Systems Architect

Company: Churchill Downs Incorporated
Location: Louisville
Posted on: May 8, 2024

Job Description:

SUMMARY:
Reporting to the Sr. Director of System Operations, the Systems Architect role will lead the initiative on designing and developing an enterprise-wide strategy for scalability, integration, disaster recovery, and business continuity. The Systems Architect will play a critical role in designing, building, and documenting resilient system and application architectures that enable core business functions and assure their availability. This role demands expertise in system design, disaster recovery strategies, and a deep understanding of business continuity principles. The Systems Architect provides technical leadership across the organization, from strategic decision making down to the project planning level.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

Architectural Strategy:

• Develop system and application architectures that align with disaster recovery and business continuity strategies
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into resilient system designs
• Stay updated with industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to inform architectural decisions
• Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions: Understanding the bigger picture and aligning technology with business goals
• Conduct research on emerging technologies in support of systems development efforts, and recommend technologies that will increase cost effectiveness and system flexibility Enterprise Disaster Recovery Planning:
  • Lead the design and implementation of enterprise-wide disaster recovery plans and procedures
  • Assess potential risks and vulnerabilities within business systems and recommend mitigation strategies
  • Ensure disaster recovery solutions are cost-conscious and align with business recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) Business Continuity
    • Work closely with other departments and business units to define and document business continuity strategies and objectives
    • Establish and maintain business impact analysis (BIA) processes to prioritize critical systems and functions
    • Collaborate with stakeholders on the development of business continuity plans and exercises Technical Expertise:
      • Provide technical leadership and guidance in the evaluation, selection, and implementation of tools, automation, and other technologies
      • Conduct architectural reviews to ensure systems and applications adhere to defined architectural standards
      • Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues Documentation and Reporting:
        • Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for architectural designs, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity strategies
        • Generate reports and deliver presentations to communicate progress, risks, and recommendations to stakeholders
        • Develop, document, communicate, and enforce policies for standardizing systems and software as necessary
        • Document existing systems architecture and enterprise systems; make recommendations for improvements and/or alternatives Additional Responsibilities:
          • Monitor and respond to incidents, as required
          • Respond to support calls in an on-call rotation
          • Work as a member of a project team to deliver new business systems
          • Implement and refine IT standards and processes, while achieving a strong security posture across all properties
          • Perform related duties as assigned REGULATORY
            Ability to obtain racing and/or gaming licenses as required in any jurisdiction where CDI operates. The Gaming industry is highly regulated and as such demands an extensive background check to obtain a license.
            
            EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE:
            • Bachelor's degree in IT/IS or related field required. Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
            • Master's degree in IT/IS or related field preferred.
            • 10+ years working as a Systems Engineer, SRE, or Architect required
            • 5+ years working with disaster recovery technologies, including backup and replication solutions required
            • Experience with public cloud services and providers such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
            • Three or more industry-specific certifications such as MTA, MCSA, or MCSE desired
            • Deep understanding of IT infrastructure and components. This includes: servers, networks, backup and data recovery, storage systems, security solutions, and cloud technologies desired
            • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
            • Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
            • Demonstrated ability to produce, organize and well written documentation

Keywords: Churchill Downs Incorporated, Owensboro , Systems Architect, Other , Louisville, Kentucky