System Architect

UDC is seeking a full-time System Architect to serve as an enterprise technology professional for the Enterprise Architecture Practice Area, providing technical direction and problem-solving expertise for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects.

What you will do

Serves as an enterprise technology professional for the Enterprise Architecture Practice Area, providing technical direction and problem-solving expertise for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) projects. Develops internal and external documentation for strategic planning, return on investment, cost comparison, pro and con analysis, design specification, and other purposes as needed.

Performs configurations, installations, upgrades, testing, tuning, support, and other implementation-related tasks. Supports business development efforts by designing solutions, creating statement of work content, estimating levels of effort, and generating project schedules for general proposals as well as Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Information (RFI), and Request for Qualifications (RFQ) responses. Provides sales support via customer visits and thought leadership blogs, conference presentations, and other high-visibility activities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. Essential duties and responsibilities include the following (other duties and responsibilities may also be assigned):

- Leads and contributes to GIS Enterprise Architecture workshops and related discussions involving utility customers and prepares relevant presentation content and questions in advance.

- Provides overall technical expertise for system design, implementation, assessment, consulting, and managed service engagements.

- Serves as a member of the UDC Information Technology (IT) team, supporting internal technology needs based on a targeted billable-overhead ratio. This design tasks for managing physical server, storage, network, and appliance infrastructure in UDC datacenters.

- Manages technical deliverables for projects and the Practice Area, including architectural diagrams, use-cases, requirements gathering, solution design, test cases, administration guides, deployment manuals, and other specification documentation.

- Facilitates and participates in GIS road mapping workshops for utility customers.

- Builds high-level and detailed Enterprise Architecture diagrams that include specifying all required software, hardware, network, database and enterprise geodatabase, storage, security, integration, and other enterprise components.

- Authors UDC’s system architecture specification document for deployments that encompasses a standard set of architecture views and implementation release schedule.

- Designs database solutions, including enterprise geodatabases.

- Validates system requirements, determines system configuration, and estimates system sizing using a variety of tools and in alignment with industry standards and best practices.

- Provides technical guidance and consulting for UDC’s clients to embrace security in their datacenters and educates UDC’s clients on what it takes to create and manage a private network from a network communications and administration standpoint.

- Provides technical architecture direction for software development teams, quality assurance personnel, and training staff when required.

- Maintains visibility of software application licensing to ensure license agreements are followed.

What we look for from you

- 11-16 years of work experience in enterprise system consulting and large-scale technology projects, preferably for utility customers.

- 6-11 years of work experience in enterprise GIS with a combination of system design, Enterprise Architecture, system implementation, and system administration.

- Thorough background in deploying, configuring, administering, and supporting Esri ArcGIS products, including ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Online.

- In-depth implementation, configuration, and administration experience with datacenter virtualization and hypervisor platforms such as VMware, Citrix, Hyper-V, and Nutanix.

- Prior experience with configuring enterprise system security solutions as well as a thorough understanding of the related options and best practices.

- Enterprise configuration experience with Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technologies from major vendors such as NVIDIA and AMD.

- Solid understanding of Layer 4 and Layer 7 load balancing and reverse proxy solutions such as F5 BIG-IP, NGINX, and Citrix ADC (NetScaler).

- Competent with managing enterprise applications including Microsoft Office 365 (including SharePoint), Azure DevOps, Citrix, and VMware vSphere.

- Prior experience with Esri and other system monitoring and tuning tools such as ArcGIS Monitor, Dynatrace, and SolarWinds.

- Familiarity with integration tools such as Kafka, Boomi, and MuleSoft.

- Hands-on experience and demonstrated knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker, microservices, and containerization (including container ingress), as well as proficiency in one or more deployment orchestration concepts and tools such as Puppet, Chef, or Terraform.

In-depth understanding of the concepts, tools, and best practices pertaining to technologies and solutions that involve the following types of resources for private cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments:

- Virtual servers and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).

- Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), firewalls, and security policies.

- Identity and Access Management (IAM).

- Network and application load balancers and other reverse proxies.

- Private and public Domain Name Services (DNS).

- Virtual Private Networks (VPN).

- Virtualization platforms such as Citrix Hypervisor or VMware ESXi / vSphere.

- Databases, file shares, and other storage repositories.

- Batch jobs, scheduled processes, automated tasks, and replication.

- High availability, redundancy, clustering, failover, and disaster recovery.

- Aptitude in identifying single points of failure throughout an architecture and recommending specific measures to reduce risk of system outages.

- Knowledge of Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) technologies from major vendors such as NVIDIA and AMD.

Education

- Bachelor's Degree from an accredited postsecondary institution in Information Technology, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Networks, or other related discipline.

- Master’s Degree from an accredited higher education institution in Information Technology, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Networks, or other related discipline

Certifications

Active and maintained associate-level technology certification from at least one major vendor or relevant industry organization such as TOGAF, Microsoft, VMware, Citrix, IBM, Oracle, or Esri, or the ability to become certified within 12 months of employment and continuously renew before expiration.

Frameworks

- Familiarity with Waterfall and Agile implementation methodologies and artifacts, working knowledge of solution architecture multi-view methodologies and related software tools.

- Understanding of the Esri Well Architected Framework (WAF) and how it applies to enterprise system projects involving GIS technologies.

Location

We anticipate business travel could be up to 50% at times, however the amount may vary depending on client and project requirements.

Compensation Range

$115,000-$125,000 annually. The compensation that is offered to a successful candidate will depend on the candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Why you should bring your career to UDC

UDC is a recognized leader in geospatial, asset management, and operational technologies for the gas and electric utility industries. We are expanding our service offerings internationally and targeting additional commodities (i.e., water and fiber). We have several offices in the US and India, and we are looking to grow the number of our employees both domestically and internationally. These expansions provide outstanding growth opportunities to our employees. Our cultural emphasis on teamwork promotes a safe environment for the development of our employees. This will enable you to learn by example and provide opportunities that can take you to the next level. We are dedicated to investing in you and your success and encourage a healthy work/life balance. UDC takes pride in offering a high-quality benefits package to all our employees.

Our Benefits (for full-time employees)

- Medical / Dental / Vision

- HSA

- 401K & Employer Match

- Paid Time Off (includes vacation and sick time)

- Parental Leave

- Long Term and Short Term Disability (Employer Paid)

- Basic Term Life and AD&D (Employer Paid)

- Voluntary Term Life and AD&D

- Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance

- Student Loan Repayment Program

- Gym Reimbursement Program

- Paid Volunteer Time

We invite all candidates to apply!

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $115,000.00 - $125,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- 401(k)

- Dental insurance

- Flexible schedule

- Health insurance

- Paid time off

- Tuition reimbursement

- Vision insurance

Work Location: Remote