Senior Solution Architecture Lead

This role will lead multiple concurrent technical initiatives, oversee end-to-end solution architecture, and ensure all technology implementations align with CalSTRS enterprise architecture standards, security policies, and business objectives. The candidate shall have advanced expertise in AI technologies, cloud platforms, data engineering, machine learning, and integration best practices, and will act as a trusted technical advisor to technical teams, business partners, and executive leadership.

The Contractor will report directly to the CalSTRS Enterprise IT Solutions and Innovation Director and is expected to work onsite at CalSTRS headquarters, unless written approval is granted by the Chief Technology Officer.

• A minimum of ten (10) years of IT experience with expert-level skills in enterprise architecture design, data modeling, and implementation for data warehouse systems and advanced data analytics platforms.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience designing architecture that integrates Generative AI capabilities into Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse platforms.
• At least five (5) years of cloud architecture experience (such as Azure, AWS, or GCP), including deployment strategies and the use of infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform.
• At least five (5) years of experience leading cross-functional technical teams, providing mentorship, and driving technical excellence in complex enterprise environments.
• Five or more (5+) years of experience in designing and implementing secure, scalable integration architectures for complex enterprise environments, including APIs, microservices, event-driven systems, and data integration.

• Five or more (5+) years of hands-on experience with C# / Python, SQL databases, and advanced SQL queries.
• Five or more (5+) years of experience developing comprehensive technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, design specifications, standards, and best practice guidelines for enterprise scale systems.
• Three or more (3+) years of experience with Snowflake or AWS Redshift.
• Three or more (3+) years of experience of using Power BI to create data analytics dashboards.
• The proposed project person will be able to adhere to working on-site five (5) days per week at CalSTRS Headquarters, West Sacramento, CA. If no, provide a short explanation. (no points)

• Lead the architecture design, implementation, and optimization of enterprise-level IT solutions leveraging Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies, cloud platforms, data analytics systems, and data warehouse architectures to ensure scalability, performance, and security.
• Lead system architectural design and implementation, including Large Language Model (LLM) evaluation, prompt integration, data modeling, data integration, and deployment strategies across complex environments.
• Develop comprehensive technical documentation, including solution designs, coding standards, architectural patterns, policies, and best practices.
• Provide technical leadership and architectural oversight for data warehouse initiatives, including data Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) architecture, data pipelines, data modeling, and enterprise data governance.
• Review, refine, and approve architectural artifacts, system diagrams, integration patterns, and solution designs for mission-critical applications.
• Ensure all technology solutions comply with enterprise architecture standards, cybersecurity policies, and strategic business goals.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to project teams, business partners, leadership, and executive stakeholders.
• Validate application, system, and integration designs to meet enterprise requirements for scalability, resiliency, performance, and security.
• Collaborate closely with developers, engineers, Database Administrators (DBAs), infrastructure teams, and enterprise architects to ensure successful and aligned solution delivery.
• Provide mentorship and thought leadership in cloud-native design, microservices architecture, containerization, Application Programming Interface (API) design, and modern integration patterns.
• Support production issue resolution by providing deep technical expertise during high priority incident investigations and remediation.
• Ensure strict adherence to security, compliance, and enterprise architecture principles throughout all solution design and implementation activities.
• Champion continuous improvement of architecture practices, technical processes, frameworks, and solution methodology across the organization