Principal Software Solutions Architect

Blend360

Principal Software Solutions Architect

Columbia, MD
Full Time
Paid
  • Responsibilities

    Job Description

    *This is a contract opportunity that could become permanent over time.

    Seeking a strategic and technically proficient Solutions Architect with experience in consulting and a demonstrated ability to lead discovery and delivery initiatives. This role demands a visionary leader with experience in driving digital transformation across cloud platforms, data engineering, and system architectures. The position will be responsible for setting the architectural vision, leading cross-functional teams, and aligning technology initiatives with business objectives while maintaining a strong focus on innovation and scalability.

    Key Responsibilities:

    Strategic Leadership:

    • Define and execute the long-term architectural vision, aligning technology strategies with business objectives.

    • Identify emerging technologies and assess their applicability to the organization or client needs.

    Consulting and Discovery

    • Lead discovery phases for new projects, conducting interviews and assessments to understand client or stakeholder needs.

    • Consult with stakeholders to translate business goals into actionable functional requirements.

    • Drive technology roadmaps by aligning stakeholder objectives with best-in-class architectural practices.

    Team Leadership:

    • Oversee and mentor development teams, guiding technical decision-making, project prioritization, and career development for team members.

    • Manage cross-functional collaboration across technical and non-technical teams to ensure seamless execution of architectural initiatives.

    Architectural Oversight:

    • Provide high-level architectural guidance on cloud platforms, data engineering solutions, and system designs, ensuring they meet current and future business needs.

    • Ensure the creation of scalable, secure, and high-performance systems aligned with Well-Architected Frameworks (AWS, GCP, Azure).

    Stakeholder Engagement:

    • Partner with business leaders and key stakeholders to understand their challenges and translate them into actionable technology roadmaps that align with overall company strategy.

    • Present findings, recommendations, and proposed architectures to stakeholders, ensuring alignment and buy-in.

    Governance & Risk Management:

    • Ensure governance and compliance across all technology initiatives, particularly in areas of data security, regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR), and cloud infrastructure management.

    • Conduct risk assessments and manage mitigation strategies for architectural initiatives.

  • Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Consulting Expertise:

    • Ability to lead discovery phases, conduct stakeholder workshops, and define technical strategies from ambiguous requirements.

    • Proven track record in delivering value-driven technical consulting services.

    Strategic Vision & Architecture:

    • Expertise in cloud-native architectures across AWS, GCP, and Azure. Ability to develop scalable, high-availability solutions aligned with business objectives.

    • Experience with large-scale system designs, distributed systems, and scalable architectures.

    Leadership & Team Building:

    • Strong history of leading technical teams, fostering collaboration, and mentoring team members to drive innovation and excellence.

    • Excellent communication skills to bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders.

    Data Engineering & Architecture:

    • Extensive experience designing data pipelines, ETL processes, and scalable data architectures.

    Data Security and Compliance:

    • Expertise in maintaining regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) across technology initiatives.

    • Understanding of best security practices (SOC-2, PGP, SSL/TLS protocols).

    Pluses (Nice to Have):

    • Infrastructure as Code: Familiarity with Terraform or similar tools for automating infrastructure management.

    • Advanced Data & AI Technologies: Experience with big data, streaming data, Generative AI, and Responsible AI.

    • API Design: Familiarity with RESTful or GraphQL APIs to support scalable, service-oriented architectures.

    Soft Skills:

    • Visionary Thinking: Ability to anticipate future technological needs and create forward-looking architectures.

    • Strategic Communicator: Capable of communicating complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner to both technical teams and business stakeholders.

    • Hands-Off Leadership: Able to guide technical direction without being involved in day-to-day coding or implementation.