Product Architect [REMOTE]

This is a contract role with our client "State of Iowa"

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) provides adaptable, secure, and cost-effective technology services and solutions across the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) Divisions, Partners, and Citizens. We manage all of Iowa HHS's IT assets, projects, and resources, and we deliver technology and expertise to support Citizens of Iowa and their family's every day. This includes consistently delivering top tier performance and value to citizens as a trusted partner and services provider.

Iowa HHS is seeking a Product Architect to join our team focused on the FACS Replacement / CCWIS Product. The team's purpose is to enhance the IOWA Child Welfare system that serves our clients and will meet the new CCWIS guidelines. The new system will have the ability to track child welfare cases from initiation to completion, support identified data requirements (AFCARS, NYTD, NCANDS and other data requests) as well as issue and allocate funding/payments (IV-E, IV-B, and SSI) to the state and federal government. The application will be primarily used by Social Workers, however, it may have interfaces with third parties (Court, Provider, foster care family/home, Medicals, Education and those that may be identified later) or may be integrated into third party applications. The new application will be built in modules as stipulated by the new CCWIS guidelines. Our objective is for the application to be seamless, prevent data duplication and can be integrated into other similar business application modules as needed.

The Product Architect will take on a key influential role at the intersection of business, design, and technology. This individual must develop a deep understanding of the business' strategy, outcomes, and goals to ensure alignment of the product vision and definition. This role establishes and owns Child Welfare product roadmap which will guide the proper sequence and order of releases.

The Product Architect will be a critical member of the product design team, comprised of the technology architect and UX designer charged in developing the technology roadmap and User Experience for the Child Welfare product. This position will collaborate with internal and external partners to ensure that product decisions and blueprints align with business requirements, Enterprise Architecture, and overall Iowa HHS goals. Using their deep experience in product and business architecture along with an understanding of technology, the Product Architect illustrates to product owners how the art of the possible intersects with realities and constraints to formulate the product roadmap.

Responsibilities:
Engage continually with the product owners to define the innovative initiatives and features for the long-term strategic vision of the Child Welfare Product
Develop the Agile business artifacts necessary to define and maintain the product in Azure DevOps (ADO), including the Child Welfare Product Definition, Child Welfare Product Roadmap, and other business-related artifacts necessary to develop and support the Child Welfare product.
Lead the Business Analyst team to ensure the entry of the Initiatives, Epics, Features, and stories into ADO in alignment with the Product Definition
Define the products necessary to support the Child Welfare Bureau using the Iowa HHS Product Definition template
Develop the PI planning approach for the Product backlog documented in the product definition
Deliver all cost and budgetary requests based on the product definition
Develop and maintain the strategic product plan and roadmap for the Child Welfare product
Work closely with Business and IT teams to ensure that all aspects of the Child Welfare product are developed and deployed in the proper sequence and order and in adherence to Agency strategies, policies, and standards
Ensure user documentation, business support/process documentation, and technology support/process documentation are planned for and delivered.

A successful candidate for this role is expected to possess the following skills and experience:
Proven strategic planning experience dealing with large systems maintain a real perspective on what a multi-billion-dollar organization with systems in tune of $50M to $200M annually need to have documented and operating correctly.
A current-day future focused thinker who can drill down to identify and define problems and issues, with the leadership experience to chart a course to meet current and future demands.
Ability to understand customer needs, negotiate complex issues to reach winning business strategies and architectural solutions
Ability to identify business outcomes and processes important to the product definition
Ability to explain and meld the art of the possible with identified constraints/risks
Ability to understand in depth current and emerging technologies and architectures that are pertinent to the Child Welfare product and Agency
Knowledge of Health and Human Services related business operations and products
Experience delivering in an Agile / iterative delivery environment, including a working knowledge of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and Microsoft Azure DevOps service