Solutions Architect, Cloud

Careers At National Student Clearinghouse

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

By joining the National Student Clearinghouse, you can be sure that the work you do now will help shape the future of education and the workforce in the U.S. As the trusted source for higher education data since 1993, the Clearinghouse is the leading provider of transcript and data exchange services, automated enrollment and degree verifications, learner insights and research, and compliance solutions for schools, businesses, and learners nationwide.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Clearinghouse works with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions to meet their compliance needs and with thousands of high schools and districts to provide continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics about their alumni. In addition, the Research Center publications inform policymakers and business leaders about student educational pathways. Using our unique combination of data, analytics, and software to drive our mission, security and privacy is paramount.

Join us as we continue to invest in our talent and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data on behalf of all learners.

The Solutions Architect plays a critical role in the Clearinghouse’s major modernization initiative to re engineer and re platform mission critical applications. This position is responsible for designing application systems that support multiple lines of business, identifying technical components—including open source tools and SaaS solutions—that align with the organization’s strategy for building loosely coupled, scalable applications. The role focuses on leveraging emerging technologies and architectural best practices to improve customer experience, increase operational efficiency, and strengthen competitive advantage.

Working collaboratively across the federated architecture team, application development teams, infrastructure, the PMO, business units, the Chief Data Office (CDO), and external partners, the Solutions Architect develops proofs of concept, prototypes, and technical validations to support strategic decision making. The ideal candidate brings experience operating in a transformative environment and excels at rapidly evaluating and validating complex technical concepts using a variety of approaches.

Currently, this is a remote‑first position, and this position may be required to periodically work on‑site at our office and the frequency would depend on the department/division’s requirements. Therefore, candidates must either reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office or be willing to travel to our office in Herndon, when required.

• Demonstrate the Clearinghouse's core competencies:
  Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.
• Develop current and future state architectures that advance customer experience, organizational excellence, and brand growth. Make recommendations regarding strategic architectural considerations related to technology direction and standards.
• Develop an understanding of the business model—including processes, application architectures, and supporting systems—to define and design solutions that work within the enterprise environment and satisfy business requirements.
• Develop design artifacts that describe the structure, characteristics, behavior, workflow, and other aspects of the solution to project stakeholders.
• Understand all aspects of project constraints including scope, schedule, budget, quality, cost, risk, and resources. Recommend and make technological and managerial decisions to reconcile these constraints with project goals.
• Present design solutions to the Architecture Review Board (ARB) for approval. Collaborate with stakeholders, application development teams, and ARB members to develop and refine application designs prior to presenting to the ARB.
• Investigate new solutions using custom‑developed software, commercial software, and open source software.
• Develop platform technology roadmaps, including SaaS, PaaS, custom software,…