IT Solutions Architect - State of Kansas

IT Solutions Architect (Contract-to-Hire) Location: Topeka, KS (Remote with local requirement – must be within ~1 hour commute) Type: Contract-to-Hire Work Setup: Mostly remote with occasional on-site expectations Eligibility: U.S. Citizenship required (no sponsorship available) We’re looking for a senior-level IT Solutions Architect to join a large-scale, mission-driven environment supporting critical systems and infrastructure. This is a hands-on solutions architect role focused on systems, application architecture, and Microsoft-based environments — not a pure cloud, network, or strategy-only position. You’ll work across teams to guide architecture decisions, influence technical direction, and ensure systems align with long-term business and technology strategy. What You’ll Be Doing Drive architecture strategy across enterprise systems and infrastructure Partner with business and technical teams to define complex requirements Design and model system workflows, data flows, and integrations Review and guide IT projects to ensure alignment with standards and best practices Evaluate new technologies, systems, and solutions Lead architectural reviews and provide direction on system design decisions Support testing strategies and system performance validation Contribute to governance, standards, and change management processes What We Are Looking For 14+ years of overall IT experience 10+ years in architecture, development, or system integration roles Strong background in systems design and enterprise-level architecture Ability to work cross-functionally (PMs, developers, analysts, admins) Excellent communication and stakeholder interaction skills Current hands-on technical experience — not just leadership or oversight Technical Environment Microsoft stack (Windows Server, Visual Studio, Office tools) .NET (C# / VB), Java, or similar modern development languages SQL databases and strong SQL skills Experience with system integration and data-driven applications Ideal Background Senior Systems Engineers who moved into architecture Lead Developers with architecture responsibilities Technical Architects with experience across applications + infrastructure Important Must be local to the Topeka, KS area (within commuting distance) Must be a U.S. Citizen This is a true architect role — not a senior engineer title alone Candidates with primarily cloud-only or network-only backgrounds will not be a fit