Application Architect

Company: Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS)
Location: Washington
Posted on: January 26, 2025

Job Description:

The Application Architect is responsible for guiding the development and management of a portfolio of data solutions. This includes designing, developing, maintaining, and troubleshooting CSBS systems such as shared infrastructure, API integration, and application services. The role specializes in translating business requirements into cloud-based application and data solutions through collaboration with product support teams, IT engineers, system administrators, vendors, and consultants.
Key responsibilities include identifying and implementing data improvements to achieve business goals, maintaining application and data roadmaps, coordinating dependencies, setting priorities, conducting Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) ceremonies, managing risks, and supporting data architecture objectives.
The Application Architect will work with internal and external implementation teams to establish and drive application and data strategies, ensuring alignment with program delivery objectives and seamless project integration. This includes monitoring and collaborating with CSBS teams and technology vendors to achieve program goals while maintaining proper controls and oversight.
An effective Application Architect brings extensive experience with enterprise systems and expertise in leveraging current and emerging IT solutions to achieve business outcomes. The role requires the ability to distill complex requirements into actionable tasks, execute independently, and deliver results in a timely manner. The individual must demonstrate strong situational awareness, tact, and composure under pressure or in unpredictable situations.

Essential Duties
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned to meet business needs.

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• Evaluate business requirements for projects and programs.
  
• Coordinate activities and translate design concepts to IT operations.
  
• Support engineering staff in Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), product evaluations, and proof of concepts (POC) activities when reviewing technology alternatives.
  
• Provide expert consultation and support of full-lifecycle cloud engineering.
  
• Recommend enterprise cloud system designs based on business drivers, capabilities, and technology solutions.
  
• Provide technical leadership and advise on designs for application solutions, including design reviews, planning, and implementation.
  
• Lead staff tasked with engineering and implementation of technology solutions.
  
• Collaborate with engineering staff and cross-functional teams to identify and recommend technical direction for a multi-account, multi-region, highly available, and automated AWS infrastructure.
  
• Monitor and evaluate the current-state IT data portfolio to identify compliance issues, detect deficiencies, and recommend improvements to the architecture.
  
• Develop and adhere to technical standards, specifications, and best practices aligned with Enterprise Architecture standards for data architecture.
  
• Review and contribute to data architectural and system design documents.
  
• Participate in technical review boards to evaluate and validate data services recommendations and support the selection of software, cloud services, and other IT technologies.
  
• Direct and assist infrastructure and application development workstreams to identify and evaluate data tools that best fit requirements and achieve business outcomes.
  
• Lead architectural discussions and design exercises to build and automate large-scale data migration.
  
• Plan and design data migration processes to ensure data integrity, completeness, and security.
  
• Architect, design, and oversee the development of the database mappings for operations, reporting, and analytics.
  
• Evaluate new and current database systems based on business requirements.
  
• Ensure data integrity and security across end-to-end solutions.
  
• Design database architectures, including data lakes and lakehouses.
  
• Design data pipelines from external sources and internal data pipelines, establishing a 'single source of truth' by data domain.
  
• Use cutting edge cloud and data technologies to help federal agencies solve challenging problems through innovative technology solution.
  
• Apply DevSecOps implementation models for multi-year program development and AWS cloud implementation.
  
• Provide expert-level guidance on data architecture and AWS services.
  
  Additional Responsibilities
  
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  • Attend and host meetings to provide support in the form of targeted agendas, meeting notes, communications, and follow-up delivery.
    
  • Maintain relevant and professional knowledge via in-house training, online resources, attendance at professional events, and personal investment in continued education and certifications.
    
    
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    • Monitor and analyze industry trends and developments to identify potential risks and opportunities as they apply to the CSBS enterprise.
      
      
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      • Work closely with the program management office to ensure roadmap is achieved and all processes are followed in project planning, execution, and close-out.
        
      • Collaborate with CSBS support vendors and other stakeholders, with a focus on "one-team" mindset
        
      • Analyze and review existing processes and procedures to identify opportunities that lead to gains in efficiency and security.
        
      • Review and approve vendor deliverables and Service Level Agreements (SLA).
        
      • Other duties, as assigned.
        
        
        Minimum Qualifications
        To perform this job successfully, an individual should possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed and meet the amount of education, training and/or work experience required.
        Education
        
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        • B.S. / B.A. degree in Computer Science or equivalent required.
          
          Professional Experience
          
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          • 8+ years as an Application & Data Architect with exposure to diverse technologies and domains.
            
          • 6+ years in IT solution development across areas like architecture, network management, application development, middleware, databases, or operations.
            
          • 5+ years of experience in data engineering, SQL, ETL, and Change Data Capture (CDC) for ODS and Data Warehouses.
            
          • 5+ years of scripting/programming with Python, JavaScript, Go, etc., including API/web service integration.
            
          • Proven experience aligning application development with business needs and leading technical projects.
            
            Technical Skills
            
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            • Hands-on experience with modern data pipeline tools (e.g., AWS Glue, MicroStrategy, Pentaho, Informatica Cloud).
              
            • Expertise in cloud-native solutions, particularly in the AWS ecosystem, including system migration and maintenance.
              
            • Familiarity with web analytics, SaaS platforms, CRM, and ERP/SIS systems.
              
              Collaboration and Documentation
              
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              • Experience working with stakeholders to gather requirements, design, and validate solutions.
                
              • Proficient in strategic and emerging technology trend analysis and its application to evolving business needs.
                
              • Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams using both waterfall and agile methodologies.
                
                Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
                * Proficiency in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and Cloud-Native solutions (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) with enterprise-level implementation.
                * Expertise in data modeling tools and database platforms (e.g., PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Redshift, Snowflake).
                * Strong knowledge of DevOps practices, including CI/CD, build, testing, and release automation.
                * Analytical thinker and effective problem solver with excellent collaboration, communication, organizational, and time management skills.
                
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                • Skilled in writing technical documents, including system architecture, design specifications, and contract solicitations.
                  
                  Requirements
                  
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                  • Due to the nature of CSBS's business in support of state financial services supervision, all CSBS employees have the potential of interacting with confidential information related to the supervision of financial services companies ("Confidential Supervisory Information"). As a result, in addition to general business conflicts of interest, all CSBS employees are expected to disclose conflicts of interest in financial services companies on at least an annual basis and to proactively avoid such conflicts.
                    
                  • Protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of CSBS information and information systems in accordance with CSBS policies and procedures.
                    
                  • Must be eligible to obtain or currently possess a U.S. Government clearance at the Public Trust (NACI) moderate level or higher.
                    
                  • Must be an authorized United States citizen.
                    
                    
                    Values Instilled Behaviors for Excellence (VIBE)
                    At CSBS, work-life balance isn't just a policy; it's our VIBE! We recognize that our team members have lives that deserve attention and care. That's why we create strong, supportive relationships that help everyone grow both professionally and personally. We honor each other's expertise and speak the truth, even when it's a bit awkward. And guess what? This honesty creates a vibe of respect and trust that powers our efficiency and our excellence. It lets us chase those career goals while also nurturing our personal pursuits. At CSBS, you can thrive at work and at home-it's the best of both worlds!
                    Just like a healthy work-life, collaboration is an essential part of CSBS's mission. In fact, it is the heartbeat of everything we do! We're all about pitching in, giving props to our colleagues, and having each other's backs. This allows us to push ourselves to our maximum potential and embrace those bold risks and innovative solutions. No matter what comes our way, our commitment to communication and teamwork strengthens us. We at CSBS are on mission and on the move, tackling all challenges together!
                    
                    Core Leadership Competencies
                    Achievement Oriented Thinking
                    
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                    • Is a solutions-oriented thinker.
                      
                    • Has good time management skills.
                      
                    • Manages expectations of what is achievable.
                      
                      Change Management
                      
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                      • Actively engages and participates during change.
                        
                      • Asks questions and takes ownership for understanding why the change is happening and the risk of not changing actively.
                        
                      • Adopts the new habits, monitors own performance and checks self against the objectives and seeks help when they don't match.
                        
                      • Identifies and communicates obstacles and resistance.
                        
                        Emotional Intelligence (Self-Awareness)
                        
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                        • Manages own emotions productively to stay in role.
                          
                        • Handles emotionally charged situations productively and with empathy.
                          
                        • Asks for and openly accepts feedback; looks for opportunities to grow.
                          
                        • Conducts conversations courageously - hitting difficult issues head-on with an eye on maintaining relationships.
                          
                          
                          Working Conditions
                          
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                          • General office.
                            
                          • Occasional travel outside Washington D.C. area (1-3 days per quarter).
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            Compensation at CSBS
                            
                            At CSBS, salary offers are determined within the established range based on a candidate's experience, education, and the market demand for the role. Where appropriate, we also carefully benchmark against similar internal positions to ensure equity and consistency.
                            
                            In addition to competitive salaries, CSBS offers a comprehensive benefits package, a flexible hybrid work environment, and an inclusive culture. Learn more about our benefits, culture, and work environment by visiting CSBS Careers.
                            
                            
                            

Keywords: Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), Columbia , Application Architect, Other , Washington, Maryland