Chief Product Architect - remote

Instructure
Posted 3 years ago
The Canvas Learning Platform is expanding beyond the LMS to include Assessment Management, Assessment Analytics and Learning Analytics. Additional adjacencies will be added in the future. This is not just a business strategy. This integration is imperative if technology is going to have an increasingly positive impact on educational outcomes. Disconnected tools and incomplete integration standards increase the burden on teachers. Data silos and increasingly massive data sets are preventing the promise of greater insights into educational effectiveness at the levels that matter most.

This is the realm of the Instructure Platform Architect. With product and technology assets under our control as well as significant industry influence, you will have the opportunity and responsibility to solve problems at this scale for the benefit of students and teachers around the world. You will own and drive the evolution of the technical architecture required to fulfill our mission.

The responsibilities:

  • Lead internal product integration with technology standards and integration standards.
  • Lead external partnerships integration with integration standards and practices. Engage and drive external standards bodies as necessary.
  • Design and implement solutions to key problems to achieve the vision. This could include reference implementations, creating a proof of concept or embedding with teams.
  • Evaluate and select technologies and programming languages that will stand the test of time and allow us to staff teams to build and support them.
  • Demonstrate and exemplify Instructure Engineering values, standards and practices.
  • Listen, consult, research. Then make decisions and take a stand.
  • Work with product strategists, product architects, and executives to understand and influence a business strategy and support it with a technical platform strategy.
  • Understand, document and communicate the current state of the Instructure Platform Architecture. Identify weaknesses and possible remedies.
  • Develop, communicate, and build consensus on a future platform architecture. Make data driven, evidence-based recommendations that allow us to create a successful enduring business.
  • Participate and lead internal technical communities, and potentially external communities, to drive the evolution of the platform and build a strong engineering brand.
  • Lead technical component of acquisition analysis.
  • Stay up-to-date on the latest developments in technology, security, industry standards and best practices

Skills needed:

  • Proven ability to deliver working code on time - individually and with others.
  • Significant experience with AWS, Services architecture and web-scale design patterns.
  • Experience and expertise in the Lean-Agile principles and development methodologies.
  • Be the kind of leader that people seek out for guidance.
  • Displaying initiative and an ability to lead others.
  • Ability to work creatively and analytically.
  • Business acumen that can interpret and translate business goals into technical specifications, delivering thought leadership of specific technologies and driving technology change.
  • Business knowledge and interpersonal skills to build, maintain and influence relationships with senior leaders.
  • Ability to articulate new insights and concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Experience delivering presentations to senior level executives and technical audiences.
  • A proven track record demonstrating the ability to influence organizational change from an enterprise architecture perspective over a sustained period without steamrolling or frustration.
  • Experience establishing a successful Enterprise Architecture program at a large firm would be preferred

Who you will work with:

  • You will report to the SVP of Engineering and be a key member of the engineering leadership team. You will lead the architecture council composed of product architects and key engineers.
  • You will work closely with the product strategists and product management leaders to understand and influence the product strategy and roadmap.
  • You will work with senior leaders of the company to achieve alignment to the technical strategy. You will represent the technical strategy with customers and key industry stakeholders in formal and informal settings.