Solutions Architect (Contract)

VersaFile • Seattle, WA

19h • Remote

About The Position

VersaFile is a North American technology consulting firm specializing in enterprise content management, workflow automation, and modern platform transformations. They work with enterprise clients across regulated industries to modernize mission-critical systems using proven, low-risk delivery approaches. VersaFile is seeking an experienced Solution Architect (Consultant) to support a major Pega platform upgrade initiative for a large enterprise client. This role will involve leading the architectural aspects of a Pega platform modernization project, specifically 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 Solution Architect will be responsible for defining target-state architecture, validating upgrade paths, guiding technical delivery teams, and ensuring 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) CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments 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

• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees