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Are you someone with interest and skills in both managerial and technical aspects of business? Then the technical architect role may be the perfect fit for you. Popularly described as the ‘unicorns’ of the IT job market, technical architects are much in demand because of the unique skill set that enables them to manage both the technical and business aspect.
They combine technical and soft skills that help develop IT systems and manage teams. The role is highly lucrative and offers great room for growth and development. In this blog, we have discussed the roles and responsibilities of technical architects, the skills required to become one, their salary and career outlook, and how you can become one.
But before beginning with them, let us understand who exactly a technical architect is.
Technical architects oversee the design and implementation of IT systems in an organization. They bridge the gap between the business and technical side of the organization, as they excel in both. They create, maintain, and implement IT systems through their IT and managerial skills.
Typically, they are highly skilled in one area of technology. Technical architects work with other developers and IT specialists in an organization to define best practices and ensure IT systems perform in peak condition. They design and develop new technologies, communicate technological needs to development teams, and also supervise the execution of a system.
Technical architects are responsible for designing the technology systems structure, managing its implementation, and coordinating with development teams to ensure optimal performance of the system. They act as project managers and manage a project from beginning to end by understanding the organization's and client's goals and needs, keeping an eye on future IT developments, and making suggestions wherever necessary.
Some of the roles and responsibilities of a technical architect include the following.
To become a technical architect, it is necessary to have a bachelor’s degree in software development, computer science, business information systems, or any related field. You can also go for a master’s degree. Since a technical architect is a senior-level position, a master’s degree may be useful, although it is not mandatory.
Apart from educational qualifications, you can also get certifications. Certifications are a good way of validating your skills and knowledge in front of potential employers. Most employers also ask for extensive experience while hiring a technical architect. Experience in systems development, programming, and similar fields may give you an edge over other candidates.
The role of a technical architect is versatile. As their responsibilities expect them to be highly skilled in both the managerial and technical side of businesses, technical architects must have many hard and soft skills.
Here are some of the hard skills technical architects must have to do their job successfully.
Now let us discuss these hard skills in detail.
Technical architects are IT professionals responsible for designing and implementing IT systems in an organization. As such, they must have advanced IT knowledge to help them develop solutions and troubleshoot problems.
Technical architects take charge of the entire project from beginning to end, making it necessary for them to have security skills and knowledge. They must ensure that the system remains safe through appropriate security measures and maintain its integrity.
One of the primary responsibilities of technical architects is to assist design and development teams while designing IT systems. They must be skilled in systems design to do so. Technical architects also work with clients and stakeholders to understand their vision of the systems. Their knowledge of systems design helps them translate that vision into real life.
Visualization is another crucial skill for technical architects. They work with clients to design a system that meets their needs and vision; this is where their visualization skills come in handy. They must be skilled in understanding the criteria set by clients and plan the system accordingly.
Technical architects use programming languages to do their work. Therefore, they must be skilled in languages such as JavaScript, Oracle, C#, and SAP. They must also be familiar with networking systems and hardware.
Now, let us talk about the soft skills technical architects must have.
Technical architects communicate with many people to do their job successfully. This includes interacting with stakeholders, clients, senior IT professionals, and development teams. Therefore, they must have excellent communication skills. They must be able to interact and explain technical details to clients with limited systems knowledge.
Problem-solving is a crucial part of technical architects’ jobs. They are responsible for creating creative solutions to their client’s and organizations’ problems. Expert problem-solving skills will help them find quick and cost-efficient solutions and build systems effectively.
Technical architects oversee the progress of a system’s development. They function as a project manager and supervise teams during system design, implementation, and maintenance. Therefore, they must have good time management skills that help them meet deadlines, delegate tasks efficiently, and meet the needs of their clients.
Technical architects have many responsibilities that can often lead to high-pressure situations. Therefore, they must have the ability to work and thrive under pressure. They should be able to meet deadlines and produce excellent results.
Technical architects are also responsible for leading IT operations in their organizations. They are the bridge between the business and technical aspects. This can only happen if they have the necessary leadership skills that help them communicate and supervise the execution of tasks.
Technical architects work in collaboration with other IT professionals. To ensure successful collaboration, they must thrive in a team and work toward executing systems together.
There are more specialized roles under the technical architect umbrella. If you are looking for a more specific and specialized role in the field of technical architecture, here are some of them.
While we have tried to describe the roles of these positions in a few words, the scope is much wider. You can explore these roles to determine if they match your needs.
According to AmbitionBox, technical architects earn an average annual salary of Rs. 22 lakhs. The salary ranges between Rs. 14 lakhs to Rs. 36 lakhs and increases with experience and skills.
The technical architect is a senior-level position. To reach this position, you will need to gain experience, skills, and knowledge in IT. Many people begin their careers in areas such as solutions, systems development, or programming. Since technical architects are also skilled in the managerial side of the business, it is integral to develop the necessary soft skills, including leadership and collaborative skills.
As for the career outlook, technical architects can work their way up to get senior architecture positions and even become CTO. However, all of this depends on their expertise and skills.
Now that you know the roles, responsibilities, and requirements of technical architects, you can decide whether the role suits you. If yes, you can follow these steps to become a technical architect.
The first step is to complete your education. Get your bachelor’s in computer science, information technology, or a related field. You can also get a master’s degree. However, remember that you cannot become a technical architect straight from university. You will need the experience to climb up to the role.
The second step is to develop the skills necessary for a technical architect. The skills we have discussed in this post are must-haves for technical architects. You can build them by working in the field for a few years. You can also do training and online courses to expand your skill set.
Certifications are highly valuable in the IT sector. Fortunately, many certifications can help you learn the skills and technical knowledge architects must have. These include The Open Group Architectural Framework certification, Certified Master Scrum certification, and MCSE.
Once you have gained experience and skills, start building your resume and portfolio. Highlight your experiences and skills in the resume. If you have done any certification, mention it. Use online job platforms to look for jobs.
Once you get an interview, the recruitment process may involve screening by recruiters and multiple rounds of interviews (including personal and technical interviews). The key to cracking interviews is being confident about your knowledge and skills.
Certifications are highly valuable in the IT industry as they validate your expertise and skills in the specific field. Many employers consider certifications as a crucial part of the hiring process. Thus, they also give you an edge over other candidates.
Technical architects need many skills to excel in their work. Here are some certifications that can help you in your journey to becoming a technical architect.
The TOGAF certification validates the holder’s expertise and knowledge of the TOGAF enterprise architecture framework. This framework is used by organizations worldwide and is useful for technical architects, senior solution architects, and senior architects. The certification has to be renewed every two years.
This certification validates the holder’s ability to use the Scrum framework for project management. CSM certification holders are experts in Scrum values, practices, and applications and help their teams use Scrum to achieve their goals. It is also useful for software engineers, project managers, and business analysts.
This is an intermediate-level certification beneficial for solutions and enterprise architects. BCS Foundation Certificate covers the fundamentals of architecture, the role of architects in the IT industry, the importance of business-IT alignment, and subdomains of enterprise and solutions architecture, among other topics.
Apart from these certifications, here are some others that may prove useful for aspiring technical architects.
Technical architects work as a team to design, implement, and maintain systems for an organization. They are in high demand as they are an integral part of organizations. The path to becoming a technical architect may be long, but the efforts and hard work are worth it.
In this blog, we have discussed all the important details of a technical architect. If you believe this role is what you are looking for, go ahead and start your journey. For certification training, you can take any course training from our website. Hone your skills and get certifications to prove your potential to prospective employers.
Avni Singh has a PhD in Machine Learning and is an Artificial Intelligence developer, researcher, practitioner, and educator as well as an Open Source Software developer, with over 7 years in the industry.
