Research IT Architect

The Research IT Architect helps faculty and t heir student research assistants identify practical, supportable technology solutions for research and academic needs. The employee meets with users to understand goals and constraints, translates those needs into technical requirements, recommends appropriate existing enterprise offerings when possible, and works with OIT teams to design and document solutions.

The position also helps OIT understand emerging research technology needs across campus, including recurring requests, common pain points, service gaps, and opportunities to improve university technology services., This position requires a dedicated individual who works well with faculty, student researchers, and technology teams. The employee must be proactive, organized, and able to move complex or ambiguous requests toward clear next steps. Responsibilities include the following:

Research and Academic Technology Architecture

• Meet with faculty and student research assistants to understand research technology needs and related academic technology needs

• Analyze business, technical, and workflow requirements

• Identify appropriate solution approaches using existing enterprise offerings whenever possible

• Design architectures for needs involving storage, computation, databases, SaaS platforms, integrations, and related services

• Document architectures according to established standards, including architecture diagrams, requirements, constraints, assumptions, and relevant decision points

• Define and communicate solution scope, dependencies, and implementation needs to appropriate OIT teams

• Evaluate when a request can be satisfied with standard services and when a more specialized review or custom design effort may be necessary

Consultation, Coordination, and Customer Advocacy

• Serve as a primary point of contact for faculty seeking guidance on research technology needs

• Consult with users of varied technical abilities to clarify goals, constraints, and expectations

• Direct users to appropriate existing services, support teams, and technical resources

• Work with other OIT groups to communicate needs and facilitate progress toward implementation

• Track solution progress sufficiently to remain an effective advocate for the user and to help remove misunderstandings or barriers

• Follow up periodically with users to determine whether implemented solutions continue to meet their needs

• Manage expectations for niche, highly specialized, or infeasible requests, including communicating when requests cannot reasonably be supported

Service Gap Identification and Organizational Awareness

• Identify patterns and trends in faculty research technology needs across colleges and departments

• Keep management informed of recurring requests, unmet needs, emerging technology patterns, and opportunities for service improvement

• Help OIT maintain awareness of campus research needs by serving as a key source of information about user demand, common pain points, and evolving requirements

Technology Research and Solution Evaluation

• Research existing and emerging technologies relevant to faculty research and related academic needs

• Perform initial investigation of vendor and SaaS solutions as needed

• Assist in evaluating whether requested technologies align with university standards, current offerings, and operational feasibility

• Maintain awareness of enterprise technology capabilities and changes in available services

The employee is also expected to proactively learn new skills through available documentation, university resources, professional development, training opportunities, and collaboration with other technology professionals.

The ideal candidate has broad IT experience, strong communication skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to work with faculty and student researchers with varied technical backgrounds. This person should enjoy learning new technologies , clarifying ambiguous needs, designing practical solutions, and helping research and academic work move forward at the university., Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Preferred Education and Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field plus two years of relevant experience. Or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

Preferred experience includes:

• Consulting with end users to gather and clarify technical requirements

• Designing and documenting technology solutions

• Broad IT experience such as systems administration, storage, databases, SaaS platforms , development , integrations, or related services

• Communicating technical requirements to implementation teams

• Writing clear technical documentation

• Supporting research technology needs in a university or similar environment

• Working with faculty, researchers, or other expert end users

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Capability and desire to learn new skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

• Ability to gather requirements from users with varied technical backgrounds

• Ability to translate user needs into clear technical requirements and architecture documentation

• Ability to manage expectations and communicate limitations in a timely , professional manner

• Ability to work effectively across multiple technical teams

• Strong organizational skills and ability to follow through on user needs over time

• Significant experience in at least a few areas of information technology

4.54.5 out of 5 stars Provo, UT $102,000 - $132,500 a year - Full-time, Pulled from the full job description

• Tuition reimbursement

• Paid parental leave

• Parental leave

• 401(k)

• Health insurance

• Dental insurance

• Employee assistance program, * 401k. BYU automatically contributes 8% at no cost to you. Additionally, if you contribute 5%, BYU adds an additional 4% (Rehires may qualify for different retirement plans)

• Excellent work-life balance: 13 paid holidays + 22 days paid vacation + 12 sick days, accrued annually

• Employee assistance program, available to the employee and all members of their household

• Tuition benefits for employees and eligible family members

• Access to athletic facilities

• Excellent medical/dental benefits

• Short/long-term disability benefits

• Paid parental and maternity leave

• Wellness Program

• Free on-campus parking

• Free UTA passes for employees, spouses, and qualified dependents

• Discounts at the BYU Store and for many events at BYU

Pay Grade: 55T

Typical Starting Pay: $102,000-$132,500

The actual compensation offered will take into consideration internal equity and may vary based on the candidate's job-related experience, knowledge, skills, and other relevant factors. Candidates with very significant work-related experience may receive an offer higher than the posted typical range.

As the flagship higher education institution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University (BYU) strives to be among the exceptional universities in the world. At BYU, we are devoted to our faith and to our students. We take an active role in the University's Mission: "To assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life." Our unique mission, deeply rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provides countless ways to serve and make an impact. This, along with our remarkable culture of belonging, weekly devotionals, and endless opportunities for learning and growth-all situated within a beautiful and historic campus-make it hard to imagine a more inspiring place to work. Brigham Young University strongly prefers to hire faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints., Brigham Young University (BYU) is widely recognized not just for its world-class education, but for its deep commitment to inspired religious values. Gathered together in a Christ-centered atmosphere, BYU employees are a vital part of a community of belonging, where we value the experiences, perspectives, and talents of each individual. If you share in our devotion to faith and to excellence, we have a place for you here at BYU!