GIS Solution Architect - Director

Guidehouse • Denver, CO

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The GIS Solution Architect is the functional and technical authority for the end-to-end ArcGIS Utility Network solution design on a utility GIS modernization program. This role owns the UN data model architecture, migration strategy from GE SmallWorld, integration design with OMS/ADMS/SAP/field mobility, and application architecture replacing Magik-based customizations. The GIS Architect bridges decades of SmallWorld institutional knowledge with the ESRI UN platform's topology model, ensuring that the migrated solution is not simply a technical lift-and-shift but a strategically re-engineered GIS foundation for the next generation of utility network operations.

Requirements

• TEN (10)+ years of professional work experience.
• FIVE (5)+ years of GIS consulting or utility GIS technical experience and specializing in ESRI ArcGIS for utilities.
• Full-lifecycle ESRI ArcGIS Utility Network implementations at electric, gas, or water utilities in a lead architect or solution lead capacity.
• ESRI UN configuration experience: domain network creation, tier and terminal definition, subnetwork controller assignment, and network rule configuration in ArcGIS Pro.
• Experience with G/Technology module feature class schemas (Electric, Gas, or Water) — required for source data assessment and migration scoping.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or relevant experience may be substituted for formal education or advanced degree.
• Proficient ArcGIS Utility Network configuration: UN Geodatabase design, network topology, subnetwork definitions, and ArcGIS Pro 3.x administration.
• Working knowledge of GE SmallWorld Magik language and G/Technology application architecture sufficient to assess customization migration complexity.
• Strong understanding of ArcGIS Enterprise architecture: Portal for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Server, data stores (relational, tile cache, spatiotemporal), and high-availability deployment patterns.
• Proficiency with Python (arcpy), ArcGIS Pro Add-in SDK (C#/.NET), and Arcade expression language for UN attribute rules, validation rules, and diagram rules.
• Working knowledge of GIS integration patterns: REST API services, OGC standards (WFS, WMS), GeoJSON, and enterprise middleware (MuleSoft, Dell Boomi, Azure Integration Services) as they apply to GIS data exchange.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with SmallWorld-to-ESRI UN migration program with hands-on responsibility for source-to-target schema mapping, ETL design, and network connectivity reconstruction.
• Degree preferred field of Geography, GIS, Geomatics, Computer Science, Civil or Electrical Engineering, or related field required.
• Advanced degree or professional GIS certification a plus.
• ESRI Technical Certification: ArcGIS Pro Specialty, Utility Network Specialty, or ArcGIS Enterprise Administration Specialty.
• Hands-on FME Safe Software certification or advanced FME workspace development experience specifically for GDM-to-UN data conversion.
• Experience with Schneider Electric ArcFM — relevant for ArcFM-to-UN migrations or hybrid environments where ArcFM survives alongside UN during phased transitions.
• Knowledge of GE ADMS / GE SCADA integration with ESRI UN: network model export, CIM XML exchange, and outage detection polygon generation.
• Familiarity with ESRI ArcGIS Velocity (formerly IoT Server) for real-time GIS feeds from SCADA, AMI, or field sensors.
• Experience with ArcGIS Indoors or ArcGIS Experience Builder for substation or facility spatial management use cases.
• Exposure to ArcGIS Image Server or ArcGIS Notebooks for utility corridor imagery analysis, LiDAR integration, or vegetation management GIS workflows.
• Working knowledge of NERC CIP CIP-002 asset identification requirements as they relate to GIS-based BES asset inventory and the GIS-as-system-of-record model for compliance.
• Experience with utility network operations sufficient to assess functional equivalence between SmallWorld and UN workflows: outage switching, work order attach, network tracing for load flow or pressure analysis.
• Familiarity with ESRI ArcGIS Living Atlas utility content and ESRI's Utility Network Reference Implementation as a design baseline.
• Demonstrated ETL or data migration execution experience using FME Safe Software or Python/arcpy for large-scale geodatabase migrations (≥ 1M features).

Responsibilities

• Own the ESRI ArcGIS Utility Network solution design: domain network definitions, tier configurations (radial, mesh), terminal assignments, containment associations, junction-edge connectivity rules, and network attribute definitions.
• Design the UN feature class schema: asset group / asset type taxonomies, network source priorities, controller placements, and subnetwork name field assignments for electric, gas, or water networks.
• Conduct Fit-Gap workshops comparing SmallWorld GDM schema and G/Technology module data models to ESRI UN target architecture; document design decisions and configuration rationale.
• Define network topology validation standards: connectivity tolerance rules, dirty area management, subnetwork validation criteria, and pre-go-live network tracing acceptance tests.
• Establish the geodatabase design: feature datasets, versioning strategy (branch vs. traditional versioning), archiving configuration, and replica/sync design for field mobile environments.
• Own the source-to-target schema mapping between SmallWorld GDM feature classes (G/Technology Electric, Gas, Water modules) and ESRI UN domain network feature classes — resolving structural, attribute, and relationship differences.
• Define the data migration architecture: ETL tool selection (FME, Python/arcpy, ESRI Data Interoperability), transformation logic, geometry reprojection/re-snapping strategy, and relationship class reconstruction.
• Design network connectivity reconstruction strategy: how SmallWorld snapping-based connectivity translates to UN coincident-vertex or terminal-based connectivity, including gap/tolerance resolution rules.
• Establish migration sequencing: load order dependencies (containment structures before contained features, network sources before associations), domain value migration, and subnetwork seed initialization.
• Design and lead iterative mock migration cycles; define validation KPIs — connectivity rate, attribute completeness, tracing correctness, and spatial accuracy — and own defect remediation through go-live.
• Inventory and classify SmallWorld Magik customizations by type: UI workflows (menus, dialogs), business rules (validation, auto-complete), batch processes (reporting, conversion), and integration adapters (OMS feeds, SCADA links).
• Design replacement architecture for each customization category: ArcGIS Pro Add-ins (C#/.NET), Python scripts, Arcade expressions, ArcGIS Notebooks, or native ArcGIS Enterprise capabilities.
• Define the ArcGIS Pro configuration architecture: project templates, layer file standards, map packages, geoprocessing tool deployment, and Pro Add-in distribution mechanism.
• Architect the ESRI Field Maps / Survey123 deployment: map configuration, offline area definitions, feature service publishing strategy, attachment handling, and sync conflict resolution.
• Design ArcGIS Enterprise portal architecture: federated services, item sharing model, web app deployments (ArcGIS Web AppBuilder / Experience Builder), and named user licensing model.
• Define GIS integration architecture with OMS/DMS (GE ADMS, Schneider SCADA, ABB): network model export/sync, switching sheet generation, outage polygon derivation, and crew/asset location feeds.
• Design SAP PM – GIS bi-directional integration: equipment/functional location record synchronization, work order spatial attachment, and field mobility data exchange patterns.
• Architect GIS-to-CIS / GIS-to-AMI integration: service point linkage, meter spatial location, and premise geometry derivation where applicable.
• Define the ArcGIS Enterprise REST API integration model for connected applications: versioned editing via REST, feature service query patterns, and network diagram service consumption by OMS.
• Collaborate with middleware/integration architects on interface specifications, data contract definitions, and event-driven vs. batch synchronization architecture decisions.
• Lead or directly execute FME workspace development or Python/arcpy ETL scripts for SmallWorld-to-UN data migration; govern transformation logic through code review and peer validation.
• Establish and enforce data quality rules: attribute completeness standards, domain value mapping validation, geometry quality thresholds, and network connectivity acceptance criteria.
• Lead migration validation and reconciliation activities across mock cutover cycles; own defect triage and resolution prioritization against go-live criteria.
• Define the data migration runbook: environment promotion sequence, load timing, rollback triggers, and post-load validation checklist.
• Lead a team of 3–8 GIS analysts, data migration specialists, and application developers across design, build, test, and deploy phases.
• Mentor junior GIS consultants on ESRI UN configuration, SmallWorld data model analysis, and utility network operations knowledge.
• Design and deliver role-based training curriculum for client GIS analysts, network editors, field crew supervisors, and OMS operators on ArcGIS Pro, Field Maps, and UN-integrated workflows.
• Produce comprehensive knowledge transfer materials enabling client self-sufficiency: UN configuration guide, schema data dictionary, migration runbook, and hypercare troubleshooting playbook.
• Author and review functional test scripts for UN configuration, network tracing, migration validation, OMS integration, and Field Maps regression testing.
• Lead resolution of GIS-related defects during SIT and UAT cycles; triage and prioritize go-live acceptance criteria.
• Validate end-to-end business process scenarios spanning GIS, OMS, SAP PM, field mobility, and reporting touchpoints.

Benefits

• Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
• Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Basic Life & Supplemental Life
• Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Student Loan PayDown
• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
• Skills Development & Certifications
• Employee Referral Program
• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach
• Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program
• Mobility Stipend

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director