Systems Architect

This team supports the organization’s technology strategy by providing enterprise architecture guidance, optimizing commercial cloud platforms, and maintaining disaster recovery frameworks that ensure business continuity. Working collaboratively across teams, they help design and deliver scalable, secure infrastructure solutions that serve both the enterprise and its customers.

This position provides technical leadership and architectural direction for the design, implementation, and ongoing management of advanced, enterprise-scale servers, storage, infrastructure, and network solutions supporting NWRDC and its City, State, College, University, and K-12 customers. The role delivers subject-matter expertise in resolving complex technical challenges and advising on application and infrastructure design. In partnership with customers and internal stakeholders, the position supports the architecture and adoption of NWRDC service offerings, including on-premises cloud platforms and public cloud services such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).

Contributes to the design of integrated, enterprise-class solutions spanning multiple technologies, including physical and virtual server platforms, SAN and NAS storage, virtualization and hypervisor technologies, networking components, and public and private cloud services. Serves as a steward of the system architecture lifecycle, interfacing with project, program, and service managers to provide architectural guidance on solution scope, standards, and direction. Defines system specifications and technical objectives through analysis of emerging technology trends and alignment with NWRDC and customer requirements. Ensures solution quality and operational readiness through structured validation, testing, and continuous feedback from the NWRDC customer community.

Partner with the Finance and Customer Relations teams to provide technical expertise supporting accurate service scoping, costing, and quoting of NWRDC services, including the review and validation of monthly service utilization data. Serve as the technical lead during Service Transition, working in coordination with the PMO to ensure new or changed customer services are designed, validated, and transitioned into operations in a controlled and timely manner, and aligned with ongoing utilization tracking and reporting.

This role collaborates with executive leadership and service managers to maintain a current, secure, and strategically aligned enterprise technology portfolio supporting NWRDC and its customers. The position develops and maintains technical roadmaps and lifecycle strategies that define refresh cycles, upgrade paths, and future-state architecture direction, while preparing supporting budget forecasts and cost estimates for structured technology refresh initiatives. The role evaluates emerging technologies and industry trends to identify opportunities that enhance service delivery, operational efficiency, scalability, and resiliency. In coordination with vendors and strategic partners, the position assesses product roadmaps, validates solution compatibility, and provides informed recommendations to leadership regarding technology adoption, standardization, and retirement within the NWRDC service portfolio.

Participates in an after-hours support and/or team on-call rotation in support of a 24x7 data center. Other duties as assigned.

Participates in approved professional development opportunities per NWRDC’s policy. Professional development and training are defined as learning undertaken by employees to maintain and advance their skills, knowledge, and competencies, specifically as they relate and add value to the job and workplace.

NWRDC provides support for a wide range of state and local government, as well as K-20 organizations across the State of Florida. These organizations are dependent on NWRDC in order to accomplish their missions. This requires NWRDC to maintain services 24x7, even during times of crisis or emergency. As such, all NWRDC staff are considered essential staff for operations of the State of Florida., This position has been designated as eligible for primarily remote based on the current position/job functions. Employees are required to live in the Tallahassee area and report to campus as needed.

Do you have experience in Virtualization?, Do you have a High school diploma or GED?, Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, or other appropriate degree and six years of experience or a high school diploma or equivalent and ten years of experience. (Note: or a combination of appropriate post-high-school education and experience equal to ten years.)

Ability to obtain Security Awareness Training Certification, This position requires successful completion of a criminal history background check.

One of the nation’s elite research universities, Florida State University preserves, expands, and disseminates knowledge in the sciences, technology, arts, humanities, and professions, while embracing a philosophy of learning strongly rooted in the traditions of the liberal arts and critical thinking. Founded in 1851, Florida State University is the oldest continuous site of higher education in Florida. FSU is a community steeped in tradition that fosters research and encourages creativity. At FSU, there’s the excitement of being part of a vibrant academic and professional community, surrounded by people whose ideas are shaping tomorrow’s news!