Solution Architect

About the role

The Solution Architect role is a critical member of the Enterprise Applications team, creating the overall technical vision for an integrated solution with an emphasis on AI-enablement to support and enhance business processes. This includes aligning business processes, implementing, and architecting enterprise platforms in an integrated environment, with an emphasis on AI-enablement across the technology stack.

Responsibilities

• Interacts with business stakeholders and leaders, software engineers, development leads/architects, business/platform analysts, and quality engineering resources.
• Works closely with cross-functional teams and collaborates with engineers to develop standard platforms across multiple business units and develop standard integration patterns.
• Possesses the ability to lead key initiatives, build consensus, and produce conceptual and logical architectures to meet strategic business, financial, and technology objectives through prototyping concepts, documentation of systems, architectures, and business process flows.
• Works closely with the teams within the Enterprise Applications team, designing and overseeing the implementation of architectures, and acts as a key collaborator with our Enterprise Architecture team for model architecture guidance.
• Leads the design and evolution of architectural patterns, platforms, and guardrails that enable engineering teams to responsibly integrate AI capabilities, including LLMs, agents, and ML pipelines, into platforms at scale.
• Advocates for and embraces DevOps and CI/CD across the teams with a focus on scaling components and APIs horizontally, automated continuous deployment, version control, and monitoring.
• Responsible for all design and governance decisions across enterprise platforms; performs design reviews and manages the software development lifecycle; acts as the ultimate technical owner for any automation; validates software design and implementation, enforces robust tests, helps formulate deployment strategies, and ensures software is scalable, resilient, and performant.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required. Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent work experience preferred.
• 4+ years of software architecture, design, and implementation with a variety of technologies.
• 4+ years of cumulative experience implementing eCommerce and Marketing Automation platforms, with a preference of experience with Adobe Commerce (Magento) and Hubspot.
• 3+ years of software development in Java, PHP, HTML, JQuery, JavaScript, and SQL. Expertise is also required in Microservices, Micro frontends, and asynchronous messaging using Kafka or other technology preferred.
• Experience utilizing technology platforms such as Kafka (Messaging), Azure Service Bus, LogicApps, and PowerPlatform preferred.
• Must be able to produce clear documentation to convey architecture, development standards, roadmaps, and potential challenges to both technical and non-technical resources.
• Disciplined, dynamic, and flexible to manage multiple projects and tasks, work effectively in a rapidly changing environment, and meet ongoing and overlapping deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communicator. Ability to summarize complex issues and situations concisely and clearly.
• Able to apply an entrepreneurial approach and passion to problem-solving and product development.
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

Qualifications

• Must be able to produce clear documentation to convey architecture, development standards, roadmaps, and potential challenges to both technical and non-technical resources.
• Disciplined, dynamic, and flexible to manage multiple projects and tasks, work effectively in a rapidly changing environment, and meet ongoing and overlapping deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communicator. Ability to summarize complex issues and situations concisely and clearly.
• Able to apply an entrepreneurial approach and passion to problem-solving and product development.
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

Skills

• Expertise in Microservices, Micro frontends, and asynchronous messaging using Kafka or other technology preferred.
• Experience utilizing technology platforms such as Kafka (Messaging), Azure Service Bus, LogicApps, and PowerPlatform preferred.
• Ability to visualize with the ability to explain a solution to the business through a POC or diagram that is clear and related to the business goals.
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company paid Life Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and parental leave
• Employee assistance program
• Other employee wellness programs such as Headspace and Airvet
• Charitable matching program

Pay

The current full-time annualized hiring range for this role is $114,100.00-$163,130.00 and does not include discretionary bonus or sales incentives, if applicable. In accordance with applicable state laws, we are providing the expected salary range for this position. Individual compensation will be determined by various factors, including relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs and local market factors. Most regular, full-time employees are eligible to participate in an Ascend incentive bonus or sales plan.

Schedule

This position will work a hybrid schedule from our Leawood, KS preferred. Candidates working from our Burlington, MA office location may be considered.