Remote Principal Solutions Architect

We are looking for a creative, detail-oriented, and multidisciplinary Principal Solutions Architect to join our growth team at Coforma.

The Principal Solutions Architect is part of a multidisciplinary growth team. Within it, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the vision and strategy of our proposals from a technical/engineering perspective to help our partners achieve better outcomes and deliver better services to the communities they serve.

In this role, you will engage with internal product teams and external stakeholders throughout the complete solicitation lifecycle, ensuring Coforma’s capabilities, values, strategies, and proposals are well-communicated and aligned with our partners’ needs and goals through clear verbal and written communication.

This role requires a blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and strong communication skills to guide our product teams and ensure the successful communication of our approach to crafting compelling and innovative digital services solutions.

If you’re passionate about improving lives through digital products and services then Coforma is a great company for you.

$170,980 to $183,340 Annual Salary + Benefits + Growth Potential

Placement within this range will be based on the competency level of the candidate. An offer will be made at one of the following tiers:

Tier 1: $170,980 — Meets minimum qualification/experience requirements. Beyond onboarding, will need additional guidance and training to perform key responsibilities of the role.

Tier 2: $177,984 — Experienced and fully-competent. Beyond onboarding, can independently perform key responsibilities of the role.

Tier 3: $183,340 — Highly-experienced and can perform all responsibilities of the role at a higher level than expected once onboarding is completed.

To honor our company-wide equitable pay system, the posted salary range and corresponding tier salaries are non-negotiable.

The job posting for this role is scheduled to close at 5:00pm PT on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. Depending on the number of applications received, the application window may close earlier than scheduled to ensure that we can thoughtfully review and respond to each submission.

The desired start date for this role is November 2024.

This is a US-based remote position open to applicants in select states listed below, with a strong preference for applicants based in the Washington, DC area. Some travel will be required.

Note: to ensure we remain compliant with all state, county, and local employment and tax regulations, applicants must currently reside in one of the following states to be considered for employment with Coforma. This list will be updated periodically as our PeopleOps team works to open up hiring in additional states.

∙ Arizona

∙ California

∙ District of Columbia

∙ Florida

∙ Georgia

∙ Idaho

∙ Illinois

∙ Maine

∙ Maryland

∙ Massachusetts

∙ Montana

∙ Nevada

∙ New Jersey

∙ New York

∙ North Carolina

∙ Oregon

∙ South Carolina

∙ Tennessee

∙ Texas

∙ Virginia

∙ Washington

∙ Wisconsin

What You’ll Do (Responsibilities)

• Conduct technical reviews of solicitation materials, documenting risks and mitigation strategies to incorporate into solutions
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders as well as colleagues across all of Coforma’s technical capabilities to understand requirements and objectives
• Contribute to the development of proposals and presentations in support of opportunities being pursued (and take part in the delivery of these to clients)
• Support product teams in all solicitation-related activities such as design and code challenges, technical presentations, oral presentations, etc.
• Design and architect end-to-end solutions that are scalable, secure, and aligned with best practices in digital services, highlighting Coforma’s unique capabilities and differentiators
• Develop technical roadmaps and provide strategic guidance to ensure alignment with organizational goals and client needs
• Lead the evaluation and selection of technology stacks, tools, and frameworks that best suit a solicitation’s stated requirements
• Ensure compliant proposals in alignment with federal government standards and regulations including security, accessibility, and data privacy
• Mentor and guide our teams (Growth, Design and Research, Engineering, Product, and Project Management) on systems thinking and solutions architecture to foster a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence through creative strategies aligned to active solicitations
• Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and industry trends and proactively identify opportunities for innovation and improvement
• Stay up-to-date and familiar with government-issued policies and guidance and how they may impact work we’re currently performing or considering as part of our solicitation lifecycle, leveraging these to support our Growth activities

Who You Are (Requirements)

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience (experience in digital services supporting federal contracts strongly preferred)
• Minimum of 4 years of experience creating and delivering demos, presentations, proposals, architecture diagrams, and products in digital modernization and technology setting
• Experience responding to federal and state requests for proposals (RFPs) and requests for information (RFIs)
• Experience working with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) and cloud-native architectures
• In-depth knowledge of web technologies, microservices, API design, and integration patterns
• Knowledge of DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code (IaC)
• Strong understanding of security principles and best practices including encryption, authentication, and authorization
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor technical teams in a collaborative, agile environment
• Experience working with Product, Design and Research, and Engineering teams as a cohesive unit and maintaining open lines of communication in a multi-disciplinary environment
• Ability to nurture relationships to help drive prioritization across multiple projects and create ecosystems of success
• Experience leading and facilitating working sessions with multidisciplinary teams to achieve creative solutions to solicitations, engage in thoughtful trade-off negotiations, and enable team members to align behind a selected strateg
• A proactive, empathetic, persistent, positive, and growth mindset
• Full-time resident of the contiguous United States (must be legally authorized to work in the US now and in the future without sponsorship)
• Applicants selected for this position may be subject to a government security clearance and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information related to the nature of some of our clients’ work

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Experience with multiple software development lifecycles and methodologies such as Scrum and Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®)
• Experience leading technical teams in code challenges
• Expertise in the delivery of digital services with both internal and external audiences from idea to implementation
• Prior professional services, local government, federal, or private consulting experience
• Familiarity with federal government standards and regulations (e.g., FedRAMP, FISMA, Section 508)
• Expertise in key modern digital services capabilities such as agile software development, human-centered design, product management, DevOps (including CI/CD), API design and implementation, microservices, etc.
• 2+ years of experience working on a remote team or remote freelancing

Other

• Internet: Will prioritize and maintain access to strong, reliable internet for the remote nature of our work, except when on vacation or holiday.
• Security: Will keep the highest security practices to ensure privacy and security of Coforma and client information given the nature of our work, even when on vacation.
• Travel Flexibility: On request and with advanced notice, will attend in-person events such as meetings, workshops, and trainings as assigned for projects that require it (up to 10-15%, with health and safety precautions being paramount).
• Brand Representation: Will represent Coforma professionally and sincerely, modeling our Company Values in all interactions.

We Don’t Care About

• Whether or not you have a degree of any kind
• Whether your educational major, if you had one, is related to this role
• Whether or not you have GitHub contributions
• Whether or not you have worked at a well-recognized company
• Whether you’re sure that you check every box

We Do Care About

• Your passions, professional or otherwise
• Your well-informed opinions about technology, teams, and processes
• You

$170,980 - $183,340 a year

The salary range for this position is $170,980 to $183,340, in line with our company-wide equitable pay scale.

Placement within this range will be based on the competency level of the candidate. An offer will be made at one of the following tiers:

Tier 1: $170,980 — Meets minimum qualification/experience requirements. Beyond onboarding, will need additional guidance and training to perform key responsibilities of the role.

Tier 2: $177,984 — Experienced and fully-competent. Beyond onboarding, can independently perform key responsibilities of the role.

Tier 3: $183,340 — Highly-experienced and can perform all responsibilities of the role at a higher level than expected once onboarding is completed.

To honor our company-wide equitable pay system, the posted salary range and corresponding tier salaries are non-negotiable.

We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Due to the nature of our work with the federal government, this role is required to work from the contiguous United States.

We’re Coforma

The stress of job searching can make you wonder if you’re enough. Studies have even shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs when they don’t meet every qualification. We believe that you ARE enough, and that it’s okay not to meet every requirement. We’re building a culture that’s authentic, inclusive, and diverse. If you’re excited to work with us but not sure you check every box, apply anyway! You may be just right for this role or another one.

About Us

We use creativity to get results for clients and the communities they serve.

We’ve honed a modern, agile, user-centered approach that elevates human needs through thoughtfully-designed systems and products.

From connecting families in crisis at the US border to improving the way governments consume COVID-19 mobility data through a more accessible and user-friendly tool, we’re dedicated to improving people’s lives through thoughtful technology products and services. Together. Our cross-functional team works closely with each other and with our government, nonprofit, and commercial partners to research, design, and build better products and services.

Coforma employs over 150 talented creators. Our leadership has decades of experience in improving government digital services from a civic service mindset, and a strong record of developing innovative technology solutions for government, enterprise, and nonprofits.

We thoughtfully integrate design into product development. We are experts in leading the design and development of products to meet business goals, build alignment, and deliver value through technically feasible and iterative design activities.

Business objectives and human beings are at the center of our work. We work very closely and collaboratively with our partners, from solicitation through to delivery, to ensure that the solution provides a high level of value to the business. Accessibility is never overlooked in our work, and our iterative approach validates the utility and delight of the final product.

Benefits

In addition to the many perks that come with our remote-first company and culture, we offer numerous benefits to eligible employees. Some of those include:

• Unlimited paid time off along with paid holidays

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage

• A 401(k) plan with an employer match

• Internet, phone, and home office stipends

• A professional development fund along with numerous growth opportunities

You can learn more on our website at https://coforma.io/careers.

Equal Opportunity & Inclusive Workplace

Coforma is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, marital status, or any other factors that are protected from employment discrimination under federal law.

We are committed to ensuring accessibility and equal opportunity and offering reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities. We adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act and all relevant federal, state, and local laws concerning disability discrimination and accommodation. To request a reasonable accommodation for the application or interview process, please email [email protected].

About Public Trust and Other Background Investigations

Due to the nature of our client and project work, most roles may require a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI), Moderate Background Investigation (MBI), Background Investigation (BI) or other relevant investigations as needed. Additional information regarding background evaluations or investigations can be found on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website (opm.gov).