Solutions Architect II (Higher-ed / ERP)
Ellucian
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Ellucian in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Senior Solution Architect to lead end-to-end SIS design for the Middle East, combining higher‑education domain knowledge with SIS/ERP expertise to shape architecture, governance, and integrations; guiding delivery teams to fit‑for‑purpose solutions aligned to institutional strategy and Ellucian standards.
You will collaborate across admissions, curriculum, and data, mentor consultants, and continuously improve delivery with automation and AI‑assisted methods.
Qualifications
- 7+ years in higher education, SIS/ERP, professional services, or enterprise architecture.
- Shaping strategic requirements and translating them into solutions across ERP/SIS/CRM environments.
- Middle East market experience preferred; GCC/Levant/Egypt travel likely.
- Strong communication, stakeholder-management, and documentation skills.
- Willingness to travel up to 40% and adapt to changing priorities.
Responsibilities
- Analyze objectives and translate requirements into a future-state SIS solution.
- Own end-to-end functional and technical architecture, including cross-product integrations.
- Lead discovery, design workshops, and prescriptive recommendations.
- Maintain alignment across admissions, curriculum, registration, progression, and data.
- Define design principles, reusable patterns, and governance checkpoints.
- Govern delivery to ensure architected solutions and value realization.
- Build reusable playbooks and solution patterns for projects and customers.
- Act as principal liaison for customers, internal teams, and partners.
- Mentor capability-stream consultants and improve delivery quality.
Skills
Tools
Job description
Ellucian powers innovation for higher education, partnering with approximately 3,000 customers across 50 countries, serving more than 21 million students. Ellucian's AI-powered platform, trained on the richest dataset available in higher education, drives efficiency, personalized experiences, and strengthened engagement for all students, faculty and staff. Fueled by decades of experience with a singular focus on the unique needs of learning institutions, the Ellucian platform features best-in-class SaaS capabilities and delivers insights needed now and into the future. These solutions and services span the entire student lifecycle, including data-rich tools for student recruitment, enrollment, and retention to workforce analytics, fundraising, and alumni engagement. Ellucian's innovative solutions, vast ecosystem of partners and user community of more than 45,000 provides best practices leading to greater institutional success and achieving better student outcomes.
The Solution Architect is the lead design authority for Ellucian SIS implementations in the Middle East, owning end-to-end functional and technical solution design from discovery through post-go‑live value realization. The role combines deep higher‑education process knowledge with strong SIS expertise to shape architecture, design principles, governance, and integrations; challenge requirements; and guide delivery teams to implement fit‑for‑purpose solutions aligned to institutional strategy and Ellucian standards.
- Analyze institutional objectives, operating models, and student‑lifecycle outcomes, translating requirements into a coherent future‑state SIS solution.
- Own end‑to‑end functional and technical solution architecture, including cross‑product integrations and data considerations.
- Lead discovery, design, alignment, and solution‑assurance workshops; make prescriptive recommendations and challenge non‑standard or custom requirements using product, value, and risk reasoning.
- Maintain alignment across capability streams, including admissions, curriculum, registration, progression, graduation, integrations, reporting, and data.
- Validate designs with Product, Architecture, Integration, Delivery, and Project Management to align roadmap, standards, scope, plan, risks, dependencies, and decisions.
- Define design principles, reusable patterns, guardrails, and assurance checkpoints; govern delivery so solutions are implemented as architected and changes are assessed for impact and value.
- Continuously improve delivery using standardization, automation, reusable assets, templates, and responsible AI‑assisted methods to reduce manual effort, rework, cycle time, and non‑value‑added administration.
- Build and maintain reusable playbooks, accelerators, and solution patterns across projects and customers.
- Act as the principal solution liaison for customers, internal teams, and partners, and represent Services in cross‑functional forums.
- Guide and mentor capability‑stream consultants, strengthening solution quality and product knowledge across the delivery team.
- Conduct post‑implementation reviews, assess value realization, and recommend ongoing improvements.
- Minimum 7 years' experience in higher education, SIS/ERP, professional services, or enterprise architecture, including at least 5 years in technical or functional roles; SIS or comparable higher‑education experience strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience shaping strategic and business requirements with customers and translating them into solutions across complex ERP, SIS, and/or CRM environments.
- Middle East market experience preferred, ideally across the GCC, Levant, or Egypt; broader international experience beneficial.
- Proven customer‑facing consulting experience across multiple organizations, with excellent communication, presentation, stakeholder‑management, technical‑management, and documentation skills.
- Demonstrated ability to adopt new tools and technologies, including automation and AI‑enabled capabilities, responsibly to improve delivery quality and productivity.
- Willingness to travel up to 40%.
- Enterprise architecture or modelling expertise is advantageous; TOGAF or similar qualification with familiarity with ArchiMate, BPMN 2.0, and BizzDesign.
- Deep understanding of higher‑education operating models, SIS processes, applications, data, integrations, and technology, with the ability to design and assess solutions at a credible level of detail.
- Ability to quickly identify cross‑functional institutional impacts and translate them into clear solution decisions.
- Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills, with sound commercial and delivery judgment when prioritizing competing requirements.
- Strong knowledge of the full software lifecycle and a continuous‑improvement mindset, applying standardization, automation, and AI‑assisted approaches responsibly to improve efficiency, quality, and customer outcomes.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, influencing, planning, and organizational skills, adapting information to the audience.
- Self‑motivated and collaborative, able to work independently while leading and influencing across teams.
- 25 days annual leave plus public holidays
- End of service gratuity and flight allowance contributions
- Private medical and dental cover for self, spouse and 2 dependents
- Thrive Flex Program that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
- 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
- Diversity and inclusion programs that promote employee resource groups such as: Women in Technology, Lean In Circles and Go Green to name a few.
- Parental leave
- Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
- We Foster a learning culture with:
- Tuition Reimbursement Assistance
- Professional development opportunities
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