General Job Description:
The Solutions Architect is the bridge between the business and the development team, turning business needs into scalable, secure solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem. This role partners with business stakeholders to capture requirements, designs end-to-end architectures spanning ERP systems, ADP, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure, builds or prototypes solutions hands-on when needed — including AI-driven automation — and guides developers from design through delivery. Thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, the Sr. Solutions Architect pairs deep technical expertise with exceptional communication skills and the flexibility to adapt quickly as priorities change. This role requires hands-on experience to develop and deliver solutions while working with developers on establishing development best practices and architecting solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Partner with business stakeholders, department leaders, and subject-matter experts to elicit, capture, and document business requirements, translating them into clear functional and technical specifications.
- Develop solutions hands-on when needed, building rapid prototypes and proofs of concept that validate approaches, demonstrate value to the business, and give developers a working foundation to build on.
- Design and build AI-enabled solutions that integrate AI models (e.g., Azure OpenAI, Copilot Studio, or other LLM APIs) into business applications and workflows to automate processes and improve efficiency.
- Design end-to-end solution architectures across the Microsoft stack — including Azure, Microsoft Fabric, .NET, and SQL Server — that are scalable, secure, cost-effective, and aligned with business objectives.
- Guide and mentor developers through delivery — leading design sessions, reviewing designs and code, and removing technical blockers — without formal people-management responsibility.
- Serve as the primary technical liaison between the business and IT, clearly communicating options, trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Evaluate competing approaches (build vs. buy, configure vs. customize) and recommend the option that best balances cost, risk, time-to-value, and long-term maintainability.
- Establish architecture standards, reusable patterns, and best practices, and maintain solution designs, integration specifications, data flow diagrams, and architecture decision records.
- Adapt quickly to shifting priorities while managing multiple concurrent initiatives.
- Ensure solutions meet IES security, compliance, and audit requirements, including Microsoft Entra ID access controls, protection of sensitive HR and financial data, and change management.
- Assess existing applications and integrations for modernization opportunities, technical debt, and cloud readiness, and develop pragmatic roadmaps for improvement.
- Provide technical estimates, dependencies, and risks to support project planning.
- Serve as an escalation point for complex issues involving architected solutions and integrations.
Specific Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience.
- 8+ years of professional IT experience, including 5+ years in a solutions architecture, technical lead, or senior engineering role designing enterprise solutions.
- Deep, hands-on Microsoft stack skills — Azure (Functions, Logic Apps, Service Bus, API Management, Key Vault), .NET/C#, and SQL Server — sufficient to build solutions and prototypes independently.
- Experience integrating AI models into applications and automated workflows (e.g., Azure OpenAI or other LLM APIs), including prompt design, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and responsible AI practices.
- Solid understanding of ERP systems (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle, or similar), operational processes and their integration points.
- Expertise in integration patterns: REST/SOAP APIs, event-driven messaging, ETL/ELT, and middleware.
- Expertise in CI/CD pipeline development, Git, and DevOps.
- Proven ability to capture and document business requirements and translate them into technical designs and actionable work for development teams.
- Demonstrated experience guiding and mentoring developers, leading design reviews, and setting technical direction across teams.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to executives, business users, and developers alike and to build consensus.
- Flexibility and composure in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and adapt quickly to change.
Preferred Qualifications
- Microsoft certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), Azure AI Engineer Associate (AI‑102)
- Experience in Microsoft Fabric — or its predecessors Azure Synapse, Azure Data Factory, and Power BI — for data integration, pipelines, and analytics.
- Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and architecture governance practices.
- Experience in Agile/Scrum delivery, including backlog refinement and writing user stories.
- Experience working within a formal change-management or SOC 2–aligned IT control environment.
Company Overview:
IES is a national provider of industrial products and infrastructure services to a variety of end markets, including electrical, mechanical and communications contracting solutions for the commercial, industrial, residential and renewable energy markets. IES is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol IESC. As of the end of IES’s 2025 fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, IES produced over $3.3 billion in revenue and employed over 10,200 employees at over 174 domestic locations across the United States.
Our commitment to our employees is reflected by our actions:
- Safety is Priority One – and our record shows it
- Competitive Pay
- Company 401K plan with Employer Contribution Match
- Company Paid Time Off
- Company Paid Life Insurance
- Choice of Medical Coverage including Prescription and Short Term Disability Plans
- Choice of Dental and Vision Coverage
- Optional Long-term Disability, Critical Illness, Accident, Legal and Pet Coverage
- Auto and Home Insurance Discount Programs
Additional Data:
PLEASE NO AGENCY CALLS.
NOTE TO ALL AGENCIES: Any unsolicited agency resumes or agency represented candidates that are presented to any IES employee without first having a signed contract between that agency and the IES Talent Acquisition organization will become the property of IES and no fees will be paid.
EEO & Affirmative Action
The IES policy on equal employment opportunity prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, individuals with disabilities, protected veterans, or any other protected status or characteristic. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, benefits, and all other terms and conditions of employment, and also states that retaliation against any employee who files a complaint regarding possible violations of this policy will not be tolerated. IES is also committed to taking affirmative steps to promote the employment of minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. IES develops affirmative action programs to support its commitment to equal employment opportunity, consistent with company policy and the company’s obligations as a contractor to the United States government.
View Your Equal Employment Opportunity rights under the law. "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal;Conozca sus Derechos: La Discriminación en el Lugar de Trabajo es Ilegal
Disability Accommodation
IES is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. IES provides reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Applicants who need accommodation in the job application process should contact the IES corporate office at (713) 860-1500 or any IES office to request assistance.
IES Participates in E-Verify/IES participa en el programa E-Verify
E-Verify Information/ Información sobre E-Verify
English/Español
Right to Work/Ley de Derecho al Trabajo
English/Español