Manager, Application Architecture, Information Technology

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN); Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) seeks a Manager, Data & Enterprise Architecture to lead architecture across enterprise solutions and guide the Data & BI team. The role reports to the Deputy Chief Officer, Information Resources, and partners with stakeholders to ensure secure, scalable, compliant technology delivery.

The hybrid Chicago-based position combines hands-on architectural leadership with strategic planning, modern engineering practices, and cross-team collaboration

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or related field.
• Minimum five years developing and implementing enterprise applications; eight years preferred.
• Minimum three years leading and architecting software solutions.
• Minimum two years managing or leading teams.
• Experience with enterprise architecture principles and cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Designs, documents, and maintains solutions, applications, systems, integrations, and data architectures.
• Leads R&D on cloud, AI/ML, automation, analytics, and modernization initiatives.
• Mentors data engineering and BI teams; manages project intake and risk.
• Serves as technical representative across the organization and with partners.
• Coordinates with management to prioritize tasks and supports budget processes.

Skills

Enterprise architecture

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Cloud computing

Data engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Azure

.NET/C#

SQL Server

Azure DevOps

Power BI

Job description

(Internal Title: Manager, Data & Enterprise Architecture, IT)

STATUS: Full time / Exempt

LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid; On-site approximately two days/month)

ABOUT NCSBN

The world leader in nursing regulatory knowledge, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that empowers and supports nursing regulators. The organization protects the public and the trust in nursing through innovative regulatory solutions, insights and expertise. With its NCLEX® Examinations, Nursys® national licensure database and groundbreaking research, NCSBN attracts people who are passionate about what they do and driven by the knowledge that their work protects the public.

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a software and enterprise architecture lead to join our Information Technology team. The ideal candidate will bring strong application development and architecture leadership, guiding the design and implementation of enterprise solutions across the organization. This role will define NCSBN’s solution and application architecture, drive innovation, and ensure alignment with organizational goals, while also managing the data and business intelligence team.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Officer, Information Resources, the Manager, Data & Enterprise Architecture will manage the Data and Business Intelligence team and serve as a technical liaison to stakeholders for delivery of technology solutions.

This role is an exciting opportunity for an individual with experience in designing and implementing enterprise applications who is looking to join an organization committed to advancing nursing regulation and policy worldwide!

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partners with development teams to design, document, and maintain solutions, applications, systems, integrations, and data architectures. Develops technology strategies aligned with organizational goals, emphasizing efficiency, maintainability, scalability, continuity, and cost management. Establishes modern and appropriate standards, patterns, and best practices to direct solution design and delivery. Provides hands‑on leadership for major development initiatives, from architecture to implementation, to ensure standards adherence and goal alignment. Engages during priority incidents to provide technical direction, root‑cause analysis, and remediation planning. Identifies, manages, and mitigates risk related to application and data security, availability, compliance, and performance.
• Leads research and development efforts on emerging technologies including cloud‑first platforms, AI/ML, automation, analytics, and modernization initiatives. Designs and executes proofs of concept, prototypes, and pilots to validate new tools, patterns, and frameworks. Identifies and develops business cases for technology solutions, articulating value, cost, risk, and alignment with organizational goals. Maintains expertise in modern engineering practices and develops actionable guidance and adoption roadmaps. Leads efforts to identify, prioritize, and implement solutions for continuous improvement and active management of technical debt.
• Guides and mentors data engineering and business intelligence team. Manages project intake, prioritization, execution, and risk for data initiatives. Aligns team with department objectives, strategies, and policies. Evaluates staff performance and addresses training and coaching needs. Ensures that individual performance supports the goals of the customer and the organization. Establishes clear goals, provides consistent feedback, resolves conflicts and escalated issues, and fosters a culture of trust. Maintains a collaborate, results‑oriented team structure.
• Serves as a technical representative to teams across the organization and with key strategic partners. Reviews solutions and proposals to validate alignment with requirements, standards, and goals. Collaborates with stakeholders to ensure applications, integrations, and data flows meet standards for information protection, resilience, governance, and performance.
• Partners with management and other team leads to coordinate and implement department tasks and project priorities. Supports annual budget process. Interfaces with department team leads to ensure continuity of effort. Contributes to the security and disaster prevention and recovery programs. Assists with management of software licenses and vendors.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or related field required.
• Minimum five years of experience developing and implementing enterprise applications required (minimum eight years of experience preferred).
• Minimum three years of experience successfully leading and architecting software solutions required.
• Minimum two years of experience successfully managing or leading teams required.
• Ability to work in a team environment.
• Excellent written and oral communication and problem‑solving skills.
• Experience in working with internal and external stakeholders at all levels and establishing a collaborative rapport.
• Experience leading the full application development lifecycle and formal agile methodologies for enterprise projects.
• Expertise with enterprise architecture principles, including technology roadmapping, standards, and alignment with organizational strategy.
• Expertise in solution and software architecture, including application, integration, and data architecture, as well as establishment and governance of design and coding standards.
• Deep knowledge of cloud computing infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS) concepts, products, and solutions.
• Working knowledge of data engineering and business intelligence concepts to evaluate designs, guide teams, and align data solutions with architectural and organizational goals.
• Technical expertise required: Recent hands‑on experience designing, building, and evolving solutions across the Microsoft technology stack, including Azure, .NET/C#, SQL Server, Azure DevOps, and modern web application patterns (e.g., SPA frameworks, containerization, serverless compute, service oriented/event driven architectures). Proficiency with Windows operating environments and Microsoft 365 productivity tools.
• Technical expertise preferred: Experience with Azure data platforms (e.g. Azure Data Lake, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Power BI) and Python. Relevant certifications in Azure, enterprise architecture (e.g. TOGAF), service management (e.g. ITIL), or Agile methodologies (e.g., CSM, SAFe).

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The anticipated starting salary for this position is $126,000 - $167,000 annually. Actual compensation will be dependent on a candidate’s relevant experience, skills, training, certifications/licenses, qualifications and geographical location.

NCSBN offers eligible employees a competitive benefits package that provides our team members with plan options to meet their individual needs. Review benefit details here: https://www.ncsbn.org/about/governance-and-staff/careers/ncsbn-benefits.page

TO BE CONSIDERED

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is an equal employment opportunity employer. Decisions affecting employment are considered without regard to disability, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status or any other protected characteristic.