APPLICATION ARCHITECT

Other Requirements:

Job Overview:

Work Activities:

1. Researches and evaluates current and emerging technologies.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: 

1. Troubleshoots application problems by working with appropriate teams to diagnose and recommend solutions.

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: 

1. Ensures the software capacity can handle the number of possible users of the system.

Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People:

1. Provides guidance to development team to insure consistent look and feel of components, utilization of implementation patterns, and consistent use of tools. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is software than for an individual whose focus is hardware.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards:

1. Works with application team to insure the compliance of security policies and standards in the application design. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is software than for an individual whose focus is hardware.
2. Defines change management procedures for an application.
3. Ensures the testing methodology properly tests all components of an application.

Developing Objectives and Strategies:

1. Makes recommendation for improvement if current capacity of any of the application components proves to be inadequate.
2. Develops programming and development standards, policies, and procedures for use within the application. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is software than for an individual whose focus is hardware.
3. Works with vendors to identify products which could provide potential solutions to business needs.

Scheduling Work and Activities:

1. Plans the application development and deployment strategy and timeline which can include proof of concept, pilot, conversion, upgrade, and rollout.

Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment:

1. Works with infrastructure specialists such as network, systems, and database and security personnel to insure proper planning, implementation, and operations of an application. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is hardware than for an individual whose focus is software.
2. Designs, documents, and deploys software on servers as needed, collaborating with other technical individuals when necessary. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is hardware than for an individual whose focus is software.
3. Designs the necessary environments (development, test, UAT, etc.) for support of an application.
4. Diagrams the design of an application, (i.e., physical, software, network, communication, data flow, and security).
5. Participates in developing and reviewing Requests for Information and Requests for Proposals for new systems.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others:

1. Facilitates an understanding of the technical recommendations and communicates design rationale to project team members.
2. Provides expert problem solving and technical judgment.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates:

1. Presents recommendations and technical information to staff with varied level of technical knowledge and/or upper management.
2. Interacts with project managers, business analysts, functional experts, or other key personnel to understand and validate user requirements and insure the application design meets the requirements. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is software than for an individual whose focus is hardware.

Communicating with Persons outside the Organization:

1. Communicates with external entities to research software or product implementation to gather information.

Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others:

1. Defines and negotiates Service Level Agreements.

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others:

1. Works with application manager or lead personnel to insure the application code follows best practices and standards and appropriately utilizes framework or other application components. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is software than for an individual whose focus is hardware.

Training and Teaching Others:

1. Identifies technical skill gaps and makes recommendations of appropriate training required to support the application.

Provide Consultation and Advice to Others:

1. Provides expertise in defining techniques and protocols for system integration.
2. Recommends development languages, administrative tool sets, and frameworks to be used within an application lifecycle. Note: This task is more critical for an individual whose primary focus is software than for an individual whose focus is hardware.
3. Acts as an internal consultant, advocate of emerging technologies and mentor to enhance the technical skill set of agency personnel and act as a change agent.

Staffing Organizational Units:

1. Participates in selection of technical personnel for involvement in project lifecycle.

Competencies (KSA’s):

1. Problem Solving
2. Functional/Technical Competencies
3. Decision Quality
4. Business Acumen
5. Creativity
6. Technical Learning
7. Perspective
8. Strategic Agility
9. Innovation Management
10. Intellectual Horsepower

Knowledge:

1. Knowledge of industry standard network protocols
2. Knowledge of a variety of technical methodologies
3. Understanding of application/system memory management
4. Knowledge of detailed Database design
5. Knowledge of a variety of Design frameworks (e.g.UML)
6. Knowledge of a variety of programming languages specific to the platform required for the position
7. Knowledge of use of Integrated Development Environments
8. Industry standards related to application development
9. Awareness of current technology trends
10. Knowledge of clustering technologies
11. Detailed knowledge of Operating systems and parameters
12. Advanced understanding of nTier architecture
13. Knowledge of High Availability clustering technology
14. Working knowledge of Service Oriented Architecture
15. Working knowledge of programming paradigms (object oriented, relational, asynchronous messaging)
16. Working knowledge of middleware and web layer software
17. User Interface (UI)/presentation layer development
18. Advanced knowledge of Computers and electronics
19. Advanced knowledge of Systems Design
20. Knowledge of education and training
21. Knowledge of computer engineering and technology

Skills:

1. Active Learning
2. Active Listening
3. Critical Thinking
4. Learning Strategies
5. Mathematics
6. Monitoring
7. Reading Comprehension
8. Science
9. Speaking
10. Writing
11. Instructing
12. Negotiation
13. Persuasion
14. Service Orientation
15. Social Perceptiveness
16. Complex Problem Solving
17. Technical Skills
18. Equipment Maintenance
19. Equipment Selection
20. Installation
21. Operation and Control
22. Operation Monitoring
23. Operations Analysis
24. Programming
25. Quality Control Analysis
26. Repairing
27. Technology Design
28. Troubleshooting
29. System Skills
30. Judgment and Decision Making
31. Systems Analysis
32. Systems Evaluation
33. Management of personnel resources/identifying the best person for the job
34. Time Management

Abilities:

1. Category Flexibility
2. Deductive Reasoning
3. Flexibility of Closure
4. Inductive Reasoning
5. Information Ordering
6. Mathematical Reasoning
7. Oral Comprehension
8. Oral Expression
9. Originality
10. Perceptual Speed
11. Problem Sensitivity
12. Selective Attention
13. Speed of Closure
14. Time Sharing
15. Visualization
16. Written Comprehension
17. Written Expression

Tools and Equipment Used:

1. Personal Computer
2. Telephone
3. Printer
4. Mobile Devices
5. Software Development Tools
6. Software Testing Tools