Do you have a passion for children and education? Would you like to positively impact families in need of help? We want to speak with you!
Step Up For Students empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children.
Step Up For Students empowers families to pursue the most appropriate learning options for their children. We unite communities to provide scholarships that open doors to a stronger future. With this support, students can choose the right learning environment and access resources to reach their full potential.
Our culture is rooted in two core values:
Everyone is an asset
Every event is an improvement opportunity
These values guide how we work together and continuously improve. We expect every team member to bring these principles to life in their daily work.
The Enterprise Architect is a strategic, hands-on technology leader responsible for driving enterprise-wide architectural excellence and accelerating modernization across the organization. Serving as a cross-domain authority, this role complements and enhances the work of specialist architects in Cloud Infrastructure, Data, Solutions, and Business Architecture, ensuring alignment across technology domains and the delivery of cohesive, scalable enterprise solutions.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Architecture and operating as a peer to domain architects, the Enterprise Architect combines broad enterprise vision with deep technical expertise. The role bridges architectural disciplines, enabling the design of integrated, composable solutions while providing additional technical leadership and execution capacity where needed. Leading by example, the Enterprise Architect develops proof-of-concepts, reference architectures, reusable design patterns, and strategic technology roadmaps that elevate architectural standards and engineering outcomes across IT.
A primary focus of the role is enterprise modernization, driving the adoption of cloud-native, composable, and platform-oriented architectures that enhance scalability, resilience, extensibility, and operational efficiency. The Enterprise Architect plays a key role in architectural governance, technology strategy, and solution assurance, ensuring that investments align with business objectives and industry best practices. Acting as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert to production engineering and technology leadership, this position serves as a catalyst for innovation, technical excellence, and long-term enterprise transformation.
Location: Remote (United States)
Key Responsibilities:
Supporting the Infrastructure Architect, design and evolve Azure infrastructure across our footprint (Azure Functions, API Management, Service Bus, SQL Managed Instance, Cosmos DB,
Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Entra ID, Power BI, and emerging AKS), emphasizing scalability, resilience, cost, IaC, and security.
Champion cloud-native, composable design — event-driven and API-first patterns, containerization/orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code — and produce reference architectures for integration, messaging, identity, observability, and environment topology.
Support data governance, lineage, and master data management practices as the data lakehouse foundation mature.
Partner with the Data Architect and data delivery team to stand up the foundational data lakehouse on Microsoft Fabric/Databricks/Snowflake, contributing patterns for ingestion, storage, modeling, and BI/analytics enablement (Power BI).
Apply modern integration patterns (APIs, event-driven services, microservices) where they advance the composable target state and support the Solution Architect with cross-domain designs, POCs, Data Contracts, and AI-assisted documentation.
Curate and clarify business and technical requirements, model business/system processes (e.g., BPMN), contribute to capability mapping, and facilitate Joint Application Design (JAD) sessions when needed.
Contribute, as a peer, to cross-domain architecture governance — shared standards, patterns, and guardrails — and act as a subject-matter expert helping delivery teams (employees and contractors) correctly apply established designs.
Evaluate and enable AI capabilities, including agentic AI and AI-assisted development, favoring enterprise-governed, self-hosted platforms.
Provide hands-on design and prototyping (POCs, infrastructure-as-code, reference implementations), perform SWOT/trade-off analyses, and partner with vendors to evaluate and integrate capabilities; sustained production feature development is not the primary expectation.
Design solutions that protect sensitive family, student, and financial data and meet security and compliance requirements, and articulate complex concepts clearly to technical and business audiences.
Qualifications:
Demonstrated success and a proven track record in professional/life experience in specific job functions, projects, or industries. Military service can substitute for professional experience and/or formal education requirements.
12+ years in technology roles with depth in at least two architecture domains (cloud infrastructure, data, solution/integration, or business/process) and a record of delivering scalable, production-grade solutions; 5+ years in a lead or senior architectural role influencing design across teams through expertise rather than authority.
Hands-on Azure architecture experience across services such as Azure Functions, API Management, Service Bus, SQL Managed Instance, Cosmos DB, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Entra ID, and Power BI (AKS a plus).
Working knowledge of data architecture (modeling, pipelines, lakehouse/warehouse) and cloudnative, composable patterns (API-first, event-driven, microservices, infrastructure-as-code).
Experience curating requirements and modeling business/system processes (e.g., BPMN) and facilitating cross-functional design sessions.
Demonstrated success and a proven track record in professional/life experience in specific job functions, projects, or industries, and military service can substitute for the formal education requirements.
You’ll Stand Out If You Have:
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or a related technical field, or 10 years of equivalent experience; military service may substitute for experience and/or education.
TOGAF, ITIL, or equivalent architecture certifications, plus Azure certifications such as AZ-305 and a data certification (e.g., DP-600 or DP-203).
Proficiency in AI enablement, agentic AI, or AI-assisted coding — preferably on an enterprise governed, self-hosted platform such as Azure AI Foundry.
Breadth across multiple architecture disciplines and experience modernizing legacy solutions toward composable, cloud-native architectures.
Key Competencies:
Breadth and adaptability across cloud, data, solution, and business-process domains, with the ability to ramp quickly in unfamiliar areas.
Collaborative, peer-based influence — building and stewarding shared standards without positional authority.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with both business and technical audiences, and a consultative mindset bridging feasibility with business needs.
Commitment to an inclusive, team-based environment and a track record of innovative delivery.
Interview Process:
Veriff Identity Verification
Recruiter Video Interview
Video Interview with Chief Information Officer
Video Interview with Director, IT Operations & Infrastructure
Why you’ll love working here:
Award-Winning Culture:
We’ve been named one of the Best Companies to Work For four years in a row by Florida Trend and Workforce Research Group and honored as one of the Healthiest Companies by Florida’s First Coast Worksite Wellness Council. Fast Company recognized us as one of the Best Workplaces for Innovators—proof that we foster an environment where big ideas and bold thinking are encouraged.
Comprehensive Benefits:
Enjoy medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus HSA, FSA, and Lifestyle Spending Accounts. We also offer a competitive 401(k) with company match to help you plan for the future.
Flexibility & Work-Life Harmony:
Remote work options and unique time-off programs—including 14 paid holidays, Care and Parental Leave, and our Flexible Leave policy.
Growth & Development:
From mentorship programs to management training and professional development opportunities, we invest in your career journey every step of the way.
Supportive Professional Environment:
Our dedicated coaching team is here to help you succeed, and employee-led committees give you a voice in shaping our workplace. Collaboration isn’t just encouraged, it’s how we work.
Working Conditions and Equipment Use:
Work is performed indoors in a typical office environment - not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.
Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance may be required, depending on role responsibilities.
Must be able to lift up to fifteen (15) pounds.
Frequent use of office machines to include telephone, computer, and printer.
Step Up For Students is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity & inclusion in the workplace.