Director of Solutions Architecture

Blend360 • Columbia, MD

3d • $190,000 - $210,000

About The Position

Blend is a premier AI services provider, committed to co-creating meaningful impact for its clients through the power of data science, AI, technology, and people. With a mission to fuel bold visions, Blend tackles significant challenges by seamlessly aligning human expertise with artificial intelligence. The company is dedicated to unlocking value and fostering innovation for its clients by harnessing world-class people and data-driven strategy. We believe that the power of people and AI can have a meaningful impact on your world, creating more fulfilling work and projects for our people and clients. For more information, visit www.blend360.com

Lead solution architecture on consulting engagements for Intelligent Applications: shape discovery (hypotheses, current-state, constraints, options), drive architectural engagement across client stakeholders and supplier ecosystems, embed architecture in SDLC cadence (milestones, environments, release/architecture checkpoints), and oversee delivery operations implications—observability acceptance, hypercare criteria, knowledge transfer, and steady-state architectural guardrails. Partner FDE leads so decisions ship. Escalate scope, risk, and economics through engagement leadership and functional group channels—not as autonomous practice owner.

Requirements

• 15+ years equivalent with repeated success leading architecture on enterprise consulting or embedded transformation programs—evidence across discovery → delivery → operate.
• Fluency facilitating discovery with ambiguous sponsors; converting ambiguity into decision-ready architecture artifacts (ADR-style decisions, reference sketches, contract outlines).
• Deep credibility across IA solution domains: integration, application/API architecture, data platforms, cloud/security—and LLM solution risk (eval/monitoring, PII, autonomy boundaries) as delivered, not slideware.
• Executive consulting presence: credible under client scrutiny; constructive tension without burning relationships.

Nice To Haves

• Industry exposure where regulated AI or legacy estates complicate IA delivery.
• Strong partnership record with engineering directors on forward-deployed programs.
• Engagements bridging applications with Databricks/Snowflake-centric analytics—contracts, lineage, identity, cost/performance classes.

Responsibilities

• Discovery leadership: structure interviews/workshops; synthesize current-state architecture and integration reality; produce target-state options with explicit trade-offs (cost, risk, time, operability, security, AI posture); define thin slices and kill criteria.
• Architectural engagement: own the architecture narrative with client executives and enterprise/community architects—alignment meetings, steering forums, architecture reviews—translating technical choices into business outcomes and delivery commitments.
• SDLC integration: thread architecture through the engagement lifecycle—baseline/design increments, interface contracts, non-functional profiles (SLO/capacity/security/data classifications), environment strategy, integration sequencing, release/readiness checkpoints; align with client Agile/DevOps or waterfall hybrids without diluting architectural integrity.
• Delivery partnership: joint sequencing with engineering leads—dependency maps, technical spikes, migration/cutover strategies, feature-flag and rollback thinking—so architecture choices remain implementable and verifiable.
• Operations & transition: define operational acceptance for architecture concerns—monitoring/evals for LLM paths, incident/runbook hooks, ownership boundaries client-vs-firm; plan hypercare architecture presence and handoff to client BAU.
• Risk & governance (engagement-scoped): architecture exceptions with transparent rationale; vendor/model/data residency posture appropriate to client policy; escalation paths for security/legal/compliance friction.
• Expectations and Scope: crisp scope boundaries for architecture work products; timely signals on change drivers (discovery surprises, dependency drift); support SOW/pursuit shaping when staffed on pursuits.
• Full-stack IA on the ground: coherent patterns across UX/API → integration/eventing → data → cloud/security → LLM/RAG/agent boundaries for this engagement, reusable as firm collateral where appropriate.

Benefits

• medical
• dental
• vision
• 401K
• PTO
• paid holidays
• commuter benefits
• spending accounts
• life insurance
• disability coverage
• EAPs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed