IT ARCHITECT - APPLICATIONS (Responsible AI & Innovation)

City of Houston•611 Walker Street, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The IT Architect – Applications (Responsible AI and Innovation) serves as the City of Houston’s enterprise leader for artificial intelligence strategy, governance, and adoption. Reporting to the Office of the CIO – Performance, Architecture, and Innovation, the role advances responsible AI capabilities to improve operational efficiency, support data-driven decision-making, and enhance public services across City departments. The position combines strategic architecture, innovation leadership, and hands-on solution engagement to ensure AI initiatives are secure, ethical, scalable, and aligned with enterprise architecture standards. The position is based in Houston, Texas, with a reporting location at 611 Walker / 1200 Travis. The regular schedule is Monday through Friday during office hours. The work environment is essentially a normal office with acceptable lighting, temperature, and air conditions. Significant time is spent using a computer display, keyboard, and mouse. The City describes its employee benefits as including healthcare, wellness, professional development, and an excellent pension plan. Applicants must hold or be able to obtain CJIS certification within 90 days of hire, pass a comprehensive criminal-background check and fingerprinting under Houston Police Department and CJIS standards, and maintain eligibility to access sensitive law-enforcement systems and data. A skills assessment may be administered. New hires and rehires must pass a pre-employment drug test and are subject to a physical examination and verification of application information. The position is not designated as safety-impact. A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Management and Information Systems (MIS), or a closely related field is required, along with multiple application-specific technical certifications and recognized mastery of a technical discipline. A master's degree in one of the specified fields may substitute for up to two years of experience. At least ten years of specialized experience in application systems analysis and development is required. No license is required. Salary is determined based on qualifications and pay rates for other employees in the classification; the position is Pay Grade 33.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Management and Information Systems (MIS), or a closely related field.
Multiple application-specific technical certifications and recognized mastery of a particular technical discipline.
At least ten years of specialized experience in application systems analysis and development.
Hands-on experience with modern AI and data platforms, including Azure AI, Microsoft Copilot, machine-learning frameworks, and API-based AI services.
Strong understanding of data governance, security, privacy, and responsible-AI principles in regulated or public-sector environments.
Ability to translate business needs into viable AI opportunities and assess feasibility, risk, and expected impact.
Extensive enterprise IT architecture experience, particularly designing or governing AI, data, or analytics solutions.
Ability to review or develop technical architectures, solution designs, reference architectures, and technical standards.
Ability to lead pilots and proofs of concept and guide them toward scalable enterprise deployment.
Experience supporting digital champions, communities of practice, or capability-building programs for emerging-technology adoption.
Strong communication and stakeholder-engagement skills, including collaboration across divisions, departments, and federated IT groups.
Familiarity with IT governance processes, including RFP/SOW development, vendor evaluations, and project-risk assessment.
CJIS certification, or ability to obtain it within 90 days of hire, is mandatory.
Must pass a comprehensive background check, including criminal-history review and fingerprinting under Houston Police Department and CJIS standards, and maintain eligibility for access to sensitive law-enforcement systems and data.

Nice To Haves

Leadership shaping or influencing organizational AI strategy, such as through an AI council, innovation board, technology steering committee, or enterprise governance forum.
Experience launching or scaling enterprise-wide innovation programs, such as hackathons, AI communities of practice, capability-building cohorts, or digital-champion networks.
Partnerships with academic institutions, civic-tech organizations, or industry research groups to advance responsible public-sector AI innovation.
Experience guiding organizations through emerging-technology change, including ethical-AI guidelines, policy development, or adoption across federated IT environments.
Knowledge of SDLC, ITIL, and Agile/DevOps methodologies supporting modern solution delivery.
Relevant industry certifications in AI, cloud, or data technologies.
Zachman (ZCEA) or TOGAF certification.

Responsibilities

Lead development and continuous refinement of the City’s enterprise-wide AI strategy in alignment with City priorities and departmental needs.
Establish and maintain AI governance frameworks that address transparency, accountability, data privacy, and regulatory compliance.
Integrate AI oversight into existing governance bodies and support intake, review, and approval decisions for AI initiatives.
Identify, evaluate, and prioritize AI use cases; help departments frame business challenges and translate them into AI opportunities.
Conduct exploratory pilots and proofs of concept, including participation in RFP development, vendor evaluations, and SOW reviews.
Experiment hands-on with AI tools, models, and platforms to validate feasibility and inform architectural recommendations.
Build partnerships across City departments and communicate AI opportunities, risks, and value.
Collaborate with divisions across HITS and Federated IT to support alignment and convergence on AI initiatives.
Coach and enable departmental Digital Champions through knowledge-sharing and hands-on support to accelerate AI literacy and adoption.
Serve as a technical advisor and architect for AI initiatives, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture, data platforms, and security standards.
Review technical designs, data-integration patterns, and project documentation; identify risks and recommend mitigation strategies to delivery teams.
Monitor AI industry trends, standards, and regulatory developments to keep City practices current and compliant.
Perform other duties as assigned.