Application Architect

Senior Application ArchitectStantec is looking for a Senior Application Architect that will be responsible for designing and overseeing the architecture of various software systems. The Senior Application Architect role ensures that applications (both cloud-based and on-premises) are scalable, secure, and integrated with existing systems, including our Oracle EBS ERP platform. They will work closely with our Custom Software Solutions development team, global database administrators and business stakeholders/SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to translate business requirements into technical solutions, and guide projects through to successful implementation.Key Responsibilities:Design and Architecture: Design and document the overall application architecture for projects, spanning on-premises systems and cloud platforms. Ensure architectures are scalable, reliable, and meet business requirements.Cloud & Infrastructure: Provide expertise in cloud services (such as Oracle and/or Azure) and architect cloud-based applications or migrations. Ensure all cloud solutions follow security and compliance requirements.Oracle EBS Integration: Serve as the subject matter expert on Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) within the architecture. Ensure that new and existing applications integrate seamlessly with Oracle EBS where necessary.Technical Leadership: Provide technical leadership to software development teams throughout the software development lifecycle. Lead architecture review sessions and code reviews, ensuring solutions align with the defined architecture and coding standards.Performance, Security & Compliance: Incorporate security requirements and performance considerations into all application architecture designs from the outset. The architect makes sure that applications adhere to security best practices and relevant compliance standards as required.Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization – including business Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), business analysts, project managers, and IT leadership – to understand requirements and translate business requirements into technical architecture designs.Project Involvement: Take part in planning and executing IT projects as the architecture owner. During project planning, estimate the effort and resources needed for architectural tasks and any new infrastructure. Throughout development, the Senior Application Architect monitors progress to ensure alignment with the architectural design and intervenes if refactoring is needed.Continuous Improvement: Stay updated with emerging technologies, tools, and best practices in the industry. This includes keeping current with cloud innovations, DevSecOps tools, and new Oracle EBS features or Oracle Fusion Cloud offerings.Required Qualifications & Skills:Education: Degree or diploma in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology or a related field (or equivalent professional experience). A strong foundational understanding of software development principles and SDLC is expected.Experience: Extensive experience in software development and architecture. Typically, 8+ years in software engineering/architecture covering the full software development lifecycle, with at least a couple of years in a senior application design/architecture capacity. Experience should include designing complex systems and making complex technical decisions.Oracle EBS Expertise: Proven experience working with Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) in an architectural or senior development role. Candidates should have participated in full lifecycle implementations or major upgrades of Oracle EBS and have a deep understanding of EBS modules (e.g., Financials, Project Billing and Costing, HCM etc.). Knowledge of the Oracle EBS technical stack is required – e.g. Oracle Database and PL/SQL, Oracle Forms/Reports, Workflow, and interface tools. Ability to design or review customizations, data migrations, and integrations involving EBS is essential.Cloud Architecture & Services: Strong expertise in cloud computing platforms and services. Hands-on experience in designing and deploying applications on Oracle Cloud and/or Microsoft Azure is required. This includes familiarity with cloud services such as compute, storage, databases, networking, and cloud-native design patterns.DevOps & CI/CD & Agile Practices: Embraces a DevSecOps culture for quicker and more reliable deployments – including continuous integration, continuous delivery/deployment (CI/CD), and automated testing. Also, following Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum or Kanban) to iteratively deliver architecture components and adapt to changes.Systems Integration: Strong integration skills – ability to design and implement APIs and middleware for connecting heterogeneous systems. Experience with web services (RESTful APIs, SOAP) and enterprise application integration patterns is required.Technical Proficiencies: Proficiency in programming and scripting languages relevant to the enterprise stack. This may include Python/Django, Java or C# for application development. Solid skills in SQL and working with relational databases (particularly Oracle Database and PL/SQL) are required. Comfortable working in a Linux environment. Familiarity with version control systems and build tools is also expected as part of the development toolkit.Architecture & Modelling Tools: Use of modelling tools to create architecture diagrams and documentation – e.g. Microsoft Visio, Draw.io, Lucidchart or UML design tools.Methodologies: Experience with Agile/Scrum development processes and understanding of the DevSecOps culture of collaboration between development and operations. The candidate should be comfortable working in an iterative, fast-paced project environment and ideally have been part of agile teams.Testing & Quality: Knowledge of automated testing frameworks (for unit testing, functional testing, systems integration testing, non-functional testing, security testing etc.) and performance testing tools would be helpful.Design Patterns: Utilizing Software Design Patterns (e.g. creational, structural and behavioral) appropriately to create robust, scalable and maintainable designs, emphasizing modular design, reusability, scalability and separation of concerns within the application architecture.Security by Design: Implementing security best practices at every layer of architecture. This means following principles like least privilege, defense in depth, and secure coding practices. Incorporating security reviews in the design phase, using threat modelling for new systems, and ensuring compliance with relevant standards (such as ISO 27001and other internal security policies).Performance and Reliability Engineering: Designing with performance in mind – e.g., following best practices for database indexing, caching frequently used data, and using content delivery networks (CDNs) for static content in web applications. Additionally, designing for reliability by including failover capabilities, backups, and considering Disaster Recovery (DR) plans.Documentation & Governance: Maintaining clear architectural documentation and diagrams as living artifacts. The architect ensures that as systems evolve, the documentation and repository of decisions are updated, aiding future development and knowledge transfer.Continuous Learning and Improvement: Encouraging a culture of learning within the technical team – for example, holding knowledge-sharing sessions on new technologies or post-mortems after major projects to capture lessons learned. The Senior Application Architect should lead by example, perhaps by prototyping new approaches or training the team on new design patterns or tools.Soft Skills: Excellent communication skills are essential. The Senior Application Architect must be able to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders in clear, understandable terms. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills are required to assess requirements and troubleshoot architectural issues. Leadership and interpersonal skills are critical – the Senior Application Architect should be able to lead and mentor technical teams, facilitate discussions, and drive consensus on technical decisions. They should be self-motivated and proactive in driving solutions, with a high degree of initiative (since this is a senior role that often identifies what needs to be done, rather than waiting for tasks).By championing these best practices, the Senior Application Architect will help maintain high quality software systems, reduce technical debt, and successfully navigate the complexity of modern enterprise IT.