Solutions Architect - remote

Job Brief:

The Solutions Architect (SA) is responsible for defining and supporting our software solutions and development standards for a variety of municipal government websites and internal applications. Using their knowledge of best practices, the SA will review our current software design to development standards and identify opportunities for improvement and further standardization. Collaboration is key at I.F.;the SA will work across teams to ensure standardization and work to address exceptions as they arise. Although this is not a management position, a successful SA will be a mentor and coach to the engineering team members.

Responsibilities:

Include but are not limited to:

SETTING STANDARDS &ADDRESSING EXCEPTIONS

• Define functional, system and architectural requirements, keeping performance, scaling, security and cost savings in mind.
• Define, deploy, integrate and support software design and development best practices, standards, tools and processes:
  • Identify and implement opportunities for technical efficiency, scaling and security (e.g. software design patterns, code reuse, automation, refactoring process for scale) and consistency of technical deliverables
  • Research emerging technology trends and next generation services recommendations, selection and implementation in support of overall I.F. technology strategy
• Render an opinion/recommendation regarding the value and risks to I.F. when efforts fall outside of I.F. standards and/or known skill sets.
• Review, recommend and architect, as necessary, custom integration to development efforts or exceptions to I.F. standards and products
• Test integrations with other stakeholders, including SMEs and Designers/Developers

TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION &MAINTENANCE

• Provide forward thinking technology leadership and direction both on a project basis and regarding best practices more holistically.
  • Define transition steps from current to future state architecture, including interoperability
  • Roadmap technology evolution (including known and potential obstacles) and scope efforts to achieve objectives.
  • Lead development of technical systems architecture plans and deliver supporting analysis regarding hard costs and labor level of effort to achieve them.
  • Leveraging cloud services and automation to enable business strategies and ensuring our solutions are optimized for cost and functionality

ESCALATION SUPPORT

• Transitioning technical ownership/knowledge of the solution to the technical execution team through the Director of Engineering, providing ongoing consultative technical support and proactively raising and working issues throughout the project software delivery lifecycle
• Provides consultative support and technical ownership to the team on an ongoing basis as change and challenges arise including communication &coordination of I.F./Drupal best practices/identifying exceptions.
• Taking a hands on role as required to diagnose and resolve issues as they arise during the software lifecycle.

COLLABORATIVE ROLE

While not primarily responsible for overall coordination, the Solutions Architect is responsible for collaborating to establish and evolve I.F. standard products, services and service delivery processes. This includes identifying gaps, and improving and maintaining team working processes and tools.

Skills and Qualifications:

• You must either be a US Citizen or already have a Green Card to apply
• Minimum of three to five years experience in progressively more senior technical roles including Drupal developer, lead or architect. (Prior architect experience is required.)
• Two+ years in a technical leadership role - formal supervisory experience is not required, must be able to demonstrate team leadership, coaching and/or mentoring capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience with the following technologies:
  • Content Management Systems, particularly Drupal 8/9
  • Solutions integration using cloud computing services (e.g. block storage, virtualization, containers, etc.)
  • Conversant with database optimization and proficient with SQL
  • Integration with Lucene-based search (e.g. SOLR, ElasticSearch)
  • Care and feeding of CI/CD pipelines
  • Caching technologies (CDN, Redis, Varnish, OpCache)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to interface effectively with senior managers, business partners and clients, and the discernment to know when to strongly advocate for a position and when to seek compromise
• Experience working closely with design and project teams throughout the software and infrastructure development life cycle:
  • Strong software development, design and architecture experience
  • Dedication to optimizing performance, designing for scalability and ensuring high level web security for clients.
  • Experienced in front/back-end development;HTML5, CSS3, CMS module/theme customization, PHP, Javascript/AJAX, database modeling, user stories, unit testing, comps and wireframes.
  • Familiar with principles of source control (e.g., Git or similar) and deployment strategies
• Experience working remotely in a virtual office environment
• Ability to lead virtual teams in a highly collaborative team environment and ability to resolve conflict, while fostering a collaborative and communicative environment.
• Minimum Remote Environment Requirements:
  • Internet Speed: 10 Mbs Download/10 Mbs Upload
  • Quiet work environment with professional background
• Willingness to travel occasionally for company meetings (when it is safe to do so).
• Demonstrated commitment to I.F. Purpose &Principles based on employment history, experience, and interview(s) and assessments.

Why work for I.F.?

• Work for a company with purpose: We empower public organizations to be more relevant, accountable, and responsive in engaging their communities via technology.
• Your work directly impacts the lives of millions of people. Over 4% of people living in the United States use I.F. technology every day.
• Healthcare, and Dental/Vision/Life/Disability, and 401(k) plan
• Unlimited vacation and a flexible schedule
• 100% virtual work environment - work from home!
• Your coworkers are a small, handpicked team of amazing people