The IT Architect role is critical for taking strategic initiatives and turning them into actionable plans that drive innovation and support the university's mission. As an IT Architect, you will work closely with OIT leadership to document and understand strategic initiatives, and research potential solutions, focusing on feasibility, value, impact, and risk. You will ensure initiatives are aligned with strategic goals, and rank and prioritize initiatives across OIT. You will also write and manage RFIs/RFPs, conduct Proof of Value/Proof of Concept evaluations, and develop associated technical documentation for operational teams. Finally, you will assist OIT leadership in building an innovative, agile, and customer centric IT service portfolio that is secure by design and improves the user experience for our community.

Duties and Responsibilities:
· Work independently to research market and industry trends and patterns and evaluate the technical feasibility of strategic initiatives as long-term solutions.

· Keep up to date with the latest technologies and industry trends and incorporate them into the IT strategy of the organization.

· Architect and prototype innovative solutions, leveraging emerging technologies and methodologies, with a focus on improving educational outcomes, operational efficiency, data security, and disaster recover.

· Lead the end-to-end process of solution design, from ideation to execution, ensuring alignment with organizational strategic goals.

· Ensure all aspects of the architecture are properly integrated, including hardware, software, and network systems.

· Analyze proposed solutions to determine feasibility, supportability, and sustainability, then rank and prioritize them based on value-add vs. complexity to implement.

· Lead solution evaluations and recommend new tools, platforms, and practices that can enhance the university’s innovation capabilities, particularly in the context of higher education.

· Collaborate with stakeholders to define business and systems requirements for new technology implementations.

· Lead and facilitate workshops and brainstorming sessions to foster collaborative innovation across OIT and the university.

· Foster a culture of learning and development, encouraging experimentation and creative problem-solving.

· Work independently to create documentation for architectural designs, decisions, and procedures for future reference and compliance.

· Using business requirements, write and manage RFPs/RFIs in coordination with departmental leadership, and conduct evaluations of proposed solutions.

· Manage multiple innovation projects concurrently, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.

· Develop detailed project plans, including timelines, resource allocation, and risk management strategies.



Required Qualifications:
· High School diploma or GED

· Five years of years of experience in an IT infrastructure discipline such as networking, system administration, or security.

· Strong understanding of emerging technologies.

· Ability to think strategically and translate business objectives into innovative solutions.

· In-depth knowledge of cloud infrastructure offerings, networking, systems design, and/or data security.

· Strong analytical skills with the ability to assess the potential impact of new ideas and technologies.

· Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas to diverse audiences.

· Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:
· Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology management, or other relevant degree.

· Certification in at least one technology discipline such as networking, systems administration, cloud architecture, security, etc.

· Experience in Higher Education serving in a technical security role.

· Familiarity with data-driven decision-making and performance measurement tools.

· Understanding of DevOps and SecDevOps practices.

· Knowledge specific to compliance standards/frameworks/maturity models employed by the University