Software Architect

As a Software Architect for the ExamDeveloper product, you will own the overall system design and architecture for Pearson VUE’s SaaS tool for creating exams.  In this individual contributor role you’ll be the visionary for future architecture state of ExamDeveloper and ensure that current work of the teams is aligned your architecture direction.  You’ll spend most of your time on planning and design activities in close collaboration with other technical and non-technical people.

The Product: 

ExamDeveloper is a web-based exam development platform that allows our customers to write, review and manage questions on their exams.  ExamDeveloper is the leading web-based tool for creating tests to certify test-takers in the professional skills they require.   Customers rely on ExamDeveloper to support their entire workflow around question writing, collaborative review, scoring, and test management.  It is currently undergoing a significant modernization effort and there are constant opportunities to add value to this core Pearson VUE product.

ExamDeveloper’s primary tech stack is .NET and C# on the backend and Angular on the frontend hosted in Microsoft Azure.  You’ll work with containerized services and Microsoft SQL Server.  Some of the work will involve .NET Framework 4.x and ASP.NET Web Forms as we are in progress with modernization.

Teams:

The majority of the development and QA engineers are consultants located in India.  Because of this, clear communication (especially written) is important.  There is a small team of USA-based employee developers.  Support and leadership roles like Project Managers and Business Analysts are employees based in the USA.

Work Location:

In this role it is possible to work remotely anywhere in the USA, but many people you’d regularly work with are based in the Central USA timezone in the Minneapolis, MN area.  It is required to work during most of Central USA’s normal business hours.

Duties

• Create technical plans that provide for future development and operations of the ExamDeveloper product.  Proactively work to anticipate and prepare for upcoming needs.
• Lead the solutioning process to define and estimate the work required for upcoming features.  Act to advance our business objectives from ambiguous high-level goals into specific achievable plans.
• Review technical designs created by others for compatibility with current and future architecture direction.
• Partner closely with business stakeholders to understand customer needs and incorporate their vision into your technical direction.
• Act as a trusted driving force for achieving business goals.
• Oversee the operational costs of ExamDeveloper to ensure that our resource usage (ex: Azure cloud costs) are optimal.
• Set technical standards for the engineering teams together with the participation and engagement of senior engineers.
• Socialize and explain your decisions to other architects, managers, and business analysts in the VUE Technology organization and beyond.
• Build consensus for your technical vision, but also be open to competing points of view.  Suggest and justify alternatives.
• Collaborate effectively across many roles and across organizational boundaries.
• Respond to technical needs and concerns from the engineering team and give clear explanations where necessary.
• Communicate effectively at various levels of technical sophistication and understanding, from high-level explanations tailored to executives to “lines of code”-level explanations that junior developers can understand.
• Participate in development and QA work in a limited way to maintain a connection and a strong understanding of the teams’ processes and challenges.
• Coach other team members to help them grow and bring out their best work.
• React to urgent Production issues as part of a group of rotating on-call engineers.

Required Education and Experience: 

• 7+ years work experience as a software developer
• 2+ years work experience as a software architect
• 2+ years experience with Angular or similar front-end software frameworks (like React, Svelte, etc)
• 2+ years experience with C# or similar back-end languages
• Experience supervising the work of technical staff either formally or informally
• Bachelor degree in Computer Science, MIS, or equivalent technology discipline

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to produce technical designs and plans to meet business needs
• Experience and knowledge of cloud providers’ capabilities
• Relational databases
• DevOps workflows related to cloud-based development and deployment
• Experience in an Agile software development environment
• Demonstrated technical leadership
• Clear communication skills to various types of audiences
• History of continuous improvement

Pearson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other group protected by law.

Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company. Learn more at pearsonplc.com.

Pearson believes that wherever learning flourishes, so do people. We are committed to being an anti-racist company in everything we do. We value the power of an inclusive culture and a strong sense of belonging. We promote a culture where differences are embraced, opportunities are accessible, consideration and respect are the norm, and all individuals are supported in reaching their full potential. Through our talent, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion make us a more innovative and vibrant place to work. People are at the center, and we are committed to a sustainable environment and workplace where talent can learn, grow, and thrive.

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