GIS Specialist

Job Title: GIS Infrastructure Architect

Client: State of North Carolina

Work Arrangement: Remote

Duration: 12 Months + extension

Job Description:

Supports NCDIT-T GISU Architecture Team. Duties include design, development, maintenance & implementation of application system architecture for enterprise GIS systems & participating in projects & efforts to improve/modernize GISU systems.

This position supports the NCDIT-Transportation GIS Unit (GISU) Architecture Team and is responsible for the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of enterprise GIS system architectures across both on-premise and cloud environments. The role plays a critical part in ongoing modernization efforts, enterprise-level GIS initiatives, and work focused on sustaining the health and continuous availability of mission-critical GIS systems supporting NCDOT.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced GIS architecture professional with strong proficiency in Esri technologies, foundational knowledge of enterprise architecture, and hands-on experience deploying GIS solutions in both on-premise and cloud-based infrastructures. The ideal candidate will possess excellent analytical and communication skills and will collaborate closely with cross-functional technical teams to ensure scalable, secure, and high-performing GIS systems.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design and implement robust GIS architectures for enterprise solutions deployed across on-premise infrastructure and Microsoft Azure cloud environments.
• Develop and maintain UML-based enterprise architecture diagrams using an architecture repository to support cross-team alignment, solution modeling, and strategic planning.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for both on-premise and cloud-based GIS system architectures, integrations, and configurations.
• Design, implement, and manage enterprise-wide and resource-specific backup and restore solutions for critical GIS systems across hybrid environments to ensure high availability and disaster recovery readiness in alignment with organizational requirements.
• Evaluate, maintain, and evolve architecture models to support hybrid GIS deployments, ensuring consistency, performance, and reliability.
• Support planning and execution of GIS enterprise application deployments, integrations, and upgrades.
• Contribute to the development of modernization strategies that transition legacy systems to cloud or hybrid configurations.
• Collaborate with system engineers to provision, configure, and monitor GIS applications in both data center and cloud-based environments.
• Assist with architecture planning and implementation for hybrid connectivity, such as VPNs, private endpoints, and federated identity systems.
• Ensure alignment between GIS applications and underlying infrastructure in multi-environment (on-prem/cloud) deployments.
• Work with developers, analysts, and system engineers to align application design with infrastructure architecture and performance requirements.
• Support enterprise GIS initiatives including Roads and Highways, Spot Online, NC CRIS, and ATLAS, with deployment strategies tailored to the environment (on-prem/cloud).
• Contribute to GISU architecture governance processes by helping define and enforce standards, best practices, and technical guidelines.
• Participate in reviews of existing architecture, recommending changes to meet future scalability, security, and compliance needs.
• Contribute to GISU architecture governance processes by helping define and enforce standards, best practices, and technical guidelines.
• Perform audits of deployed systems to ensure adherence to architecture standards and operational readiness.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong proficiency in creating UML models, system architecture diagrams, and documenting designs within architecture repositories. Experience using Sparx Enterprise Architect, Microsoft Visio or other architecture modelling/diagramming tools.
• Hands-on experience implementing and supporting Esri technologies in enterprise environments (ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro).
• Experience with implementing robust backup and restore strategies for enterprise GIS environments using Esri s WebGISDR and GeoJobe Tools, ensuring data integrity and minimal downtime across ArcGIS platforms. Well versed in backup and recovery workflows that support spatial data continuity, compliance, and operational resilience.
• 5 7+ years of experience implementing and supporting Esri technologies in enterprise environments.
• Proven expertise in designing and supporting hybrid backup and restore strategies, covering both cloud and on-prem data protection workflows.
• Skilled in infrastructure and security best practices, application integration, and performance optimization across GIS systems.
• Strong understanding of GIS architecture patterns, system integration approaches, and enterprise-level data and service flows.
• Hands-on experience in administration, configuration, and monitoring of ArcGIS Enterprise components (Portal, ArcGIS Server, Data Store, etc.).
• Familiarity with Windows Server environments, IIS, and integration with enterprise authentication systems (Active Directory, LDAP, Azure AD).
• Demonstrated experience designing and supporting hybrid GIS architectures that span both on-premise data centers and cloud platforms (preferably Microsoft Azure).
• Working knowledge of Azure services including Virtual Machines, App Services, Azure SQL, Azure Monitor, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
• Familiarity with hybrid integration techniques such as VPNs, ExpressRoute, secure networking, and identity federation.
• Strong understanding of enterprise and cloud security best practices, including authentication protocols (LDAP, SAML, Azure AD), certificate management, and segmented network design (e.g., firewalls, NSGs).
• Experience contributing to architecture review documents, standards, and reference models.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize complex technical work across hybrid cloud/on-prem environments.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently in a remote work setting, while also contributing to team-based projects and goals.