Application / Solution Architect II

Southern Company•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

Application / Solutions Architect JOB SUMMARY The Applic/ Solutions Architect is an information technology professional who functionally designs systems, applications and user interfaces for a solution that supports a specific business process. This position works closely with other Gas Technology Solutions (GTS) peers, business partners, Business Systems Analysts and our Business Operations and Technology (BOTS) group to identify simple and supportable solutions to business opportunities and requests. This role is responsible to ensures solutions are compliant, follow standards and do not add to technical debt. The Solution Architect will assist with the design and implementation of the future state of GTS technology. This is a new role will work hand in hand with multiple technology teams they will help guide the enterprise. This role will require you to utilize your depth of experience to act as a thought leader regarding IT Solutions Architecture and you will assure delivery of successful deployments of digital solutions and be at the forefront of new features and capabilities of a broad set of IT methods, capabilities, and infrastructure. This position reports to the Director, GAS Architecture & Environment Mgmt MAJOR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Requirements

A degree in Computer Science or a related field is required.
7 or more years of relevant architect experience.
Knowledge of loosely coupled architecture design patterns, microservices, and containerization.
Experience developing, integrating, deploying, and maintaining software solutions in modern DevSecOps environments.
Knowledge of native commercial Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP) services, PaaS and SaaS solutions.
Active architect certification in middleware (e.g., MuleSoft, Appian, Palantir, Databricks)
Experience with ITIL
Advanced understanding of cybersecurity and secure coding techniques
Demonstrated ability to influence including providing options with pros, cons and risks around key technical decisions during design and implementation.
Strong leadership and negotiation skills with business and technical groups.
Strong organizational skills and understanding of the Project Management lifecycle.
Comfortable with ambiguity and willing to take principled bets on new technology.
Ability to balance between rapid prototyping and long-term system architecture.
Track-record of developing large-scale, multi-tier applications.
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Strong interpersonal skills, customer-focused attitude and ability to deal with ambiguity.
Proven team player and team builder.
Ability to “think big” and challenge conventional wisdom regarding technology refresh and hype.

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree is desirable.
Experience with Utility systems in the Field, Asset, Customer, Construction or Gas Operations pillars

Responsibilities

Create, document, and evangelize IT solutions and reference architectures with a focus on microservices and native commercial services
Design, develop, and integrate prototype solutions and services to assist with business development or customer demonstrations
Rearchitect existing and design new systems that integrate with our legacy systems, COTS packages, SaaS applications, and data systems
Work with GTS peers, business partners and BOTS to understand and package the right set of capabilities into a solution that meets the specific need
Design solutions that accommodate all aspects of the lifecycle and personnel including migrations, deployment, monitoring, training, and helpdesk
Communicate best practices/frameworks; specifically, agile (SAFe, Scrum, Kanban) and DevSecOps
Communicate in non-technical terms, understand requirements and guide developers with suitable, integrated digital solutions
Understand broad GTS capabilities and build a network of resources to support solutioning and quality of delivery
Drive and provide architecture review and contingency plans and documentation aligning to industry best-practices and Technology Organization policy and regulations
Work with Business Systems Analysts, BOTS and Business partners to understand the needs
Understand and package the right set of capabilities into a solution that meets the specific need
Lead the solution architecture through the pursuit and delivery process
Develop conceptual architecture as needed
Act as a technical advisor for GTS ensuring the project is delivered and leverages leading practices and frameworks
Provide subject matter expertise and hands-on support