Solution Architect - Remote Opportunity - 12+ Months - TMS LLC

Role: Solution Architect

Location: Remote 

Duration: 12 Months

* Serve as the senior solution architect on a given full Software Development Life Cycle project and vendor work; developing, maintaining and reviewing application architecture throughout the project. May include leading proof-of-technology activities.

* Serve as Project Lead Architect on a project team (PLA) (including users, developers and/or vendors), to plan, coordinate, analyze, design, review and implement application systems and/or enhancements to existing systems to meet current and future needs.

* Provide leadership in the development and adherence to all application standards, application portfolio strategy, service level agreements, and processes (i.e., Walkthrough and Approval processes, Program/System documentation, Status Reporting, Escalation, Change Management, Problem Management, Software Development Methodology, etc.).

* Ensure vendor work is accurately and thoroughly reviewed and also meets all applicable standards; identify gaps and/or opportunities in work to meet long term corporate goals.

* Contribute to and apply IT industry best practices.

* Participate in and/or lead a cross-functional IT Architecture group that reviews designs from an enterprise perspective.

* Participate in the design review process and support the overall Enterprise Architecture Management process. Also, influence and drive change to architecture processes, strategies and standards, as needed.

* Support and mentor junior Solution Architects.

* Accountable for key design reviews and recommendations to management and IT governance, including:

o Selection and review of structural elements and their interfaces, by which a system is composed o Behavior as specified in collaborations about those elements o Composition of these structural and behavioral elements into larger subsystems o Architectural system that guides this organization o Architectural documentation creation and stewardship * Support pre-project efforts in terms of working with the user team or vendor during meetings/presentations, crafting conceptual solutions, assisting with time estimates, and documenting designs.

* Develop Solution Architecture Models and Documentation (key written project deliverable) and/or oversee and approve the creation of architecture documentation.

* Provide technical expertise/coaching for others (i.e. EAI, J2EE); facilitate the development and provide direction on integration design patterns around services and interfaces; and monitor application architecture related to other areas of IS, the business community, and outside vendors to ensure the relevance of architecture to meet business needs.

* Collaborate with the broader architecture community to provide input into IT strategies and standards.

* Research and facilitate the development and review of solution, integration, workflow and web service standards.

* Facilitate conversations with business and applicable vendors to drive out capability needs and outcomes.

* Provide architectural leadership that supports insightful decision making, drive efficiencies in the development process, and maximizes the quality of technical deliverables.

* Create or review IT plans that manage clear and realistic expectations of what technology can offer in terms of products, services, and delivery mechanisms.

* Establish, maintain and review enterprise architecture models to enable applications development and decision-supporting activities, consistent with IT plans.

Hiring Requirements:

* Bachelor's Degree and 8 years of progressive experience in a combination of IT development, design and/or architecture disciplines with at least 2 years of solution architecture experience.

* If no degree, 10 years of progressive experience in a combination of IT development, design and/or architecture disciplines.

* Minimum of 3 years of application development experience delivering quality scalable software on time, on budget, and in compliance with customer requirements.

* Must have exposure to multiple, diverse technical integrations, technologies, and processing environments

* Experience in solution design principles, practices, system development methodologies, and software life cycles with experience in a combination of system and application architectures is required.

* Experience coordinating vendor solution delivery and partnering effectively with vendors to meet business needs.

Hiring Preferences:

* Experience in leading small technical teams.

o Knowledge and understanding of (preferred):

o Regulatory and legislative impact on health plans o Health insurance and plan administration o Experience mentoring development team members

o Strong visual modeling skills using UML o Knowledge in SOA, SoDA, OOA/OOD o Broad knowledge of mainframe, AS400, middleware and client-server technologies, as well as specific knowledge of Java and Microsoft technologies, is desirable

* Able to work closely with the business, IS personnel and other architectural areas to provide research and development around application trends (i.e. Service Oriented Architecture), integration patterns (i.e. MOM, EJBs), vendor direction (i.e. IBM WBI) and development methodologies.

* Experience with object-oriented system architectures utilizing use cases, Unified Modeling Language (UML), Visio and the Rational Unified Process (RUP) or similar methodology is preferred.

* Strong leadership and mentoring skills.

* Excellent influencing and consultative skills; and the ability to proactively identify and resolve issues and opportunities.

* Works effectively with clients to document requirements by conducting interviews and facilitating JAD sessions.

* Excellent interpersonal, oral/written communication and organizational skills. Must be able to communicate at all levels within the organization (technical detail with developers through executive presentations to C-Levels.

* Understand business behavior patterns and patterns of information and technology and how they work together to enable the business to achieve their strategic and tactical goals.

* Accuracy and attention to detail.

* Must be able to demonstrate thought leadership in the field of IT.

* Understanding of application design principles, practices, system development methodologies, and software life cycles with experience in a combination of system and application architectures.

* Prefer a certification in at least one facet of IT architecture

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.