Information Technology Consultant – CCoE

OVERVIEW:

The Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS) Office of Information Technology (MaineIT) provides information technology support to over 13,000 employees. MaineIT oversees large-scale enterprise applications that support the critical and diverse business needs of the State and its agencies.

This position is part of the Cloud Center of Excellence, a new business unit within the Office of Information Technology. The program is essential for identifying and overseeing the implementation of robust IT solutions that enable the State to innovate, grow, and operate efficiently in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. In this role, you will collaborate with agency partners and technical teams to ensure investments in technology will provide the best overall value for the State while maintaining scalability, security, and high-performance solutions that align with industry best practices.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES WILL BE:

• Develop scalable, resilient, and secure cloud architectures across public, private, and hybrid to align with MaineIT's broader Enterprise Architecture framework, while meeting the State's strategic and business objectives.
• Identify system and process improvements to ensure scalability, security, compliance, and high-performance solutions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs to identify technical solutions, and facilitate communication between technical teams and vendors.
• Provide technical guidance in system integrations, cloud computing, and application design, ensuring future-proof and cost-effective technology investments.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, assess risks, and recommend innovations that enhance operational efficiency and align with MaineIT policies.
• Advise IT and business stakeholders when developing technology RFP's, technology contracts, amendments and statements of work. Participate in evaluating technology solutions based on MaineIT and regulatory compliance standards.
• Collaborate with finance, procurement, and business teams to foster cost awareness, establish guardrails, and promote accountability.
• Establish and enforce standards, policies, and frameworks for consistency, security, resilience, performance, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and recommend policies, operating procedures, and technology assessment frameworks to support technology solutions.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

Knowledge:

• Deep knowledge of leading public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI), with multicloud and hybrid cloud experience to maximize flexibility and manage vendor lock-in.
• Software Development & Integration – Understanding of application design, development methodologies, APIs, and system integration best practices.
• Infrastructure as code (IaC) and automation — Solid understanding of IaC tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible), their capabilities, use cases, and strategic value for automation.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance – Familiarity with security frameworks (NIST 800-53, ISO 27001) and regulatory compliance (HIPAA, CJIS, GDPR, etc.).
• IT Governance & Policies – Experience with IT governance structures, procurement policies, and regulatory requirements on State and Federal levels.
• Cloud financial management (FinOps) — Ability to monitor, manage, and optimize cloud spend using FinOps practices and tools.
• System architecture, HA/DR — Expertise in designing scalable, reliable, and resilient systems with redundancy, failover, and backup strategies in line with organization expectations and needs.
• Data management — Understanding of data lakes, analytics, governance, life cycle, and compliance in cloud environments, while guiding teams on best practices and appropriate tooling selection.
• AI architectures — Knowledge of designing cloud environments for AI/ML workloads, data pipelines, and AI service integration — enabling scalable, secure, and efficient AI adoption.
• Project & Portfolio Management – Understanding of Agile, Scrum, and ITIL methodologies for managing technology investments.

Skills:

• Strategic Thinking & Problem-Solving – Ability to assess complex business challenges and design innovative technology solutions.
• Technical Leadership & Decision-Making – Strong leadership in guiding teams, ability to influence technicians and guide implementation on recommended architectural decisions.
• Communication & Stakeholder Engagement – Ability to translate technical concepts into business language for executives and non-technical audiences.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Teamwork – Experience working with IT teams, business leaders, and external vendors to drive successful initiatives, resolve challenges and ensure best practices are deployed.
• Risk Assessment & Management – Ability to evaluate technology risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Process Improvement & Optimization – Expertise in improving IT operations and aligning technology investments with business objectives.
• Assist in solution documentation, architecture diagrams and technical specifications.
• Contract & Procurement Expertise – Skills in reviewing, advising, and negotiating IT contracts, RFPs, and vendor agreements.

Abilities:

• Innovate & Adapt to Change – Capacity to stay ahead of technology trends and adjust strategies to meet evolving business and technology needs.
• Analyze & Interpret Data – Ability to assess IT performance metrics, financial implications, and business impact of technology investments.
• Manage Complexity – Navigate large-scale enterprise IT environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Lead & Influence – Inspire teams, advocate for best practices, and drive consensus among diverse groups.
• Ensure Compliance & Security – Maintain IT solutions that adhere to legal, regulatory, and security standards.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

A minimum of 10 years of a combination of related post-secondary education, technical certifications, or technology related work experience. Related training, internship experience etc. may be credited as related experience on a month-per-month basis.

Preference will be given to those applicants:

• Demonstrated technical writing and research experience in a work or academic environment publishing information reaching a diverse customer base.
• Familiar with the following:
• Cloud Computing & Infrastructure (AWS, Azure and Oracle)
• Networking Fundamentals
• Containers & Orchestration
• Microservices & API's
• CI/CD pipelines
• Identity & Access Management
• DevSecOps, OWASP Top 10
• Data & Storage Fundamentals
• Enterprise Integration & Middleware