Sr. Enterprise IT Architect

About Underline

At Underline, we are driven by a singular mission: to ensure the vibrancy of our nation through building intelligent community infrastructure. We work with communities across the United States to design, finance, construct, and operate open access community fiber networks. These networks are the essential foundation for ultra-fast access to information, a competitive market for content and services, job formation and reskilling for workers, distributed healthcare services, new wireless solutions, and resilient modern infrastructure including responsible energy creation.

About the Role

We are seeking a strategic and innovative Enterprise IT Architect to lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-wide IT architecture. This role involves aligning IT strategies with business objectives to ensure scalable, secure, and efficient technology systems. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background, excellent problem-solving skills, and a vision for driving digital transformation within the organization.

Join us as we help support the vitality and resilience of communities.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning:

• Develop and maintain the enterprise IT architecture framework to align with organizational goals.
• Partner with stakeholders to understand business needs and define technology strategies to meet them to include both technical and ROI targets.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and trends to incorporate innovative solutions.

Solution Design & Implementation:

• Design high-level, scalable IT architectures that integrate seamlessly with existing systems and processes.
• Provide architectural oversight for the implementation of complex IT projects.
• Ensure solutions meet non-functional requirements such as performance, scalability, security, and reliability.
• Produce visual and text documentation of designs and implementations.

Governance & Standards:

• Establish and enforce IT standards, best practices, and guidelines across the organization.
• Monitor compliance with architectural principles, industry regulations, and organizational policies.
• Conduct regular reviews and updates of the architecture to maintain relevance and effectiveness.

Collaboration & Leadership:

• Serve as a technical advisor to senior leadership, project managers, and cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with development teams, vendors, and partners to ensure successful delivery of IT solutions.
• Mentor and guide IT staff in understanding and applying enterprise architecture principles.

Risk Management & Security:

• Identify potential risks in IT infrastructure and propose mitigation strategies.
• Ensure IT architecture incorporates robust security measures to protect data and systems.
• Support disaster recovery and business continuity planning efforts.
• Partner with security officer to identify security updates and conduct audits for compliance certifications.

Does This Sound Like You?

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Strategic mindset with attention to detail.

Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• 8 years of experience in IT architecture, systems design, or related roles.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale IT transformations and enterprise architecture initiatives.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman, or similar).
• Expertise in cloud technologies (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and hybrid architectures.
• Proficiency with architecture diagramming tools
• Strong understanding of networking, databases, application development, and integration technologies (APIs, microservices).
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

Bonus Points

• Computer programming background a strong plus.
• Certifications such as AWS Solution Architecture and/or TOGAF.
• Background in Agile/Scrum environments.