Solution Architect II

GENERAL PURPOSE:  
The Solution Architect II is responsible for architecting and designing modern custom applications across cloud-native (Azure), on-premises, desktop, and mobile platforms. Working autonomously on complex business and technology challenges, this role establishes architectural standards and direction, leveraging deep expertise in Azure services to design scalable, secure, and resilient solutions. The Solution Architect II also brings solid experience architecting enterprise on-premises applications and optimizing application performance. The role owns application, integration, and data architecture—including APIs, messaging, and data flows—as well as application security and compliance. Partnering closely with business stakeholders, product owners, and engineering teams, the Solution Architect II translates business requirements into well-documented architectures, technical designs, and business process flows. Additionally, this role brings hands-on experience integrating AI capabilities, including Azure OpenAI and other AI services, into custom applications to accelerate development, improve user experiences, and solve complex business problems.

The base salary range for this role is $125,800 – $229,400. The base salary range is dependent on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, qualifications, relevant education, certifications, seniority, and location. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. Other rewards vary by position and location.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
•    Architect end-to-end solutions for custom applications across cloud-native, on-premises, desktop, and mobile platforms, delivering scalable, secure, resilient, and maintainable designs aligned with business and technology objectives.
•    Establish architecture standards, patterns, reference architectures, and governance practices to ensure consistency, quality, and long-term sustainability across the application portfolio.
•    Own application, integration, and data architecture—including APIs, event-driven messaging, integrations, and data flows between cloud and on-premises systems—to enable reliable, secure, and scalable interoperability across the enterprise.
•    Define and enforce security, compliance, resiliency, and non-functional requirements within solution architectures, ensuring adherence to enterprise standards and regulatory obligations.
•    Drive performance, scalability, reliability, observability, and operational excellence by incorporating performance engineering and operational best practices throughout the application lifecycle.
•    Lead the architecture and adoption of AI-enabled application capabilities—including intelligent workflows, agent-based applications, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solutions—to automate processes, enhance user experiences, and solve complex business challenges.
•    Produce and maintain architecture artifacts, technical designs, decision records, and business process documentation that clearly communicate solutions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
•    Partner with business stakeholders, product owners, and engineering teams to translate business requirements into well-architected solutions and provide architectural leadership throughout the software development lifecycle.

COMPETENCIES:
People
•    Building Effective Teams
•    Developing Talent
•    Collaboration    
Self
•    Leading by Example
•    Communicates Effectively
•    Ensures Accountability and Execution
•    Manages Conflict    
Business
•    Business Acumen
•    Plans, Aligns and Prioritizes
•    Organizational Agility
With particular emphasis on the following specific position-related competencies:
•    Problem Solving    
•    Time Management
•    Customer Focus    
•    Listening

QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIAL SKILLS REQUIRED:
•    Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field
•    8+ years of experience in software engineering, or solution architecture, including 3+ years in a solution architecture, or similar architecture-focused role.
•    Proven experience architecting and delivering enterprise-scale custom applications across both cloud-native and on-premises environments.
•    Strong expertise in Microsoft Azure architecture, including application hosting, integration, identity and access management, networking, security, monitoring, and platform services.
•    Hands-on experience designing modern application architectures using microservices, event-driven architectures, RESTful APIs, asynchronous messaging, and distributed systems patterns.
•    Experience working with modern application development technologies, including Angular, Spring Boot, and enterprise application integration solutions.
•    Strong understanding of application, integration, and data architecture principles, including experience designing solutions using relational and NoSQL databases.
•    Demonstrated experience incorporating security, compliance, performance, scalability, resiliency, observability, and operational excellence into solution architectures.
•    Experience creating architecture artifacts, technical designs, architecture decision records (ADRs), and related technical documentation.
•    Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate business requirements into well-architected technical solutions.
PREFERRED:
•    Experience architecting AI-enabled applications using Azure OpenAI, LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, vector databases, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI agents, prompt orchestration frameworks, or similar generative AI technologies.
•    Experience designing hybrid cloud integrations using MuleSoft and working with Azure Cosmos DB, Azure SQL, Oracle Database, and related enterprise data platforms.
•    Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) or other relevant Azure, integration, or AI-related certifications.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/ADA:
Job requires ability to work in an office environment, primarily on a computer. 
Requires sitting, standing, walking, hearing, talking on the telephone, attending in-person meetings, typing, and working with paper/files, etc. 
Consistent timeliness and regular attendance.  
Vision requirements: Ability to see information in print and/or electronically.
This position may be performed remotely anywhere within the United States. #LI-Remote

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
N/A

DISCLAIMER:
This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position.  It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities.  Contents are subject to change at management’s discretion.

Ross is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. We believe that it is an essential part of the Company’s overall commitment to attract, hire and develop a strong, talented and diverse workforce. Ross is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.