Solutions Architect - Websites and Web Applications

Remote
Full Time
Experienced
Who We Are
Urban Insight is a leading digital agency creating innovative websites and web applications for organizations that make a difference. We specialize in solving complex problems through website strategy, design, and development using open source content management systems (primarily Drupal, WordPress, and composable architectures). Our clients include leading museums, nonprofits, universities, cities, and cultural institutions. With nearly 25 years in business, we continue to grow each year. We foster a professionally rewarding environment where team members are encouraged to learn, lead, and thrive.

Key Responsibilities

Client Discovery & Technical Strategy
  • Collaborate with clients, project managers, and internal teams to understand business goals, functional requirements, and technical constraints.
  • Proactively propose technology solutions that meet strategic objectives, balancing usability, maintainability, and scalability.
  • Translate complex technical concepts into clear, understandable language for clients and stakeholders.

Architecture & Solution Design
  • Design high-level and detailed architecture for CMS-based and headless web applications, including component structure, data flow, APIs, hosting strategy, and third-party integrations.
  • Evaluate and select appropriate technology stacks, platforms, and third-party services to meet project and client requirements.
  • Document system designs with architecture diagrams, data models, and technical specifications.

Collaboration & Technical Leadership
  • Guide technical direction in collaboration with Tech Leads and Senior Engineers.
  • Support project planning with realistic level-of-effort (LOE) estimates and identify risks early.
  • Write technical specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria that serve as a clear blueprint for development teams.
  • Participate in agile ceremonies (standups, grooming, demos, retrospectives) and help facilitate cross-functional collaboration.

Implementation Support & Quality Oversight
  • Support developers throughout implementation, removing blockers and ensuring alignment with the architectural vision.
  • Validate deliverables against acceptance criteria and perform architectural reviews for quality, performance, and maintainability.
  • Ensure technical solutions adhere to accessibility, performance, security, and compliance best practices.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation
  • Contribute to internal process and tooling improvements across development, QA, and DevOps.
  • Lead or participate in evaluations of emerging technologies, frameworks, and vendors relevant to Urban Insight’s service offerings.
  • Share architectural knowledge across the team to build technical capability and improve consistency.

Required Qualifications
Technical Expertise
  • 5–8 years of experience in technical architecture, full-stack web development, or technical strategy, ideally within a digital agency or consulting environment.
  • Deep experience with Drupal and WordPress, including site architecture, custom development, and deployment.
  • Understanding of headless CMS, composable architectures, and integrations via RESTful and/or GraphQL APIs.
  • Strong knowledge of LAMP stack, hosting environments, and cloud services.
  • Familiarity with performance optimization, accessibility standards (WCAG), security best practices, and SEO considerations.

Project & Communication Skills
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Experience with agile methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban.
  • Comfortable writing technical specifications and leading discovery and requirements-gathering sessions with clients.
  • Experience with technical backlog management and cross-functional coordination.

Architectural Thinking
  • Ability to think strategically about technical ecosystems and long-term maintainability.
  • Skilled at creating architecture documentation, workflows, and decision-making frameworks.
  • Comfortable evaluating vendor tools and technology platforms with a critical eye toward tradeoffs.

Success Metrics
In the first 90 days:
  • Support architecture and planning for a new project that meets or exceeds client expectations and internal standards.
  • Achieve a billable utilization rate of 70–80%.

In the first year:
  • Successfully lead the architecture of multiple projects from discovery through delivery.
  • Elevate internal architectural standards and documentation practices.
  • Demonstrate strong client satisfaction, minimal rework, and on-budget delivery across projects.

Location & Availability
  • Work from any location in the United States, available 9am - 5pm in any U.S. time zone
  • Our office is located in sunny Los Angeles, CA. This position is available for fully remote (U.S. and Canada ONLY), partially remote (a few days in the office), or in-person in our L.A. Office.

About Urban Insight
  • Urban Insight is a Los Angeles-based digital agency with over 30 team members. https://www.urbaninsight.com/   
  • We work with some of LA’s best-known institutions, such as LACMA, The Broad, Planetizen Courses, University of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, and the Japanese American National Museum
  • We’re the top-ranked Web development and Drupal agency in Los Angeles, according to Clutch, an independent analyst. Have a look at what our clients say about us: https://clutch.co/profile/urban-insight 
  • We help our clients with beautiful and flexible websites and web apps. We do this by providing strong project leadership, honest advice, thoughtful design, and technical best practices.
  • We take on cutting edge, challenging projects for appreciative clients, and have a supportive and team-based approach to projects.
  • We plan, design, and create innovative websites, and we often use open source web content management systems like Drupal and WordPress.
  • We design and develop custom applications using tools like Angular, React, Next.js node.js, Stripe, PHP, Javascript, Bootstrap, Tailwind, and MySQL.
  • We have a clearly-defined project management methodology and case management system. We strive to be the most organized environment in which you've ever worked. (If we're not, then we can learn from you!)

Why Work At Urban Insight?
  • We take on interesting, meaningful projects for appreciative clients.
  • Work from anywhere in the United States.
  • We work with you to create a career path that works for you.
  • The average employee tenure is 6.5 years.
  • We're stable. We've been in business for 25 years, and continue to grow each year.
  • We offer a casual and flexible working environment with plenty of opportunities for growth for the right candidate.
  • We believe in a reasonable life/work balance and enjoy 40-hour work weeks.
  • Team members work with the latest hardware and software.
  • We have weekly events to keep the team connected: Lunch & Learns, Lightning Demos, Game Breaks.
  • We have many training opportunities. We allocate time for training and professional development. If you seek to earn an approved certification, we'll pay for it once you earn it.
  • There are many more reasons: https://www.urbaninsight.com/careers

Compensation
We offer a highly competitive salary and benefits package:
  • Total annual compensation range $110K–$125K
  • Medical, Dental and Vision insurance (95% employer-paid)
  • Paid time off (15 days increasing to 20 after four years)
  • Holiday time off (~10 days per year)
  • Company-sponsored 401(k) plan with employer match
  • An annual customized training plan and time to study
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