The Solution Engineer exists as a senior technology solutions leader, providing forward-looking recommendations for applications solutions and development across a broad scope of responsibility. The position provides guidance to agency leadership, OIT senior managers and senior developers on technical solutions to customer requests, best practices and Enterprise standards for operational support and maintenance.
The Solution Engineer will work within a Shared Service and be expected to regularly work across portfolios and at the enterprise level. The Solution Engineer will provide Subject Matter Expertise for a range of technologies, and may have primary focus toward a specific technology platform. This senior-level position provides decision-makers with innovative technology solutions, and is capable of consulting with development teams in the actual delivery of such solutions. This position works across the enterprise with Executive Leadership, Chief Technology Office, Chief Customer Office, Finance, Human Resources and Business customers to ensure that proposed solutions align across services, and are consistent with agency and OIT strategies.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Solution Engineering
The Solution Engineer will work within a Shared Service and be expected to regularly work across portfolios and at the enterprise level. The Solution Engineer will provide Subject Matter Expertise for a range of technologies, and may have primary focus toward a specific technology platform. This senior-level position provides decision-makers with innovative technology solutions, and is capable of consulting with development teams in the actual delivery of such solutions. This position works across the enterprise with Executive Leadership, Chief Technology Office, Chief Customer Office, Finance, Human Resources and Business customers to ensure that proposed solutions align across services, and are consistent with agency and OIT strategies.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Solution Engineering
- Interpret business, technical, security, regulatory, and architectural requirements in researching and recommending solutions.
- Perform a wide range of highly technical advisory duties associated with the design, implementation and support of technical solutions
- Provide technology leadership by researching, recommending, architecting, prototyping, documenting, and assisting in evaluating and confirming implementation of technical solutions for identified business issues, whether purchased (COTS) or developed (Customized)
- Develop high-level estimates of the team work effort needed to deliver application solutions based on the project specifications provided
- Review the accuracy of the release notes and technical documentation through collaboration with the Applications Development and Quality Assurance teams
Support IT innovation in the Enterprise
- Pursue the development and testing of innovative solutions and organize work efforts and resources needed to prototype or pilot them
- Maintain currency in technologies and trends through research, study, and collaboration across OIT Technical portfolios. Assure professional development is aligned with OIT Strategic Plans, and is reflected and actively maintained via Individual Development Plans
- Maintain awareness of current and future work efforts in respective portfolios and across the enterprise, and identify opportunities for implementing innovative solutions
- Research and recommend solutions that meet the requirements of the customers and align with annual agency work plans, OIT's enterprise strategy, and the OIT Playbook
- Track initiatives, evaluate the effectiveness of the planned solutions, and recommend alternative solutions when needed
- Communicate and collaborate across a matrix management environment with agency leaders, OIT leadership and project managers; understand lines of authority and follow protocol to engage other resources when needed
- Demonstrate the benefits (increased operational efficiencies, decreased costs, etc.) of a solution to an agency unit
- Collaborate with OIT internal operations teams to consider the implications (to infrastructure, security, etc.) of introducing solutions
- Understand advanced data migration techniques
- Understand the enterprise perspective of OIT operations across the supported agencies
- Consider and investigate mobile technologies as potential within recommended solutions
Lifecycle Management Security and Sustainability
- In coordination with the Chief Customer Office, ensure all new technology projects and initiatives align with and support agency Five-Year IT roadmaps
- In coordination with the Enterprise Architecture office and Enterprise Application teams, ensure all application portfolios are actively maintained and accurately reflected in the Application Portfolio Management System (APMS).
- Review consult and support development and maintenance of Application Lifecycle Management documents including Sustainability plans, System Security Plans, Disaster Recovery and other relevant documents
- In coordination with CISO-Security Architecture unit, provide support as relevant for Software Coding Assurance Tool (SCAT)-reviewed development, and remediation support as appropriate for vulnerability assessments
- In coordination with CISO-Risk & Compliance unit, provide guidance and support to the Customer Care Office and Application Services teams in response to audit requests and findings
- Provide guidance and support for implementation and maintenance of SDLC standards and practices
- Provide technical advice and support as needed to Application Rationalization efforts in coordination with the Enterprise Architecture and Phoenix project teams
Additional Duties As Assigned
- Perform all other duties as assigned
Expected Outcomes:
- Leverage OIT Cloud Platforms (Google/SalesForce/Perceptive) for new solution architectures recommended in response to customer requests. All new requests to consider OIT cloud platforms and inclusion of mobile access as a solution option
- Integrate security best practices into IT and business processes. Identify potential security risks in current application development processes and recommend remediation. Drive greater than 90% first-pass resolution of security related issues
- Provide leadership in support of emerging best practices and standards as identified and published by the OIT Enterprise Applications portfolio, Enterprise Architecture team and the Chief Customer Office. Provide technical representation for EA Solutions Design in 80% of requested meetings and portfolio interactions
- Ongoing development of technology, platform and ecosystem knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to effectively support identification and recommendation of enterprise solutions. Minimum 10% of work effort focused on KSAs development that will enhance the promotion, adoption and support of enterprise standard technologies
Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
Minimum Job Requirements:- 6 years of hands-on programming experience in applications development, which include C# .NET, Java, or other relevant software stack, and with at least 2 of those as a senior developer or team lead for an applications development group or other IT experience directly relevant to the role.
- Education and Training:
- Undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university in information technology, computer science, or related fields. (Relevant work experience may be substituted for education at the hiring manager's discretion.)
- 2 years additional direct experience for Associates degree; directly applicable certifications at the appropriate level may also be considered
- Preferred Qualifications:
- In addition to the minimum requirements, the successful candidate in this position will have the following knowledge and/or experience: Relevant technical certifications or accreditations; experience with efforts migrating legacy applications to cloud solutions; documented technology and data governance experience. Amazon Web Service or Google Cloud experience preferred.
- Functional/Technical Knowledge & Skills:
- Documented proficiency working on development platforms, using multiple programming languages. (Provided via copies of performance evaluations, letters of reference, etc.)
- Documented proficiency demonstrating leadership and mentoring teams across the software development life cycle. (Provided via copies of performance evaluations, letters of reference, etc.)
- Familiarity with delivering application prototypes and pilots in various project methodologies such as Agile, Kanban, Waterfall, Spiral, etc.
- Documented proficiency demonstrating leadership and mentoring teams across the SLDC. (Provided via copies of performance evaluations, letters of reference, etc.)
- Role Based Competencies:
Teamwork- Understand role within the Solution Design team, complete assigned deliverables on schedule, and support Solution Design and Enterprise Applications team members with time and expertise where needed.
- Work with a geographically dispersed and highly skilled team
- Analytical Thinking
- Use provided requirements to interpret business needs and recommend acquisition or development of technical solutions accordingly
- Apply deductive reasoning to technical issues to determine root cause and recommend and perform a methodical process to fix them
- Attention to Detail
- Complete all work with firm adherence to policies, procedures and established best practices and in accordance with industry standards wherever possible
- Subject all efforts to careful scrutiny to ensure the integrity of own work as well as project deliverables
- Adaptability
- Become knowledgable abou tnew initiatives and tools being adopted by OIT.
- Demonstrate adaptability to different work areas, assignments and peers, according to management direction
- Respond positively to changes in department processes, initiatives, and tools to help ensure a smooth transition from current state to future state, and assist other team members in adapting to these changes when needed
