Location
Evanston, IL | United States
Job description
We have an exciting opportunity for a Solution Architect at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Evanston, IL office. The Solution Architect is responsible for utilizing technical expertise, business acumen, and a deep understanding of both business processes and technical architectures to ensure solutions support organizational goals. The Solution Architect is responsible for the design, development, and management of our organization’s portfolio of solutions playing a crucial role in bridging the gap between business needs and technology solutions that align with architectural standards and governance.
Underwriters Laboratories
At UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement (UL), we wake up every day with a common purpose: to make the world a safer, more secure, and sustainable place. Science is in our DNA; we are endlessly curious and passionate about seeking and speaking the truth. We take delight in knowing that our work makes a meaningful contribution to society, and we are proud that our culture is centered on integrity, collaboration, inclusion, and excellence. UL stands at the forefront of technological advancement, and we are continually challenged to find new ways to foster innovation and positive change. Satisfying? Yes. Exciting? Absolutely!
As the Solution Architect, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL Operations as you:
- Collaborate with stakeholders, business owners, and technical SMEs to understand business drivers and capabilities, challenges, and requirements to determine corresponding solution designs that can drive the organization's targeted business outcomes.
- Facilitate the evaluation, selection of software product standards and services, as well as the design of standard and custom software configurations.
- Consult with application and infrastructure development projects and guide systems and infrastructure to adopt common architecture patterns.
- Lead evaluation, design, and analysis for the implementation of a solutions architecture across a group of specific business applications or technologies based on enterprise business strategy, business capabilities, value-streams, business requirements, and enterprise standards.
- Act as a consultant on a broad range of technologies, platforms, and vendor offerings to drive targeted business outcomes.
- Create architectural designs to guide and contextualize solution development across products, services, projects, and systems. Solutions will include applications, technologies, integrations, processes, and information.
- Provide deliverables like standard definitions, reference models, and architecture designs to support architectural governance.
- Design and direct governance activities associated with ensuring solutions architecture assurance and compliance.
- Define the principles, guidelines, standards, and solution patterns to ensure solution decisions are aligned with the enterprise's future-state architecture vision.
- Monitor the solution portfolio to identify deficiencies through aging of the technologies used by the application, or misalignment with business requirements.
- Understand emerging technology trends and disruptions and their practical application to enable new and evolving business and operating models.
- Analyze the technology industry and market trends and determine their potential implications for a given solution.
- Lead and/or contribute to other department specific and cross-functional initiatives.
While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:
- Proven experience as a Solution Architect or similar role, with a track record of designing and implementing effective technical solutions across a range of platforms and technologies.
- Demonstrated experience in integrating diverse systems, APIs, and data sources, ensuring data consistency and smooth workflows across platforms.
- Strong knowledge of cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
- Demonstrated experience with modern application development methodologies, such as Agile, DevOps, and CI/CD.
- Strategic leader and builder of both vision and bridges, and able to energize the appropriate teams in the organization.
- Excellent communication skills, and ability to communicate complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders.
- Strong leadership and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver on-time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
- Strong vendor management skills, with the ability to manage relationships with multiple vendors.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly identify and resolve complex technical issues.
Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum of 8 years of experience in a Solutions Architect, systems design, or a similar role.
- Experience with custom software development, SaaS/PaaS systems (M365, Salesforce, Workday), and IaaS platforms (Azure), and automation technology is preferred.
- Mission: For UL, corporate and social responsibility isn’t new. Making the world a safer, more secure, and sustainable place has been our business model for the last 128 years and is deeply ingrained in everything we do.
- People: Ask any UL employee what they love most about working here, and you’ll almost always hear, “the people.” Going beyond what is possible is the standard at UL. We’re able to deliver the best because we employ the best.
- Interesting work: Every day is different for us here as we eagerly anticipate the next innovation that our customers create. We’re inspired to take on the challenge that will transform how people live, work and play. And as a global company, in many roles, you will get international experience working with colleagues around the world.
- Grow & achieve: We learn, work, and grow together with targeted development, reward, and recognition programs as well as our very own UL University that offers extensive training programs for employees at all stages, including a technical training track for applicable roles.
- Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Additionally, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you can work with your manager on flexible working arrangements. We also provide employees with paid time off including vacation, holiday, sick and volunteer time off.
UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.
Our wholly owned subsidiary, UL Solutions, advances our shared public safety mission. We fund our work through grants, the licensing of standards documents and the business activities of UL Solutions, which conducts testing, verification, and certification, and provides training and advisory services, along with data-driven reporting and decision-making tools for customers around the world. To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org .
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