Pega Solutions Architect (Contract)

VersaFile • Seattle, WA

12d • Remote

About The Position

VersaFile is seeking an experienced Pega Solution Architect (Consultant) for a contract role to support a major Pega platform upgrade initiative for a large enterprise client. This role involves a Pega platform modernization project, upgrading an existing on-prem Pega 8.8 implementation to Pega Platform 25.1.x, deployed on Red Hat OpenShift using a container-first, parallel upgrade strategy. The architect will define target-state architecture, validate upgrade paths, guide technical delivery teams, and ensure architectural integrity across application, integration, infrastructure, and CI/CD layers.

Requirements

• 8+ years of enterprise solution architecture experience on complex, multi-tier platforms.
• Strong hands-on experience with Pega Platform upgrades, ideally from Pega 8.x to Pega Infinity / 25.x.
• Experience designing and reviewing solutions deployed on Red Hat OpenShift / Kubernetes.
• Deep understanding of enterprise integrations (REST, SOAP, MQ/JMS).
• Deep understanding of CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments.
• Deep understanding of database upgrade and migration strategies (SQL Server preferred).
• Ability to lead architecture across distributed delivery teams and vendors.
• Client-facing capability.

Nice To Haves

• Pega Lead System Architect (LSA) or Senior System Architect (SSA) certification.
• Experience with parallel upgrade strategies and zero/minimal-downtime cutovers.
• Prior experience in insurance or other highly regulated enterprise environments.
• Familiarity with OpenShift on VMware and hybrid infrastructure models.

Responsibilities

• Define and validate the end-to-end Pega upgrade architecture, including platform, application, database, and integration layers.
• Lead architectural decision-making for the upgrade from Pega 8.8.2 to Pega 25.1.x, including deprecated feature remediation and compatibility validation.
• Produce and maintain target architecture diagrams, technical design documentation, and upgrade runbooks.
• Ensure alignment with Pega guardrails, enterprise standards, and platform best practices.
• Collaborate with infrastructure and OpenShift engineers on OpenShift cluster topology and sizing, namespace and environment strategy (TST / QA / PROD), persistent storage, networking, and ingress/load balancer integration.
• Validate DR/HA approaches, backup, rollback, and recovery strategies.
• Contribute to the design of a reusable CI/CD pipeline for Pega using OpenShift-native tooling, Helm charts, and controlled promotion gates.
• Support shift-left validation by ensuring upgrade activities are validated in lower environments prior to production promotion.
• Review and validate existing integrations, including REST/SOAP interfaces, BIX exports, and messaging components.
• Ensure secure integration patterns, authentication, TLS configuration, and data exchange compatibility post-upgrade.
• Support database upgrade planning and schema migration coordination with DBAs.
• Provide architectural oversight during non-production and production upgrade activities.
• Support technical risk identification, dependency management, and mitigation planning.
• Participate in technical workshops, design reviews, and steering committee updates as required.

Benefits

• Opportunity to lead architecture on a high-impact enterprise modernisation programme.
• Flexible, remote consulting engagement.
• Collaborative delivery model with senior technical peers.
• Clear scope, phased delivery, and strong governance framework.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees