Salary : $96,780.00 - $104,100.00 Annually
Location : Denver Metro, CO
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: QAA 05679 06.29.2026
Department: Department of Early Childhood
Opening Date: 06/29/2026
Closing Date: 7/13/2026 11:59 PM Mountain
FLSA: Determined by Position
Type of Announcement: This position is open only to Colorado state residents.
Primary Physical Work Address: 710 S. Ash Street, Denver, CO 80246
FLSA Status: Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information:
How To Apply: Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.

Business Operations, Innovation, Technology, & Security (BITS) has 4 crucial teams responsible for the entire agency technology portfolio. The 4 teams manage CDEC's information technology, infrastructure, operations, projects, & enterprise applications. BITS coordinates daily with all of CDEC, the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT), and technology service providers in support of the CDEC Mission. Our vision is to be the most tech-forward, user-centric agency in the State of Colorado by identifying, implementing, and managing solutions that are sustainable, interoperable, & secure

The Technology team is focused on managing CDEC's enterprise applications & systems. This is achieved through a balance of application management, operational support, service delivery, and continuous enhancement. The Technology team has 2 work units: Operations & Service. The Operations team is responsible for system administration and all day-to-day operations. The Service team is responsible for ticketing, triaging, troubleshooting, and the service delivery to the end user.

Technology supports the CDEC mission through the management of the primary mediums of CDEC's service delivery. These are critical applications that ultimately allow CDEC to execute its goals, outcomes, & objectives. While the individual goals are often driven by individual programs, this team holds the significant responsibility of understanding how each part of the CDEC enterprise infrastructure fits in, impacts, and influences the entire technological ecosystem. All decisions, actions, and solutions executed by the Technology team shall be sustainable, interoperable, & secure.

Technology's primary customer & end user is the recipient of the service being delivered through the enterprise solution. Their primary partners are Product, Program Delivery, & OIT. The inseparable relationship between the Technology & Product teams shall be viewed as 2 sides of the same coin. Both of these teams are primarily focused on the end user - Technology is focused on achieving the desired outcome for the end user and Product is focused on achieving the best possible experience for the end user.

Description of Job
Class Code & Class Description:
T1E4XX Information Technology IV

This is an experienced System Architect that provides high level direction & guidance to the entire DECL statewide IT software system across 5 platforms: Professional Development & Information System (PDIS) Salesforce, PDIS Cornerstone Learning Management System (LMS), Quality Rating & Improvement System (QRIS) Salesforce, Attendance Tracking System (ATS) Salesforce, & Licensing Salesforce. This position plans & develops the architecture, configuration, design, blueprint, and technical standards while working alongside the DECL System Administrators.

This position will serve a critical role of bridging business requirements from DECL Product Owners & provider-focused Product Managers into the technical implementation by the System Administrators & Customer Experience (CX) Administrators. This position is tasked with ensuring the various, complex elements of the DECL system fit together seamlessly. This is achieved by maximizing the efficiency, rationality, & interoperability of the DECL statewide software systems.

The position is expected to utilize an Agile, iterative approach to all technology operations duties across the BITS technology infrastructure. CDEC, along with its infrastructure of applications and systems, is an expansive, dynamic agency with thousands of stakeholders. To be successful, this role must have a communicative and collaborative approach to CDEC Technology that is encompassing all these inputs. While we strive to be inclusive of all stakeholders, a principle of the BITS team is that the families, children, and early childhood professionals that we serve have been, are currently, and will continue to be the primus inter pares of all stakeholders.
What you'll be doing:

• Create, define, & update system designs, blueprints, & maps. Constantly update the Current State while continuously driving towards an iterative Future State, which requires developing guidelines to implement the overall DECL structure.
• Create, manage, maintain, & share the DECL IT Software Roadmap for the system's continued evolution & rationalization. Ensure that the roadmap is always aligned with both BITS strategy & CDEC business needs to positively impact end-user experience.
• This role is responsible for the oversight of all DECL IT enhancements, operations & maintenance, projects, and technical debt management requests. The position evaluates the recommendations of the Staff Authorities in various systems (PDIS, LMS, QRIS, HRS) and determines the overall system solutions to meet business needs. These solutions impact end-users, OIT, and CDEC Product Team.
• This position will serve as a representative of both DECL & Technology Operations on the CDEC Intake Review Board - an internal governing body to provide oversight and ensure CDEC projects and initiatives are aligned with CDEC Technology (BITS, Product, & OIT) strategy, operations, and capabilities.
• Provide high-level guidance, planning, direction, coordination, and technological leadership to the Technology Unit, most especially when connecting strategy to planning to implementation and vice versa.
• Create, foster, & champion an Agile environment at all times across the entire system.
• Provide daily support to all stakeholders in driving towards an Agile environment, including: support Product Owners in backlog creation & management; support Product Managers in integrating feedback into future sprints & providing testing environments/opportunities; support Technology Service by integrating ticketing data into future planning; & support Technology Operations by helping drive towards shorter software development life cycles (SDLC) through planning, design, & strategy.
• Design Agile, iterative DECL solutions that provide achievable, sustainable, & rational outcomes between the Current State and the planned Future State.
• Consistently and continuously drive technology decisions towards long-term technological sustainability and financial sustainability and away from customization, legacy-based, quick-fix, complex solutions.
• Conduct systemic analyses of existing infrastructure and identify enhancement opportunities that prioritize simplifying, rationalizing, optimizing, and streamlining.
• Identify how to support the Technology Operations System Administrators to achieve these long-term priorities while ensuring they have the support and ability to achieve their #1 goal of Keeping Systems Operating (KSO).
• Lead & attend meetings with Product, Office of Program Delivery, & other stakeholders concerning Enhancements and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) for the DECL IT system.
• In partnership with Technology Service & Product, ensure that the UX, UI, & CX needs and priorities are represented fairly in all infrastructure decisions.
• Serve as a crucial communication pivot between the Technology Unit and OPD, Product, & other stakeholders. This will require the ability to translate in both directions - from business to technical and technical to business. This role will require the ability to translate various, non-technical input into technical requirements as well as the ability to translate clearly and understandably any technical concerns or issues raised by the Technology Unit to the non-technical stakeholders.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience Only:

• Six (6) years of relevant experience in technology and/or software roles, such as administrator, engineer, developer, or architect, that includes direct experience with a diverse population of end users. Experience must include three (3) years planning, directing, designing, & developing architecture.
• One (1) year of experience as a team leader, work lead, Senior role, System role, architect or supervisor.

Education and Experience:

• A combination of related education, formalized apprenticeship program, certification, AND experience in technology and/or software role that includes direct experience with a diverse population of end users. Experience must include three (3) years planning, directing, designing, & developing architecture.
• One (1) year of experience as a team leader, work lead, Senior role, System role, architect or supervisor.

Please note: The required experience must be substantiated within the work experience section of your application and in the supplemental questions. Your resume will not be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications; only the work experience section and supplemental questions of your application will be reviewed to determine this. "See Resume" statements on the application will not be accepted. In addition, part-time work will be prorated. Substitutions:

• Additional appropriate experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience communicating, executing, articulating, & modeling an Agile software development life cycle (SDLC).
• Salesforce Administrator and/or Salesforce Architect certification.
• Leadership experience in technology, software, & enterprise applications (e.g. Senior role, System role, Work Lead, Architect, or equivalent). Experience should include planning, directing, designing, & developing the architecture, configuration, design, blueprint, and technical standards of applications, platforms, and/or systems.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively between technology-based teams and non-technology-based teams. Direct experience of bridging business requirements from product owners & product managers, user needs by customers, and technical needs of administrators, developers, & engineers.
• Direct experience working with Technology Operations, Technology Service, Technology Development, and Product teams
• Direct experience with Salesforce and/or Cornerstone, including trainings & certifications