Solutions Architect

Job Title: Solution Architect Location: Houston, TX- Hybrid Duration: Long Term Contract About VLink: Started in 2006 and headquartered in Connecticut, VLink is one of the fastest growing digital technology services and consulting companies. Since its inception, our innovative team members have been solving the most complex business, and IT challenges of our global clients Position Description: Make an impact like never before. We're growing rapidly and are looking for a Solution Architect responsible for delivering high-quality solution architecture for business projects, programs, and products. This role ensures that IT solutions are fit for purpose, align with the company's technology direction, and maintain technical integrity and optimal total cost of ownership (TCO) throughout their lifecycle. The effectiveness of these solutions is measured by stakeholder satisfaction and their successful deployment in production.We're a close-knit team that has access to global resources. You'll have the opportunity to explore a wide range of industries, technologies, and geographies, all while enjoying the personal touch that our local operating approach offers. This position is located in our Houston, Texas office with work performed at client site in Houston, TX however, a hybrid working model is acceptable. we are seeking a skilled and seasoned Solution Architect to enhance automation and fully harness data and innovation. As a Solution Architect, you'll be a key technical leader providing end-to-end architecture development, consultancy, and assurance across projects, ensuring that applications are well-designed and aligned with Shell's standards and reference architecture. Key responsibilities include: 1. Architecture and Technical Leadership. Provide strong leadership skills, including fostering collaboration, driving consensus, and effectively communicating complex technical concepts.. Not only lead in your area of expertise but also play a key role in shaping and transforming the role itself—identifying opportunities, driving innovation, and delivering impact that extends beyond the initial remit. As the organization grows, your role is expected to evolve, offering continuous opportunities for development, influence, and leadership.. Serve as the primary contact for architectural aspects of IT projects.. Integrate business process, data, application, technical, and information security dimensions into cohesive IT solutions.. Ensure solution architectures are documented using standard templates and tooling complying with Shell's architectural standards.. Guide detailed designers and business analysts during the design phase.. Review and formally approve detailed solution designs.. Support Lead Architect and participate in Architecture Review Board sessions as required. 2. Reference Model Stewardship. Actively contribute to the documentation, enhancement, and maintenance of Reference Models in BizzDesign or any other standard tooling.. Elevate project deliverables to conceptual and logical architecture levels. 3. Technology Foresight. Monitor emerging IT technologies and apply this insight to design future-ready solutions. Engage with stakeholders to address architectural concerns and drive strategic improvements. What We Need from you. Industry Knowledge:. Knowledge of the end-to-end Trading Business from deal inception through to settlement. Technical Architecture & Design: 10+ years in software and architecture delivery. Own and drive technical architecture, design, and standards for software products in Commodities Trading. Confidently lead architecture decisions across portfolios, managing divergent opinions. Create pragmatic, implementable technical designs balancing risk, complexity, cost, and value. TOGAF (or similar framework) experience and Enterprise Architecture tooling. Collaboration & Communication: Collaborate with business and IT stakeholders for strategic and day-to-day technical decisions. Strong communication and collaboration skills with 5+ years' experience in trading environments. Listen to and interpret needs of technical and business stakeholders, manage expectations, and facilitate discussions. Be an active participant in the wider Tech Lead and engineering communities. Problem Solving & Innovation: Technical Skills and Mastery Desirable Technologies & Programming Languages: Expert in one or more of the programming languages (Node.js, .Net, .Net Core, Python etc) with Cloud Native Platform Development (Azure/AWS). Expert in one or more of the front-end development technologies (specifically React and Micro frontend). Expert in one or more of Data Development (SQL Databases, No SQL, Cloud Datastores etc) technologies. Exposure to OpenLink Endur, SAP HANA, Salesforce, API management, Multifactor authentication. Azure Platform & Cloud Native: Hands-on experience in architecting applications into the Azure platform, including migrations/re-platforming of legacy on-premise systems. Engineering and architecture experience in designing and building containers, Microservices, Cloud Native applications, and federated Data platforms (Data Mesh).. Data Architecture, Data Management & Diverse Data Types: 3+ Years experience in Data Architecture including Logical data models and designing solutions using data platforms and medallion architecture. Strong knowledge of data management: engineering, pipeline development, warehousing, storage, lifecycle management, privacy, security. Experience with diverse data types: big data, high velocity streaming, IoT, low latency event triggers, longitudinal time series Proficient in SQL and NoSQL databases.. Azure Services & Integration: Significant experience with Azure Functions, Web Apps, distributed/event-driven architecture (event hub, event bus, Kafka), ELK.. Intermediate to advanced exposure to Azure Active Directory, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake, Azure Storage, Azure Kubernetes Service, CosmosDB, Azure SQL.. Integration experience with Confluent/Kafka, API Management, Logic Apps.. CI/CD & DevOps: 5+ years in CI/CD delivery using Git/GitHub, VSTS/Azure DevOps, Terraform, Ansible.