We are looking for an Applications Architect to support the design and evolution of enterprise banking solutions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This Long-term Contract position will focus on shaping resilient, high-performing application ecosystems that align with business priorities and future growth. The ideal candidate brings deep architectural expertise, strong hands-on development knowledge, and the ability to translate complex technical needs into practical solution designs.<br><br>Responsibilities:<br>• Develop and refine application architecture frameworks that balance business objectives, budget considerations, scalability, and performance targets.<br>• Design robust, scalable solution architectures for banking platforms and related enterprise applications.<br>• Lead architectural analysis, technical design decisions, and implementation planning to ensure solutions meet functional and non-functional expectations.<br>• Assess long-range infrastructure needs, including hardware and software components, to support organizational technology strategies.<br>• Establish and evaluate the technical environments required for architecture reviews, validation, and delivery readiness.<br>• Partner with external solution architects and internal stakeholders to produce both high-level blueprints and detailed technical documentation.<br>• Investigate and resolve architectural issues involving system integration challenges, design weaknesses, bottlenecks, and application performance concerns.<br>• Create and maintain application development standards, programming guidelines, and architectural best practices.<br>• Support build and delivery processes by working with tools such as Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Maven, and Gradle where needed.