Solutions Architect (9976) - Department of Technology

Job Description

The Department of Technology – Enterprise Applications division seeks a Solutions Architect , a senior technical leader responsible for guiding the City’s technical strategy, integration architecture, and system interoperability for City systems.

This role focuses on ensuring that data flows consistently across all systems, establishing an integration architecture that enables work seamlessly with critical City systems. The Architect will define enterprise standards, lead architectural decision-making, and work closely with City departments and DT to ensure citywide alignment on data governance, API standards, and system modernization roadmaps.

Appointment Type: Full‑time, Temporary Exempt (TEX)

Work Location: Incumbent will conduct most of the work at the Department of Technology, 1 South Van Ness, as well as 49 South Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94103. The position may require work at other City sites as necessary.

Nature of Work: This hybrid role requires on‑site work at our San Francisco office as needed while supporting a full‑time schedule.

Essential Duties

• Provide strategic leadership for integration and system architecture, ensuring consistent data exchange and interoperability across departments.
• Lead architectural decision‑making for connecting platforms with City systems, including legacy platforms and City infrastructure (API gateway, cloud, and data platforms).
• Establish and maintain enterprise architecture standards covering integrations, data exchange, identity, document management, and API design.
• Design, prototype, build, and maintain applications, integrations, and intelligent (AI‑enabled) solutions across the technology stack.
• Define the integration layer that decouples City systems and user interfaces from platform‑specific logic, ensuring long‑term flexibility.
• Ensure alignment with citywide strategies for cloud, cybersecurity, privacy, and digital transformation.
• Architect the system landscape including data synchronization, workflow coordination, data pipelines, document management, and API/event‑driven integrations.
• Occasionally perform technical prototyping, configuration, or proof‑of‑concept work to validate integration approaches or architectural assumptions.
• Guide implementation partners and vendors to ensure architecture compliance and long‑term sustainability.
• Advise on configuration tradeoffs to minimize customizations and technical debt.
• Evaluate emerging AI capabilities, including autonomous/agent‑based pilots, for alignment with organizational needs.
• Define operational standards for integrations, including monitoring, performance, security, and lifecycle management.
• Collaborate with DT engineering and operations to ensure long‑term platform readiness and support.
• Partner with IT leadership and business owners to ensure solutions align with redesigned workflows and data governance needs.
• Act as a liaison across City departments to ensure technical consistency and alignment.

Qualifications

Education: Possession of an associate’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units ([i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in Computer Science, Engineering or a closely‑related field]).

Experience: Five (5) years of experience in enterprise architecture, solution design, or technical leadership roles.

Substitution: Additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree on a year‑for‑year basis (up to a maximum of two (2) years). One (1) year is equivalent to thirty (30) semester units or forty‑five (45) quarter units with a minimum of 10 semester / 15 quarter units in one of the fields above or a closely related field.

Desirable Qualifications

• Strong background in integration architecture, API strategy, middleware, and systems interoperability.
• Experience with SaaS case management systems or similar technology platforms.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) and modern integration approaches.
• Experience with enterprise data platforms (Snowflake, Power BI) and data governance frameworks.
• Knowledge of San Francisco’s landscape or municipal operations is a plus.
• Certifications such as TOGAF or cloud architecture credentials preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to guide technical decision‑making and influence diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience working in complex, large‑scale enterprise or government environments.

Benefits

• Competitive pay, benefits, and retirement options.
• Career growth opportunities through training, internal mobility, and subsidized education.
• Diverse work environment in a diverse city.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Office of the City Administrator is committed to ensuring that the City’s services are inclusive, efficient, equitable, and culturally competent for San Franciscans of all races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, and sexual orientations. This commitment requires comprehensive review and thorough analysis of existing practices and policies to remove barriers to real inclusion. We are also committed to ensuring that we have a safe, equitable, and inclusive workplace for individuals of all races. This includes creating opportunities for hiring, promotion, training, and development, for all employees, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.