interpret business, technical, regulatory, and architectural requirements in researching and recommending solutions.
• Evaluate and select appropriate technologies and platforms, with a focus on security, accessibility and compliance.
• Ensure solutions adhere to architectural standards and best practices, including security and accessibility policies and guidelines.
• Participate in the technology selection and provide recommendations.
• Collaborate and recommend standard operating procedures and policies.
• Develop estimates of the teamwork effort needed to deliver application solutions based on the project specifications provided; report progress to management and project managers as requested.
• Identify and manage potential risks associated with proposed solutions, including but not limited to security risks.
• Review, analysis and document solutions are designed for performance and can scale to meet future demands.
• Review, analyze and document cost effectiveness and optimization within proposed solutions.

Build and Apply Institutional Knowledge

• Promote the understanding of OIT Architecture and industry standard patterns and practices.
• Collaborate with other OIT architecture staff to ensure consistent delivery of quality industry-standard solutions.
• Capture and share best-practice knowledge with the solution architect community.
• Ensure that intellectual assets created during the delivery process are captured and evolved in the knowledge base in a manner that is reusable and relevant, including delivery and process models, sample project plans, sample deliverables, estimating and cost models, resource allocations.
• Consult on new projects to determine best architecture for the app/workload, estimated costs to host app, publish designs/recommendations

Support IT Innovation in Enterprise and Vendor Engagements

• Maintain currency in technologies and trends through research.
• Maintain awareness of current and future work efforts across the enterprise and identify opportunities for implementing innovative solutions. 
• Research and recommend solutions that meet the requirements of the customers and align with annual agency work plans, OIT’s enterprise strategy, and the OIT Playbook. 
• Track initiatives evaluate the effectiveness of the planned solutions and recommend alternative solutions when needed.
• Anticipate the training needs of end users and support staff who will maintain the solution in production.
• Demonstrate the benefits (increased operational efficiencies, decreased costs, etc.) of a solution to an agency unit. 
• Identify technology solutions compliant with digital accessibility regulations and accessibility evaluations in product testing (e.g., usability testing, use case tests).
• Coordinate with OIT internal operations teams to consider the implications (to infrastructure, security, etc.) of introducing solutions.
• Understand advanced data migration techniques.
• Understand the enterprise perspective of OIT operations across the supported agencies.

Technical Leadership:

• Act as a technical expert and advisor in determining optimal solutions based on business requirements.
• Provide guidance on technology trends and emerging solutions, with consideration for their security and accessibility implications.
• Collaborate with other architects and solution engineers to maintain a consistent architectural vision.

Stakeholder Management:

• Effectively communicate with stakeholders at all levels, including technical teams, business users and project sponsors, to gather requirements, manage expectations and ensure proposed solutions align with project goals and/or business requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders through active listening, transparent communication and proactive issue resolution.
• Facilitate collaboration and consensus among diverse stakeholder groups with potentially conflicting priorities.
• Translate technical concepts and solutions into clear, concise language for non-technical stakeholders.

Documentation:

• Create and maintain solution architecture documentation for recommended solutions.
• Document technical designs and implementation plans as part of recommending a solution.
• Ensure documentation is clear, concise and up to date.

Qualifications

The IT Solution Architect should possess the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, Software Engineering or a related field.
• Proven experience as a Solution Architect or in a similar role.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture principles and frameworks.
• Experience with a variety of technologies and platforms, including but not limited to various operating systems and databases.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Rate/Salary: $85 - 92/hr.