Senior Solutions Architect

The Senior Solutions Architect is a highly specialized individual contributor responsible for the strategic design, architecture, and optimization of our core technology ecosystem. This includes our on-premises data centers, hybrid cloud environments, storage, virtualization, and enterprise applications. This role is pivotal in driving NTTA's digital transformation efforts by enhancing security, performance, and efficiency through aggressive automation adoption. The Senior Solutions Architect is a top-tier technical authority, establishing architectural standards, defining system resilience, and advising IT leadership on next-generation technology solutions that support our strategic growth.

Retention Bonus: $1,500

Applicants are required to be eligible to lawfully work in the United States immediately. This position is not available for H1-B visa sponsorship.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Architectural Vision: Define, develop, and maintain the comprehensive enterprise architecture for all IT infrastructure, applications, databases, and networking solutions, ensuring alignment with long-term business strategy, scalability, and industry best practices.
• Drive Digital Transformation & Automation: Strategically plan and execute the IT infrastructure roadmap to enable successful digital transformation. Drive aggressive automation initiatives (including Infrastructure as Code and process orchestration) and leverage emerging technologies, including the necessary infrastructure to support Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) workloads, to dramatically improve service delivery and efficiency.
• Hybrid & Multi-Cloud Architecture: Design, implement, and govern the complex architecture encompassing on-premises data centers, colocation sites, and multi-cloud platforms. Ensure seamless integration, robust security, and optimal performance across all environments.
• System Administration Oversight: Provide architectural oversight for the administration of enterprise systems (servers, storage, virtualization), ensuring configuration, patching, and monitoring adhere to best practices for optimal security and performance.
• Technical Advisory: Act as a key technical advisor to IT and business leadership. Research, evaluate, and recommend cutting-edge technologies and platforms to support business innovation, growth, and the preparation for future technology demands.
• System Optimization: Analyze the existing technology portfolio to identify and implement strategies for continuous improvement. Sharpen system availability, automation, performance, and reliability, with a critical focus on optimizing compute, storage, and network resource utilization.
• Technical Guidance: Provide high-level technical guidance and mentor other engineers on architectural standards, complex troubleshooting, and best practices, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Governance & Standards: Create, document, and maintain enterprise-wide architectural standards, technical best practices, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure a cohesive, secure, and well-managed IT environment.
• Security Architecture: Collaborate closely with the Information Security group to embed secure-by-design principles across all technology initiatives. Guide secure cloud architecture, data protection strategies, and identity access management (IAM) policies to ensure regulatory adherence (e.g., NIST, PCI DSS).
• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Architect, develop, and continually refine disaster recovery and business continuity plans for critical systems to ensure maximum resilience and quick recovery from system failures or emergencies.
• Technical Evaluation: Lead the technical evaluation of third-party vendor solutions, services, and emerging technologies. Conduct proofs-of-concept (POCs), assess technical capabilities, and provide data-driven recommendations to inform procurement and investment decisions.
• Performance Reporting: Monitor system performance against key architectural metrics and regularly report on the health, capacity, and efficiency of the environment to stakeholders.

Minimum:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a closely related technical field.
• 10 years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture or a lead systems engineering/architecture role focused on large-scale infrastructure.
• Core Proficiency: Expert proficiency in enterprise architecture design, automation principles, infrastructure design, applications and database design, server, storage, and network infrastructure management.
• Data Center Expertise: Deep experience with on-premises data center technologies, including server virtualization (e.g., VMware VCDX-level understanding), Storage Area Networks (SANs), and enterprise networking.
• Cloud & Compute: Expertise in designing and implementing scalable compute and storage infrastructures across both on-premises and multi-cloud platforms, utilizing virtualization, software-defined storage, and cloud compute services to ensure high performance and resilience.
• Networking: Strong knowledge in advanced network architecture and protocols, including LAN/WAN design, SDN, routing, switching, firewalls, and load balancing, enabling secure and high-throughput connectivity across distributed environments.
• Strategic Planning: Expert knowledge of multi-cloud strategy, capacity planning, cost optimization, and modern architectural patterns (e.g., microservices, serverless, event-driven architecture).
• Frameworks: Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks like TOGAF.
• Security: Solid understanding of IT security principles and best practices, especially as they relate to infrastructure and cloud platforms.
• Communication: Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with a proven ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and influence technical decisions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: Master's degree in a related field.
• Certifications: Professional certifications such as Cloud Solutions Architect (e.g., GCP/Azure Expert), VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX), or TOGAF Certification.
• Infrastructure Automation: Strong background in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible to automate the deployment and management of server, storage, and networking environments. Methodology: Familiarity with Agile, DevOps, and CI/CD practices as they apply to infrastructure deployment and management.

About NTTA: NTTA is a political subdivision of Texas created to acquire, construct, maintain and operate toll roads in North Texas. As a customer-driven organization, NTTA delivers a safe and reliable toll system for millions of customers each year in one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. NTTA is a vibrant organization with a highly qualified, energized and engaged team focused on achieving Excellence and we are looking for talented individuals to join us. Our mission: We are committed to providing a safe and reliable toll road system, increase value and mobility options for our customers, operate the Authority in a businesslike manner, protect our bondholders, and partner to meet our region's growing need for transportation infrastructure.