Technical Architect

Competitive Compensation & Benefits Package * 401(k) with Profit Sharing * Flexible Time Off * Office Dog!!

ABOUT US

By combining our unparalleled domain expertise with leading-edge technology, Ad Astra is helping higher education in its mission to advance timely student completions. We are building a cloud-based software platform that will provide the foundation for our next generation of industry-leading solutions and analytics. Simply put, we're helping students graduate faster.  

OUR CORE VALUES

• We recognize talent. We recognize and appreciate the unique God-given talents that our people bring to Ad Astra. Aligning these individual gifts with our work sets team members up to succeed. 
• We’re unpretentious. There’s no room for ego. We admit our imperfections and have the humility to know what we don’t know. 
• We’re passionate. We aren’t satisfied with the status quo. We’re on a mission together to protect the value of degree completion and to transform the higher education industry. 
• We’re pioneering. We’re pioneering and aren’t afraid of failing—in fact, we celebrate it. We love it when our people boldly experiment with innovative solutions. 
• We love fun. The health of our relationships is strengthened by working with people who stretch our thinking—and by enjoying the lighter side of life together. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we do take fun seriously. 
• We have grit. Beyond talent and intelligence, our people have stick-to-itiveness. We push through challenges to make goals a reality. 

POSITION SUMMARY 

The Technical Architect (TA) is a key member of the Client Onboarding and Support Teams, blending technical acumen with strong client-facing and cross-functional collaboration skills. The TA demonstrates advanced competency in application support, integration, solution architecture, and security, with the ability to read, understand, and analyze code at an engineering level to support complex implementations. The TA engages early in projects, working alongside the Client Onboarding Team from project inception through delivery to ensure technical solutions are delivered as defined. This role acts as a liaison between Sales, Engineering, CloudOps, Onboarding, and Support, providing technical guidance, troubleshooting, and architecture validation. The TA also contributes to organizational effectiveness by supporting complex case management and staying abreast of technologies that enhance solution delivery. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/CORE RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Ensure a comprehensive understanding and level of effort for the technical deliverables, including identification of all impacted people, processes, and technology throughout a project and/or case lifecycle 
• Identify need for and assist in crafting problem statements towards technology and integration needs, and liaise with cross-functional teams 
• Consult towards technical and integration points throughout project delivery to ensure successful execution of the project and realization of the business outcome/value 
• Act as an escalation point across application support-related issues 
• Exhibit our core values: passionate, pioneering, unpretentious, fun, honoring God-given talents 
• Other duties as assigned 

 POSITION REQUIREMENTS 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems, Software Engineering, Data Science, Systems Management or a related technical discipline. 
• Demonstrated experience reading and understanding code in multiple languages, including JavaScript, Python, SQL, and applying this knowledge to troubleshoot or validate solutions. 
• Broad technology expertise, including experience with distributed and multi-tiered application architectures. 
• Proven ability to work with cross-functional, fast-paced teams to define and deliver business and technical outcomes. 
• Full IT development lifecycle experience, including traditional and Agile methodologies, with hands-on code review and debugging experience. 
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to make data-driven, architecture-informed decisions balancing short- and long-term needs. 
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work closely with client business and IT teams ensuring project success and solution adoption. 

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES 

• Technical Acumen: Ability to read, interpret, troubleshoot, and situationally update code and system configurations. 
• Ability to build system tools and automation as needed to improve scale and efficiency. 
• Problem Solving and Analytical Thinking 
• Collaborative Communication  
• Excellent written and verbal communication across technical and non-technical audiences 
• Experience with APIs and system integrations, REST query tools such as Postman, and cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure. 
• Technical Writing 

ADDITIONAL PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Advanced certifications or degrees focused on Software Engineering, Systems Architecture, or Data Analysis 
• Familiarity with Zendesk, JIRA, Confluence, Salesforce, or similar platforms 
• Experience with Ellucian Ethos API, PeopleSoft/Oracle API, and Workday API 
• Previous experience working within the Higher Education Sector, specifically with Student Information Systems 

HOW PERFORMANCE IS MEASURED FOR THIS ROLE 

• Project metrics: Utilization, Time-to-Value 
• Client ticket resolution and escalation management 
• Customer Satisfaction scores (CSAT) 
• Peer and client feedback on technical guidance 
• Quality of technical documentation, knowledge base content, and training materials 

Ad Astra is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and fairness—regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, political affiliation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Please note that Ad Astra is unable to provide work visa sponsorship for this position.

This is an in-office, full-time position in Overland Park, KS. Ad Astra does not provide relocation expenses.