Solution Architect - Columbia, MD

We have an exciting opportunity for a Solution Architect at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Columbia, Maryland office.

The Solution Architect will apply broad technical expertise and business acumen to guide technology decision-making and ensure solutions align with organizational goals. The role is responsible for designing and managing the organization’s solution portfolio, bridging business needs with technical capabilities while promoting architectural standards, governance, and best practices.

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk, created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

What you’ll learn and achieve:

As the Solution Architect, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Partner with stakeholders, business owners, and technical SMEs to understand business drivers and capability needs, translating them into effective solution designs.
• Advocate for business partner needs throughout the solution lifecycle to ensure technologies advance ULRI-ULSE’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of technology platforms, software solutions, and services, designing standard and custom configurations as required.
• Consult on application development, infrastructure design, and system integrations while promoting architecture patterns and best practices.
• Design and evaluate solution architectures that align with enterprise strategy, business capabilities, and established architecture standards.
• Produce architecture deliverables-including solution diagrams, reference models, standards, and documentation-to support governance.
• Ensure solutions meet security, compliance, data protection, and quality requirements, and guide governance of key architecture decisions.
• Define and maintain architecture principles, standards, and patterns, and oversee the portfolio for aging technologies, technical debt, and misalignment; guide remediation strategies.
• Assess emerging technologies, industry innovations, and market developments to inform roadmaps, technology planning, and ULRI-ULSE’s broader technology landscape.
• Support technology needs across standards development, publication workflows, member and partner engagement, knowledge management, and research-enabling platforms, including custom applications, integrations, APIs, LIMS/ELN, collaboration tools, and platforms such as Azure, AWS, Salesforce, and M365.
• Lead and/or contribute to other department specific and cross-functional initiatives.

Best Practices, Architectural Services, Business Skills, Organizational Development/Management, Sustainability, Safety Standards, Risk Management, Standards Development, Technology Analysis, Enterprise Architecture, * Proven experience designing and implementing complex technical solutions across diverse technologies.

• Demonstrated experience integrating systems, APIs, and data sources to support interoperability and reliable workflows.
• Strong knowledge of cloud platforms (Azure, AWS) and modern application architectures.
• Experience with Agile, DevOps, CI/CD, API-driven design, and modern development frameworks.
• Strategic leader and builder of both vision and bridges, and influence decision-makers across both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Strong project management capability with experience managing multiple priorities and executing high-quality deliverables.
• Strong vendor management skills, with the ability to manage relationships with multiple vendors.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly identify and resolve complex technical issues.
• Ability to bring strong practical experience with Azure, AWS, Salesforce, M365, or research-enabling technology platforms.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience as a Solutions Architect or in a similar technical leadership role.
• Experience with custom software development, SaaS/PaaS platforms (M365, Salesforce, Workday), and IaaS platforms (Azure, AWS).
• Certification as an Azure Solutions Architect Expert or AWS Certified Solutions Architect. Additional certifications in M365, Salesforce, Workday, custom application development, or research-technology platforms preferred.

• People: Our people make us special. You’ll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today’s global challenges require.
• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what’s on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You’ll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.
• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.
• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.
• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation based on the level of the position. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What you’ll experience working at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do., UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.