Principal Solutions Architect

BLEND360 is an award-winning, new breed Data Science Solutions Company focused on powering exceptional results to our Fortune 500 clients. We are a fast-growing company—born at the intersection of advanced analytics, data and technology.

**This is a contract opportunity that could become permanent over time.  

Seeking a strategic and technically proficient Solutions Architect with experience in consulting and a demonstrated ability to lead discovery and delivery initiatives. This role demands a visionary leader with experience in driving digital transformation across cloud platforms, data engineering, and system architectures. The position will be responsible for setting the architectural vision, leading cross-functional teams, and aligning technology initiatives with business objectives while maintaining a strong focus on innovation and scalability. 

Key Responsibilities: 

Strategic Leadership:  

• Define and execute the long-term architectural vision, aligning technology strategies with business objectives. 

• Identify emerging technologies and assess their applicability to the organization or client needs.

Consulting and Discovery 

• Lead discovery phases for new projects, conducting interviews and assessments to understand client or stakeholder needs. 

• Consult with stakeholders to translate business goals into actionable functional requirements. 

• Drive technology roadmaps by aligning stakeholder objectives with best-in-class architectural practices. 

Team Leadership:  

• Oversee and mentor development teams, guiding technical decision-making, project prioritization, and career development for team members. 

• Manage cross-functional collaboration across technical and non-technical teams to ensure seamless execution of architectural initiatives. 

Architectural Oversight:  

• Provide high-level architectural guidance on cloud platforms, data engineering solutions, and system designs, ensuring they meet current and future business needs. 

• Ensure the creation of scalable, secure, and high-performance systems aligned with Well-Architected Frameworks (AWS, GCP, Azure). 

Stakeholder Engagement:  

• Partner with business leaders and key stakeholders to understand their challenges and translate them into actionable technology roadmaps that align with overall company strategy. 

• Present findings, recommendations, and proposed architectures to stakeholders, ensuring alignment and buy-in. 

Governance & Risk Management:  

• Ensure governance and compliance across all technology initiatives, particularly in areas of data security, regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR), and cloud infrastructure management. 

• Conduct risk assessments and manage mitigation strategies for architectural initiatives. 

Consulting Expertise: 

• Ability to lead discovery phases, conduct stakeholder workshops, and define technical strategies from ambiguous requirements. 

• Proven track record in delivering value-driven technical consulting services. 

Strategic Vision & Architecture:  

• Expertise in cloud-native architectures across AWS, GCP, and Azure. Ability to develop scalable, high-availability solutions aligned with business objectives. 

• Experience with large-scale system designs, distributed systems, and scalable architectures. 

Leadership & Team Building:  

• Strong history of leading technical teams, fostering collaboration, and mentoring team members to drive innovation and excellence. 

• Excellent communication skills to bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders. 

Data Engineering & Architecture:  

• Extensive experience designing data pipelines, ETL processes, and scalable data architectures. 

Data Security and Compliance: 

• Expertise in maintaining regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR) across technology initiatives. 

• Understanding of best security practices (SOC-2, PGP, SSL/TLS protocols). 

Pluses (Nice to Have): 

• Infrastructure as Code: Familiarity with Terraform or similar tools for automating infrastructure management. 

• Advanced Data & AI Technologies: Experience with big data, streaming data, Generative AI, and Responsible AI. 

• API Design: Familiarity with RESTful or GraphQL APIs to support scalable, service-oriented architectures. 

Soft Skills: 

• Visionary Thinking: Ability to anticipate future technological needs and create forward-looking architectures. 

• Strategic Communicator: Capable of communicating complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner to both technical teams and business stakeholders. 

• Hands-Off Leadership: Able to guide technical direction without being involved in day-to-day coding or implementation.