Software Applications Architect

OUR MISSION AND PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS The MENTOR Network is a mission-based organization dedicated to providing high quality services to those we serve. Therefore, to deliver on our mission, The Network expects every employee to perform his or her job first and foremost in accordance with the Company’s mission. SUMMARY The Software Applications Architect is responsible for overseeing the design, implementation, and management of software development projects. This role ensures the use of industry best practices and adheres to the company’s standards. The Software Applications Architect leads the design decisions for all application development projects, and determines the appropriate tool set to be used during the implementation of new technology. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Strategic Triage & Technical Assessment The Responsibility: Evaluate incoming business requests for technical feasibility and strategic alignment. Conduct deep-dives into legacy systems to identify risks or modernization opportunities. What Success Looks Like: Mastery of the current "tech debt" landscape and active contribution to the triage of incoming requests to ensure high-quality initial routing and scoping. Architectural Option Analysis The Responsibility: Develop a "Matrix of Options" for complex problems, rating each based on cost, scalability, security, and time-to-market. What Success Looks Like: Recognition as the "go-to" expert for producing balanced, well-documented solution options that successfully bridge the gap between "what is" and "what should be." Design Standardization & Documentation The Responsibility: Translate business requirements into comprehensive Solution Design Documents (SDDs) and maintain detailed architectural diagrams. Define, create, and iterate on standardized artifacts (ADRs, design specs, and assessment rubrics). What Success Looks Like: The introduction and adoption of new artifacts or templates that measurably improve the speed, clarity, and consistency of our design reviews. Governance & Engineering Consultation The Responsibility: Collaborate with lead architects to design and implement new intake processes. Act as a consultant to engineering teams to ensure the "as-built" solution matches the "as-designed" intent. What Success Looks Like: A transition from "ad-hoc" workflows to a structured, repeatable design lifecycle where architectural intent is maintained throughout the development process. SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES This position will provide guidance to developers during specific projects, but will not have direct management over other employees. Minimum Knowledge and Skills required by the Job The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or abilities required to perform the job. Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related fields. Experience: 7–10+ years in software engineering or systems design, with at least 2–5 years in a dedicated Architecture role. Analytical Rigor: Proven ability to weigh "Build vs. Buy vs. Reuse" scenarios and present findings to stakeholders. Technical Breadth: Strong understanding of modern architectural patterns (Microservices, Event-Driven, Cloud-Native) and legacy integration. Documentation Mastery: Expert-level skill in creating professional technical documentation and diagrams (Miro, Markdown, LucidChart, Mermaid). Process Mindset: Experience moving teams toward a structured design lifecycle. Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills Self-motivated and ability to work independently without detailed direction while managing sometimes conflicting priorities Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations: N/A Other Skills and Abilities: N/A Other Requirements: Travel as needed Physical Requirements: Sedentary work. Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT STATEMENT External and internal applicants, as well as position incumbents who become disabled, must be able to perform the essential job functions either unaided or with assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined on a case by case basis via the interactive process.