Solutions Architect

Title : Solutions Architect

FULLTIME

Hybrid - Monday and Wednesday - visit to Onsite

Must be a US Citizen and Green Card

Primary Objective:

• Provide governance, oversight, and maturity across development activities.

• Act as a bridge between business strategy and technical execution.

Key Positioning:

• Not a hands-on developer role.

• Functions as:

• Shepherd (guiding direction)

• Evangelist (influencing best practices)

• Translator (business ↔ technical teams)

Core Responsibilities

• Partner with business stakeholders to understand needs and define solutions.

• Design solution architectures (applications, APIs, platforms, etc.).

• Guide decisions on:

• Azure vs AWS deployment

• Architecture patterns

• Development approach

• Provide oversight to development teams and vendors.

• Establish consistency and governance across solutions.

• Contribute to enterprise-wide architecture strategy.

Key Skill Sets & Experience

Must-Haves

• Prior Solution Architecture experience

• Strong development background (hands-on earlier in career)

• Experience overseeing:

• Development teams

• Vendors

• End-to-end solution delivery

• Ability to operate across:

• Business discussions (strategy, “why”)

• Technical discussions (design, “how”)

Technical Environment

• Cloud:

• Azure (primary, ~70–80%)

• AWS (secondary, ~20–30%)

• Multi-cloud understanding is important, but Azure-only backgrounds can work

Nice-to-Have / Emerging Needs

• Salesforce experience (priority over Workday)

• Moving toward enterprise-wide Salesforce strategy (not siloed use)

• Interest in candidates with experience across multiple business units/platform standardization

• AI/Development oversight exposure is a plus

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 8–10 years total experience

• 2 years in Solution Architecture (flexible)

• Background progression:

• Development → Senior/Lead → Architecture

• Experience in mid-to-large enterprise environments

• Broad exposure across:

• Business stakeholders

• Technical teams

• Vendors

• Not overly specialized in one narrow area

• Strong communicator with ability to influence without authority

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a people manager

• Not purely hands-on development

• Not siloed or narrowly focused

• Not junior or early-career

Salesforce Context (Important for Targeting)

• Currently used in silos across UL

• Goal: evolve into shared platform strategy

• Use cases include:

• Customer engagement

• Standards distribution

• Commerce-like solutions

• Ideal candidates have experience supporting multi-group/ platform Salesforce environments

Key Takeaways for Recruiting

• This is a high-level IC architect role (not manager, not developer)

• Focus on candidates who:

• Have breadth progression

• Can connect business technology

• Have worked in mature enterprise environments

• Salesforce development governance experience = strong differentiator

• Compensation flexibility improves ability to land the right talent

Key Takeaways for Recruiting

• This is a high-level IC architect role (not manager, not developer)

• Focus on candidates who:

• Have breadth progression

• Can connect business technology

• Have worked in mature enterprise environments

• Salesforce development governance experience = strong differentiator

• Compensation flexibility improves ability to land the right talent

Overview

A Solutions Architect . This is a direct hire, full-time opportunity based in Evanston, IL .

This role is ideal for a highly experienced technology leader who can bridge business strategy with technical execution. The Solutions Architect will be responsible for shaping and managing solution architecture across a broad portfolio of enterprise technologies, helping ensure platforms, integrations, and technical decisions align with organizational priorities, governance standards, and long-term business needs.

This individual will play a critical role in evaluating technology solutions, guiding architecture decisions, supporting modernization efforts, and driving best practices across cloud, applications, integrations, and enterprise platforms.

What You Bring to the Role (Ideal Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field

• 8 years of experience as a Solutions Architect or in a comparable technical leadership role

• Proven experience designing and implementing complex technical solutions across diverse enterprise environments

• Strong experience with custom software development , system integrations , APIs , and data interoperability

• Hands-on experience with SaaS/PaaS platforms such as Microsoft 365, Salesforce, and Workday

• Experience with cloud platforms including Azure and/ or AWS

• Strong understanding of modern application architectures , API-driven design , and enterprise architecture patterns

• Experience working within Agile , DevOps , and CI/CD environments

• Ability to define and maintain architecture principles, standards, patterns, and governance documentation

• Experience evaluating aging technologies, technical debt, and recommending remediation or modernization strategies

• Strong ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Demonstrated leadership, collaboration, vendor management, and cross-functional communication skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively

• Certification such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert or AWS Certified Solutions Architect strongly preferred

• Additional certifications in M365, Salesforce, Workday , or related enterprise platforms are a plus

What You'll Do (Skills Used in this Position)

• Partner with business stakeholders, technical SMEs, and leadership to understand business drivers and translate them into scalable solution designs

• Design and evaluate solution architectures aligned with enterprise strategy, business capabilities, and architecture standards

• Lead evaluation and selection of technology platforms, software solutions, and services

• Provide architectural guidance across application development , infrastructure , and system integrations

• Create and maintain key architecture deliverables such as solution diagrams , reference models , standards , and documentation

• Ensure solutions align with security , compliance , d ata protection , and quality requirements

• Establish and maintain architecture principles, standards, and reusable patterns

• Identify technical debt, aging technologies, and areas of architectural misalignment, and guide remediation strategies

• Assess emerging technologies, market trends, and innovation opportunities to support future-state roadmaps and technology planning

• Support enterprise technology needs across platforms such as:

• Azure

• AWS

• Salesforce

• Microsoft 365

• Custom applications

• APIs and integrations

• Collaboration tools

• Knowledge management platforms

• Research-enabling technologies such as LIMS/ELN

• Contribute to both department-specific and enterprise-wide technology initiatives