Solutions Architect

The Solutions Architect is responsible for evaluating the business needs and determining how Information Technology can support those needs leveraging software, hardware, or infrastructure for MSUFCU. This includes working with leaders and employees across each business unit, aligning IT strategy with business goals, and creating a technical vision for various platforms and applications. These activities include collaborating with a broad range of technical and business teams, providing consultative services on projects for implementation of strategic technological directives, reviewing solutions and recommended technology as part of an Architecture Committee of Practice, and providing technical leadership and assistance to other team members to ensure execution of a technical vision.

Work Location - This position is a remote within the Great Lakes Region (Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin), hybrid, or onsite role. A schedule of expected onsite and remote work days will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm Eastern Standard Time

An offer of employment with MSU Federal Credit Union and affiliates is contingent upon the agreed work arrangement (onsite/hybrid/remote) and work location. MSU Federal Credit Union may or may not be able to accommodate temporary or permanent changes to work arrangements or allow employment outside the city and/or state of residency in which the new hire resides at the time of offered employment.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary Range:
  
  
  
  • Solutions Architect - $93,000-116,000+ dependent on experience
  • Senior Solutions Architect - $116,000-146,000+ dependent on experience
  
  
  
  
• 100% Company-Paid Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Long-Term Disability Premiums
• Up to 26 days of PTO within your first year, as well as Volunteer Time Off & 11 Paid Holidays
• 401(k) with an immediate 2:1 Match
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Up to 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Solutions Architect:

• Translates business and technical requirements into an architectural blueprint to achieve business objectives and documents all solution architecture design and analysis work.
• Develop end-to-end solution processes by providing technical documents and estimates, cost estimations, implementation requirements, and alternative solutions to support the business case, as well as provide any necessary adjustments if re-architecture of solutions does not meet requirements.
• Determine, develop, and improve technical solutions in support of business goals.
• Acts as a consultant on a broad range of technologies, platforms and vendor offerings to drive targeted business outcomes.
• Leads evaluation, design and analysis for the implementation of a solutions architecture across a group of specific business applications or technologies based on enterprise business strategy, business capabilities, value-streams, business requirements and enterprise standards.
• Lead brainstorming sessions to develop potential solutions for business needs or problems.
• Proactively identify opportunities for process improvements and identify areas where Information Technology can support business needs and goals.
• Guide technical teams to develop flexible, scalable solutions and products.
• Communicate and consult with internal stakeholders to develop appropriate solutions.
• Act as an advisor on technologies and trends in solutions architecture by advising on a broad range of technologies, platforms and vendors.
• Manages and develops the architecture for a broader scope of projects or products, working closely with application architects that manage and design architecture for a single project or product or initiative.
• Supports product owners in EOL (end of life) product decisions to maintain, refresh or retire products, services or systems (including applications, technologies, processes and information).
• Develops a roadmap for the evolution of the enterprise application portfolio from future to current state (as defined by the solutions architecture).
• Monitors the current-state solution portfolio to identify deficiencies through aging of the technologies used by the application, or misalignment with business requirements.
• Identifies the organizational impact (for example, on skills, processes, structures or culture) and financial impact of the solutions architecture.
• Works closely with the Strategy Realization Team to ensure the execution of plans corresponds with what is being promised throughout the project or product lifecycle.
• Works closely with the product owners, program managers, and tech leads to ensure a robust architectural runway that can support future business requirements throughout the product lifecycle.
• Provides consulting support to application architects within agile teams to ensure the project or product is aligned with the overall enterprise architecture.
• Review business requirements to ensure sufficient detail and transparency, collaborating with business partners to ensure that these are brought together accurately with clear and complete understanding of capabilities, process and people implications, as well as technology.
• Apply standards of cloud compliance to application design to achieve reliability.
• Scan the environment in a proactive manner to gain perspective on industry trends, leading practices and technology offerings for use in engagements with business.
• Participate in demos for product/vendor evaluations.
• Participate in training activities within your department or branch and with the learning and development department; such training helps to ensure staff compliance with Credit Union policies and state and federal regulations and laws.
• Perform other duties and assist other employees, as assigned.
• Establish a high level of personal credibility and build strong relationships with team members and departments in the Credit Union.

Senior Solutions Architect:

• All of Level I duties and responsibilities.
• Understands business drivers and business capabilities (future and current state) and determines corresponding enterprise system designs and change requirements to drive the organization's targeted business outcomes.
• Analyzes the technology industry, competitors and market trends, and determines their potential impact on the enterprise.
• Understands emerging technology trends, disruptions, and the practical application of existing, new, and emerging technologies to enable new and evolving business and operating models.
• Develop advanced understanding of applications, systems, supporting infrastructure, and systems integration.
• Have a proven track record of being able to plan, prioritize, estimate, manage, and deliver projects and work efforts on time.
• Champions change management through mentoring and influence.
• Strong experience with product and vendor evaluations.
• Provides deliverables like standard definitions, reference models and architecture designs to help the Architecture Community of Practice assess the impact of new and ongoing technology investment on the business and IT estate.
• Creates architectural designs to guide and contextualize solution development across products, services, projects and systems (including applications, technologies, processes and information).
• Creates reference architectures focused on detailed design principles, decision points, detailed APIs, major systems and dependencies between business and IT.
• Analyzes the business-IT environment (run, grow and transform the business) to detect critical deficiencies, legacy and technical debt, and recommends solutions for improvement (systems of record, differentiation and innovation).
• Facilitates the evaluation and selection of software product standards and services, as well as the design of standard and custom software configurations.
• Consults with application and infrastructure development projects and products to fit systems or infrastructure to architecture and identify when it is necessary to modify projects to accommodate the solutions architecture.
• Supports a community of practice (CoP), guiding and helping agile teams, product owners, and application architects to align with the overall enterprise architecture governance and assurance.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

Solutions Architect:

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor's degree, with a technical major, such as information-technology, engineering, system analysis or a related study, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of five years of experience in at least two IT solution development disciplines, including technical or infrastructure architecture, network management, application development, middleware, database management or cloud development.
• Exposure to multiple, diverse technologies, platforms and processing environments.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a focus on rapport-building, listening, questioning skills, and ability to relate to people at their knowledge level.
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  Solid understanding of strategic, new, and emerging technology trends, and their practical application to evolving business and operating models.

  
  
• Ability to independently analyze and understand how various technical solutions interrelate and interface in order to solve business problems.
• Good understanding of product management, agile principles, and development methodologies; capable of advising agile teams on opportunities, impacts, and risks, considering technical and architectural debt.
• Industry experience is helpful but not required.
• Knowledge of:
  
  
  
  • Backend development languages (e.g., Java, Go, Python)
  • Database technologies (e.g., MySQL, MongoDB, SQL)
  • Frontend web development languages (e.g., JavaScript, HTML, CSS)
  • Enterprise technology architecture aspects (e.g., business, information, data, network, security)
  • Information principles and processes
  
  
  
  
• Exhibit a positive attitude, approachable demeanor, and commitment to excellence.
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  Strong interpersonal skills with an aptitude for learning new technologies quickly. Adaptable to changes, manages competing demands, and handles unexpected events with poise.

  
  
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  Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.

  
  
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  Good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for solutions.

  
  
• Works well with all employees, including managers, VPs, and executives, and software/IT vendors.
• Able to manage and prioritize multiple tasks independently, while remaining flexible to changing requirements.
• Skilled in influencing and facilitating stakeholder and peer decision-making. Capable of articulating ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences and translating business requirements into solution architecture.
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  Quick comprehension of new technologies. Technology-neutral, focused on results rather than personal preferences. Displays intellectual curiosity, integrity, and a drive for long-term business outcomes.

  
  
• Motivated and driven by achieving long-term business outcomes.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and lead cross-functional teams. This position works collaboratively with Business, IT teams, and outside vendors to create and improve business processes.
• Familiarity with principles of computer networks, infrastructure, and IT security.
• Ability to understand and create solutions based on what is in the realm of possibility with currently deployed or potential future products and services taking into account the user experience of members and employees.
• Understanding and knowledge of business analysis techniques and processes, IT service management (ITSM), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and, IT standards and controls.
• Demonstrable leadership and communication skills to help drive the technical vision of solutions.
• Able to analyze business requirements and define solutions to address complex business needs.
• Understanding and presenting best practices from a technology perspective.
• Exhibit superior customer service, accepts responsibility, and passionate about delivering quality results in a timely manner.
• Is open and responsive to change and demonstrates a commitment to the process of continuous improvement by identifying and responding actively and with sensitivity to the needs of all employees.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality, remain open to others' ideas, and exhibit willingness to try new things.
• Ability to develop, review, and follow documented procedures.

Senior Solutions Architect:

• All of level I knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Exceptional coordination, organization, and communication abilities.
• Growing knowledge of credit union and financial industry products including rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Increased awareness of business issues and how these issues affect overall project delivery.
• Highly organized and have superior analytical problem solving skills.
• An increased ability to analyze complex situations and problems and is able to perform the necessary research to arrive at innovative solutions.
• Ability to communicate system information, risks, and vision clearly for technical and non-technical employees and leadership.
• A strong knowledge of critical Credit Union applications and programs.
• Excellent understanding of product management, agile principles and development methodologies and capability of supporting agile teams by providing advice and guidance on opportunities, impact and risks, taking account of technical and architectural debt.
• Experience developing architecture blueprints, strategies and roadmaps.
• Experience delivering presentations to senior-level executives and technical audiences.
• Ability to recognize business issues early on, how they affect overall project delivery, and take action as necessary to reduce or eliminate disruption in service or project completion.
• Advanced business acumen that can interpret and translate business goals into technical specifications, delivering thought leadership of specific technologies and driving technology change.
• Expert business knowledge and interpersonal skills to build, maintain, and influence relationships with senior leaders.
• Proficiency of application, data and integration architecture disciplines.
• Understanding and knowledge of system development life cycle methodologies (such as waterfall, spiral, agile software development, rapid prototyping, incremental, synchronize and stabilize, and DevOps).
• Deep knowledge of design, analytics, development, coding, testing and application.
• Knowledge of financial models and budgeting.
• Organizationally savvy, with the ability to navigate organizational politics.
• Ability to propose and estimate the financial impact of solution architecture alternatives.
• Ability to work creatively and analytically to solve business problems and propose solutions.
• Trusted and respected as a thought leader who can influence and persuade business and IT leaders and IT development teams.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• May be required to remain in a stationary position for an extended period of time.
• Ability to operate standard office technology, equipment and tools, which may include many hours of computer and phone usage.
• Occasionally needs to move about inside of office area
• Exposure to potentially hazardous condition, i.e. robbery. Receives detailed instructions and procedures to be followed to minimize the exposure
• This position is able to work in hybrid or onsite working arrangements.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty that will be required of positions that will be given this title and shall not be constructed as declaring what the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position shall be. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the rights of any
supervisor to assign, direct, and control the work of employees under his or her supervision. The use of a particular expression or illustration describing duties shall not be held to exclude other duties not mentioned that are of similar kind of level of difficulty. MSU Federal Credit Union is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.
Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the position.