Architect at H&R Block

Job Description:

The Application Architect is primarily responsible for defining technology direction and architectural strategy for the Application Enterprise Architecture Domain.  They will define and execute the architecture process for technology solutions with guidance from the Director of Enterprise Architecture and the Principal Application Architects.  This role is a Subject Matter Expert in the Application domain and contributes to the development of the domain as a companywide authority.

• Creates, maintains and oversees portions of the Enterprise Architecture Strategy by applying deep expertise in the Application design area and is responsible for defining the Enterprise Application Strategy and Framework.
• Develops and establishes architectural best practices, standards and guidelines that drive the design of technology solutions and educates others throughout the organization on the function of architecture.
• Guide the technical implementation of the Application domain by solving complex problems; escalating issues or risks, as appropriate; recognizing and capitalizing on improvement opportunities; evaluating recommendations made; and influencing the completion of project tasks by others.
• Responsible for time sequencing, prioritization and managing the growth of the application environments.
• Assist the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in the determination of data security, data Encryption and privacy requirements related to SOX, CCPA, GDPR and PCI Compliance.
• Guide the full lifecycle of application solutions, including requirements analysis, platform selection, technical architecture design, application design and development, testing, and Test and Deployment in Cloud Infrastructures.
• Explores emerging business functions and technology and serves as a champion for new ideas and technologies that have potential benefit either to increase revenue or improve efficiencies.
• Participates in the adoption of new technologies by researching technical trends and developments in the Application domain.
• Work with external vendors to establish a pipeline into emerging technologies.
• Evaluates the impact and feasibility of new technologies within their domain before incorporating them into their domain technical architectures.
• Lead the creation of proof of concept and prototype development using internal and external resources.
• Provides expertise and shares an understanding of current capability gaps, architectural gaps, and market and industry trends that can be used to set future direction.
• Works side-by-side with other IT groups such as Development and Enterprise Technology to closely align strategy with delivery and drive adoption.
• Designs, models and implements new systems architectures.
• Conduct technical walk-through sessions, participate in pre- and post- implementation project reviews, and ensure that architecture designs are developed, maintained, and accessible.
• Consult with customers to solve business problems by adapting current technology and/or capitalizing on emerging technology for competitive advantage to meet the strategic objectives of the customer.
• Drive adoption by evangelizing technologies that have applicability and benefit to HR Block.
• Conduct demonstrations and presentations to executive management of prototypes and proof-of-concepts.
• Conduct presentations to large audiences both internal as well as external to HR Block.
• Conduct technical walk-through sessions.
• Participate in pre and post implementation project review.
• Work with multiple stakeholders, including business, product, and UX team members to influence the application data-flow design and extensible product platform architecture.

About H&R Block...

H&R Block’s purpose is simple: To provide help and inspire confidence in our clients and communities everywhere. We’ve been true to that purpose since brothers Henry and Richard Bloch founded our company in 1955. Since then, we’ve grown to have approximately 12,000 offices throughout the United States and around the world.

We are a people company first and a tax company second. People who join H&R Block say it feels like being part of something bigger. A place with an amazing and storied history, but with a strong and urgent focus on the future. Maybe it’s how determined, forward thinking and innovative we are, or how accessible our leadership is. We believe it’s all those things, and much more.

H&R Block is committed to diversity and inclusion and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. All qualified applicants are welcomed and encouraged to apply.

It would be even better if you also had... 

• AZ900 Certification
• Strong proficiency in MS Azure cloud environment
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes or AKS including ensuring high availability, reliability and scalability
• Expertise in Azure Database and Storage technologies
• Experience in designing, implementing or maintaining the following:
  • Event-driven architecture
  • Distributed system architecture
  • Cloud native microservice-based architectures
  • DevOps pipeline development and best practices
  • Micro Frontends
  • Front end SPA framework implementations
  • UI application design standards and guidelines

What you'll bring to the team...

Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field or the equivalent through a combination of education and related work experience. Work Experience: 8 years’ experience in architecture, technology design, development, implementation and support functions Experience deploying, managing and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes or AKS An understanding of DevOps concepts and principles Proven experience and expertise in the following: Define Enterprise vision, strategy and principles for application design Effectively liaise between the Business (product teams) and data solution development, integration and governance teams Strong ability to understand the implication of data on people, processes, products and technology Proof points of successfully accomplishing following Enterprise Application Architecture tasks: System Design principles and patterns Conceptual design for apps Sequence modeling of application workflow Business capabilities mapping to solution design Highly scalable enterprise application design with internal and external users Performance and memory optimization with .NET and Azure System to system integration Cloud resilient design patterns API design Engineering best practices and guidelines Experience with a diverse set of platforms and technologies, as well as experience with structured methods and the software development life cycle Application Architecture experience related to Cloud infrastructure and technology components Familiarity with Microservices Architecture and development patterns A willingness to value progress over perfection Ability to manage the evolution of architectural roadmaps for your domain, showing how new features are released or updated, with an eye on paying down technical debt with minimal disruption Ability to work with limited direct supervision Ability to work creatively and analytically in meeting team needs Ability to mentor engineers in overall architectural best practices and depth within their domain Team lead experience Proficiency in one or more RDBMS and NoSQL platforms Effective oral, written and interpersonal communication skills  Effective presentation skills High degree of technical and business acumen

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