Solutions Architect

The Solutions Architect drives the modernization of the Houston Zoo's enterprise application portfolio, leading the shift from legacy, siloed applications to a secure, integrated, and scalable suite of connected business systems. This role defines and governs the Zoo’s enterprise application architecture and builds the application and integration blueprint that guides all modernization efforts.

As the Zoo's primary application architecture authority, the Solutions Architect evaluates software technologies, designs application integration approaches, and directs implementation decisions. The role delivers measurable improvements in system interoperability, data quality, staff efficiency, and long-term sustainability while actively reducing technical debt across business, guest, and animal care applications.

Bridging business needs and technical execution, the Solutions Architect translates complex requirements into scalable, secure, and innovative application solutions that advance the Zoo's digital strategy and enable data-driven decision-making. The role manages the full portfolio of business applications across a modern zoological environment including ticketing, memberships, retail and food operations, finance, HR, procurement, donor/CRM platforms, animal management systems, ecommerce, marketing analytics, facilities records, asset management, and reporting.

Modernization Accountability:

• Define s and maintain s the enterprise modernization roadmap, including legacy system replacement, cloud adoption, and integration maturity.
• Delivers the current-state and future-state enterprise application architecture and ensuring all major technology initiatives align to it.
• Reduces architectural complexity, technical debt, and redundant systems through application rationalization.
• Ensures modernization initiatives deliver tangible outcomes, including improved reliability, usability, data integrity, and cost efficiency.
• Establishes architectural guardrails so modernization decisions remain consistent across departments and vendors.

Our Mission: Houston Zoo connects communities with animals, inspiring action to save wildlife.

Our Vision: Houston Zoo will be a leader in the global movement to save wildlife.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads and governs the enterprise solution architecture and modernization strategy across applications, integrations, data, and infrastructure to align with organizational goals that support the Zoo’s mission, vision and strategy.
• Personally designs and maintains enterprise and solution-level architecture artifacts, including system diagrams, integration flows, and data models.
• Defines and enforces integration patterns, API standards, middleware usage, and error-handling approaches.
• Works directly with implementation teams and vendors to troubleshoot integration issues, performance bottlenecks, and data inconsistencies.
• Maintains deep working knowledge of core platforms (e.g., CRM, ERP, ticketing, POS, HRIS, data platforms) sufficient to guide configuration and integration decisions.
• Oversees data governance and analytics platforms, ensuring data quality, accessibility, and security across departments.
• Directs system integration strategy and execution across HRIS, CRM, ERP, ticketing, POS, donor, and animal management platforms. Partners with IT security to maintain compliance with cybersecurity, data privacy, and accessibility standards.
• Drives innovation initiatives, identifying and piloting emerging technologies that enhance mission, campus, business operations.
• Establishes and enforces enterprise technology standards, governance processes, and architecture documentation.
• Leads vendor evaluation and selection for enterprise systems, including RFPs, technical scoring, risk assessment, and total cost of ownership analysis. Develops annual budgets and track project costs, timelines, and ROI.
• Partners with senior leaders across the Zoo to align technology initiatives with strategic goals, operations, and conservation outcomes.
• Accountable for integration reliability and scalability, including API strategy, middleware platforms, and data flows.
• Measures and reports modernization progress, risks, and outcomes to senior leadership.
• Actively reduces technical debt by identifying systems and integrations that require refactoring, replacement, or retirement.
• Contributes to saving animals in the wild through reduction of waste, water and energy use and inspiring guests and staff to take wildlife protecting actions.
• Contributes to other operational priorities as needed. 

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• Minimum of seven (7) to ten (10) years progressive technology leadership experience, including at least five (5) years in enterprise or solutions architecture.
• Data warehouse experience and implementing ETL technologies.
• Relevant professional certifications strongly preferred (e.g., TOGAF, Azure/AWS Solutions Architect, Security+, PMP, or equivalent).
• Minimum five (5) years demonstrated business acumen translating strategy into secure, scalable enterprise solutions.
• Proven ability to lead modernization efforts with a people first approach, driving adoption through communication training, partnership and changing management skills
• Exhibits strong leadership skills and guides project teams. May assume supervisory responsibilities as organizational needs evolve and direct reports are potentially added.
• Preferred experience with Sage Intacct and Salesforce.
• Proven success in designing and implementing integrated technology ecosystems (e.g., Microsoft 365, Azure, Salesforce, or similar).
• Strong knowledge of system integration, data management, and cybersecurity frameworks.
• Demonstrated success leading digital transformation or modernization initiatives.
• Strong background in strategic planning, budgeting, and aligning technology with organizational goals.
• Demonstrated experience with digital transformation, cloud migration, data governance, and system integration.

About Houston Zoo

Houston Zoo is made up of many moving parts with over 6,000 permanent residents (our animals) for whom we provide housing, meals, medical care and, yes, even education! There are over 2 million guests each year who come to experience our incredible variety of animals and ecosystems, as well as attend special private and public events and entertainment. Our dedicated staff works around the clock to ensure that the Zoo is always running smoothly for the safety and well-being of our residents and guests. We strive to ensure the protection of all the counterparts of the animals we have at the Zoo and in the wild.

Join the Houston Zoo and become a part of an organization that is focused on the preservation of wildlife and their habitats by combining conservation with education and promotion of sustainable livelihoods in the local communities. Houston Zoo is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Benefits

Full-time, regular positions are offered the following benefits.

• Medical and Prescription Drug
• Vision
• Dental
• Basic Life AD&D (100% Employer Paid)
• Short Term Disability (100% Employer Paid)
• Long Term Disability (100% Employer Paid)
• Supplemental Life
• Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account
• 401k, with employer match

Full-time and Part-Time, regular positions are offered the following additional benefits.

• Free Zoo Membership
• Free Guest Passes
• Discounts on Food, Merchandise, Attractions, Admission and Programs
• Free parking