HYBRID WORK OPPORTUNITY:
The employee in this position currently has the opportunity to work from home as much as 90% of the time. There is a requirement that the employee be in the office at least once every two weeks and the remote work location must be in the State of Maine.

ABOUT THE JOB DETAILS: 
The Agency Application Architect will play a key role in communication and facilitation between Program Partners, Vendors, DAFS IT Procurement, and the Office of Information Technology.  This position will primarily support MaineIT’s Vendor Management Team.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• You will be a member of a highly productive technical team working closely with program partners to ensure effective and secure technical solutions for business problems.  
• You will have the opportunity to work in a small, independent, and flexible team environment.
• You will help resolve technical issues to provide system functionality and data integration.
• You will experience new and different challenges on an ongoing basis.
• You will have opportunities for training and career development.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Enterprise Architecture design and Governance-

• Provide architectural design leadership, governance, and technology oversight for the assigned agency's application portfolio by establishing and monitoring architectural compliance throughout the solution lifecycle, ensuring technology investments align with Enterprise Architecture principles, statewide technology standards, and long-term modernization strategy.
• Lead and govern the architectural design of new initiatives, major enhancements, and technology changes to ensure compliance with Enterprise Architecture principles, statewide technology standards, review reference architectures, and security requirements.
• Govern the agency's application portfolio by assessing technology health, identifying modernization opportunities, reducing technical debt, and recommending strategic technology investments that support both agency and enterprise priorities.
• Promote the adoption of enterprise platforms, shared services, reusable architecture patterns, and standard technologies to improve interoperability, reduce duplication, and increase long-term sustainability across State government.
• Establish and monitor architectural governance throughout the solution lifecycle, ensuring technology implementations remain aligned with approved standards, governance processes, and enterprise objectives.
• Develop and maintain the architectural vision, application portfolio strategy, and technology roadmaps that guide modernization efforts, vendor implementations, lifecycle planning, and long-term architectural evolution.

Technology Strategy & Portfolio Management-

• Guide technology lifecycle planning, including modernization, platform rationalization, technology obsolescence, and adoption of enterprise capabilities and shared services.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, industry trends, and architectural patterns to inform enterprise technology strategy and agency modernization initiatives.
• Conduct research, technical analysis, and architectural assessments to support technology planning, strategic investment decisions, and enterprise architecture recommendations.

Vendor Technology Oversight & Contract Governance-

• Serve as MaineIT's lead architectural advisor and technical authority for vendor-delivered technology solutions, providing architectural design oversight, governance, and technical leadership throughout the solution lifecycle to ensure compliance with Enterprise Architecture principles, statewide technology standards, security requirements, and contractual obligations.
• Review and evaluate vendor architecture proposals, technical designs, implementation plans, documentation, and deliverables to validate alignment with approved architectures, integration strategies, and enterprise technology standards.
• Monitor vendor technical performance to ensure solutions meet contractual requirements, architectural commitments, quality standards, service expectations, implementation milestones, and operational support obligations.
• Validate that vendor-delivered products and services satisfy contractual technical requirements, architectural standards, acceptance criteria, and compliance obligations prior to implementation and production deployment.
• Provide architectural design guidance and governance to vendors throughout project execution, proactively identifying and resolving architectural issues, reducing technical risk, and preventing recurring technology deficiencies.
• Provide architectural expertise in support of technology procurements, contract development, negotiations, amendments, renewals, and statements of work by developing and reviewing architectural requirements, technical specifications, performance measures, acceptance criteria, and compliance provisions. Evaluate vendor technical proposals, solution demonstrations, and contract language to ensure procurements clearly define technology standards, security requirements, integration expectations, deliverables, support obligations, and architectural compliance necessary to protect MaineIT's interests and hold vendors accountable throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Collaborate with project managers, procurement staff, contract managers, agency leadership, and legal stakeholders to evaluate technology deliverables, support vendor accountability, and resolve complex technical and contractual issues.

Enterprise Collaboration & Technical Leadership-

• Collaborate with Enterprise Architects, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Data, Digital Services, and other MaineIT service teams to ensure agency technology initiatives align with enterprise strategy, architecture principles, and statewide technology direction.
• Partner with agency leadership to translate business objectives into an architectural vision and sustainable technology solutions that leverage enterprise capabilities and shared services.
• Provide architectural design leadership in resolving complex application, integration, and vendor-related technology issues while preserving enterprise architecture integrity and long-term maintainability.
• Serve as MaineIT's trusted architectural advisor to assigned agencies, fostering collaboration, informed technology decision-making, and alignment between agency priorities and enterprise objectives.
• Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance to agency technical staff, project teams, and vendor partners to ensure implementation activities remain aligned with the approved architectural vision, enterprise standards, and long-term technology strategy.

Risk Management & Continuous Improvement-

• Identify, assess, and communicate architectural, integration, security, operational, and technology risks, recommending mitigation strategies that improve resiliency, maintainability, supportability, and operational sustainability.
• Monitor architectural compliance and technology health across the application portfolio, recommending corrective actions and continuous improvements to address technical debt, operational risk, and evolving business needs.
• Recommend improvements to enterprise architecture standards, governance processes, reference architecture, technology policies, and best practices based on lessons learned, emerging technologies, and agency needs.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Enterprise Architecture principles, governance frameworks, technology lifecycle management, and application portfolio management.
• State Government business functions, technology ecosystems, shared services, agency missions, and operational needs.
• Enterprise application architecture design principles, systems integration, data architecture, cloud technologies, interoperability standards, operating systems, and software platforms.
• System design principles, software architecture, enterprise-class programming languages, development frameworks, and technology selection criteria sufficient to evaluate the appropriateness, sustainability, and supportability of vendor-proposed solutions.
• Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodologies, software engineering best practices, DevSecOps principles, testing strategies, documentation standards, and quality assurance practices sufficient to assess vendor compliance and delivery quality.
• Information security principles, cybersecurity frameworks, privacy requirements, and secure system design.
• Technology procurement practices, vendor management, contract administration, and methods for developing and evaluating technical requirements, architectural standards, service level expectations, acceptance criteria, and contractual compliance.
• Industry technology standards, architectural patterns, emerging technologies, and modernization strategies.
• Enterprise Architecture documentation, reference architectures, architectural review processes, and technology governance best practices.
• Provide enterprise architectural design leadership, governance and technology oversight for complex application portfolios and strategic technology initiatives.
• Evaluate technology solutions, architectural designs, software implementations, and vendor deliverables for compliance with Enterprise Architecture principles, statewide technology standards, security requirements, software engineering best practices, and contractual obligations.
• Assess the suitability of proposed technologies, programming languages, development frameworks, integration approaches, and implementation methodologies to ensure they support enterprise objectives and long-term operational sustainability.
• Develop technology strategies, modernization roadmaps, and architectural recommendations that support agency business objectives and enterprise priorities.
• Conduct complex technical research, architecture assessments, technology evaluations, and risk analyses to support strategic decision-making.
• Develop, interpret, and review technical requirements, architectural standards, procurement documents, statements of work, contract language, performance measures, and acceptance criteria to ensure vendor accountability and alignment with MaineIT standards.
• Build collaborative relationships with agency leadership, Enterprise Architects, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Procurement, Legal, project teams, and vendor partners.
• Communicate complex architectural concepts, technology risks, governance decisions, and strategic recommendations effectively to both technical and executive audiences.
• Influence technology decisions, negotiate technical solutions, and build consensus among diverse stakeholders while balancing enterprise and agency priorities.
• Identify and mitigate architectural, operational, security, contractual, and technology risks through sound governance and strategic planning.
• Lead cross-functional architectural reviews and governance activities while serving as MaineIT's trusted architectural advisor to assigned agencies.