Solutions Architect (Top Secret Clearance)

Full Time
McLean, VA, USA
10 months ago

Here at Appian, our core values of Respect, Work to Impact, Ambition, and Constructive Dissent & Resolution define who we are. In short, this means we constantly seek to understand the best for our customers, we go beyond completion in our work, we strive for excellence with intensity, and we embrace candid communication. These values guide our actions and shape our culture every day.  When you join Appian, you'll be part of a passionate team that's dedicated to accomplishing hard things.

Are you looking to combine your passion for technology with your penchant for strategic problem solving? Appian Customer Success is obsessed with great customer outcomes. We deliver mission-critical business impact fast, and are directly responsible for partnering with our customers to bring their best ideas to life. Joining the Customer Success team will provide you with the support and growth you need to strengthen and evolve your skills within the consulting field.

Appian is looking for an Architect to scale Appian’s technical solutions and enable Appian’s delivery teams. As an Appian Architect, you will be a key technical leader within Appian’s Customer Success team as well as a trusted technical advisor to Appian’s clients.  In this role, you will define leading, integrated solutions that use Appian’s platform technology to support our customers unique mission areas.  

You will maintain an awareness of market forces and trends, lead the design and development of innovations and offerings that address customers demands and continue to position as a leader.  You will consult and advise our customers on their programs and projects, driving quality and innovation.  The ideal candidate will combine excellent technical, product and business skills to make our customers and partners successful.  And have experience working with BPM and/or business systems.

This role is based at Appian's Headquarters in McLean, VA. Employees hired for this position are required to withhold Government Security Clearances and will have the opportunity to work in a flexible, hybrid environment. If you are not already located in the surrounding McLean, VA area, your willingness to relocate will be a contingency for this position.

To be successful in this role, you will:

  • Advise customers on the technical design, architecture and implementation of Appian solutions on a customer’s private cloud or on-premise hosting solution, and/or integrating Appian government cloud offerings with the customer’s infrastructure
  • Support the sales cycle through the creation of high-value, differentiated solutions, based on Appian’s technology, that integrates and defines program and project management disciplines with a compelling technical solution and delivery roadmap
  • Present and vet integrated solutions and complex technical concepts and designs to our customers and other audiences
  • Support customers on the configuration, testing, deployment and operations of Appian applications, following agile delivery methodologies and Appian best practices
  • Work with clients on all aspects of their program to drive technical success and efficiency, including advising of development practice, program management and governance and delivery automation (version control, configuration management, and other DevSecOps and Infrastructure Automation practices)
  • Lead the definition and development of Appian Customer Success innovations and offerings in order to support leading Appian delivery capabilities, and bring together emerging requirements and practices from our customers and industry
  • Collect and review technical challenges with a team of architects and distill into common best practices and common solutions
  • Support the development and review of whitepapers and pre-sales solutioning and proposals

Basic qualifications:

  • An Active Government Clearance (Top Secret and above, without any limitations) is required for this opening
  • Ability and interest to maintain an Active TS:SCI Clearance (CI or FLS), with the ability and willingness to perform work within cleared facilities (SCIF work is required)
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field
  • At least 5 years of experience advising customers on design and implementation of government cloud computing platforms, and at least 10 years of multi-tier application design and architecture
  • Experience with architecting secure cloud based hosting solutions for federal customers using Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and/or Microsoft Azure.  Leadership experience designing, architecting or delivering one or more enterprise-level cloud environments (e.g. C2S, JWICS, GovCloud, etc.)
  • Experience authoring federal proposals and whitepaper is required
  • In depth experience, managing federal programs and projects and leading IT delivery using agile frameworks, tooling and methodologies, including Scrum and SAFe
  • Experience accelerating IT solution under the federal government’s Risk Management Framework is preferred
  • Experience with designing and implementing DevSecOps pipelines and Infrastructure Automation frameworks, using toolsets like Jenkins, Puppet, Ansible, SaltStack, Cucumber, JMeter, and Fitnesse, preferred 

Some of the tools and resources we will equip you with include: 

  • Training: During your first few weeks of joining Appian, not only will you go through comprehensive onboarding and Appian training, but you will also complete a CS specific bootcamp to prepare you for your first client project.
  • Growth: Continuous learning opportunities are a key focus for our department. Whether it is companywide weekly knowledge shares, biweekly continuing education sessions led by fellow CS members, guild participation, or free online trainings, there is always somewhere to turn for technical and professional growth.
  • Career: CS career planning concentrates on three main tracks - technical, focus, and business and it’s up to you to decide where your passions lie. Each employee will be matched with an advisor who will be your go to resource for all career questions and guidance. They can help with anything from questions about promotions to which track is right for you.  
  • Culture:  Appian’s customer success group is quickly expanding but the culture continues to make the department feel like a small community. Monthly social events are planned virtually and in the DC area while our First Year Experience (FYE) group concentrates on creating a smooth transition for all new employees entering the working force for the first time.

Tools and Resource 

  • Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires. 
  • Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.
  • Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

About Appian

Appian is a software company that automates business processes. The Appian AI-Powered Process Platform includes everything you need to design, automate, and optimize even the most complex processes, from start to finish. The world's most innovative organizations trust Appian to improve their workflows, unify data, and optimize operations—resulting in better growth and superior customer experiences. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN]

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Appian Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Further, Appian will not discriminate against applicants for inquiring about, discussing or disclosing their pay or, in certain circumstances, the pay of their co‐worker, Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees in accordance with all applicable laws.

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