Solutions Architect

Job Title: Solution Architect

Location: Columbia, MD

Job Type: Full-Time

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Solution Architect to join our team in Columbia, Maryland.

In this role, you will apply broad technical expertise and strategic business acumen to guide technology decision-making and ensure solutions align with overall organizational goals. You will design and manage our solution portfolio—bridging business needs with technical capabilities while promoting architecture standards, governance, and industry best practices.

Responsibilities

• Stakeholder Alignment: Partner with business leaders, stakeholders, and technical SMEs to analyze drivers and capability needs, translating them into scalable, effective solution designs.
• Strategic Advocacy: Advocate for internal and partner business needs across the technology lifecycle to ensure system architecture actively advances strategic priorities.
• Platform & Vendor Selection: Lead the evaluation, selection, and architectural configuration of third-party software, platforms, and services (both standard and custom configurations).
• Architecture & Advisory: Consult on application development, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise integrations while embedding sound design patterns across projects.
• Governance & Artifacts: Produce core architecture deliverables—including solution diagrams, reference models, and technical documentation—to support governance frameworks.
• Security & Compliance: Ensure all solution designs meet organizational security, privacy, regulatory compliance, and quality standards.
• Portfolio Lifecycle Management: Maintain design standards and oversee the existing application portfolio to identify technical debt, aging technologies, or misalignment, defining clear remediation paths.
• Emerging Technology Assessment: Evaluate industry trends, new platforms, and technical innovations to inform future-state technology roadmaps.
• Domain & Tool Support: Architect solution blueprints across key domains including standards development, publication workflows, partner engagement, and research-enabling systems (e.g., LIMS/ELN, custom APIs, integration platforms, Azure, AWS, Salesforce, and M365).
• Initiative Leadership: Drive and contribute to department-specific and enterprise-wide cross-functional projects.

Candidate Profile & Core Competencies

• Technical Depth: Proven background designing and deploying complex, enterprise-grade technology solutions.
• System Integration: Demonstrated experience with API design, data integration, and system interoperability across hybrid platforms.
• Cloud & Infrastructure: Strong knowledge of cloud infrastructure (Azure, AWS) and modern, cloud-native application architectures.
• Modern Engineering Practices: Hands-on familiarity with Agile methodologies, DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and modern development frameworks.
• Leadership & Communication: Skilled at bridging the gap between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders, effectively building consensus and guiding executive decision-makers.
• Project & Vendor Management: Strong capability to manage project scope, lead external vendors, and coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Problem Solving: Excellent analytical skills with a track record of resolving complex technical and architectural challenges.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum of 8 years of experience as a Solution Architect or in an equivalent technical leadership role.
• Platform Expertise: Hands-on experience with custom software development, enterprise SaaS/PaaS platforms (e.g., M365, Salesforce, Workday), and public cloud IaaS (Azure, AWS).

Certifications:

• Required: Azure Solutions Architect Expert or AWS Certified Solutions Architect.
• Preferred: Additional certifications in Salesforce, M365, Workday, or research-technology tools are an asset.