Would You Take This Job? GIS Application Architect

GIS Application Architect

Employer: The Burchell Group Inc.
Location: Austin, TX
Pay: $75–$90 / hr
Type: Contract — GIS architect / development lead

What You’ll Do

  • Lead design and governance of ArcGIS-based enterprise solutions for mapping Medicaid/CHIP clients and provider data.

  • Architect geospatial data workflows, metadata standards, and integration with enterprise systems (SQL Server geodatabases, Snowflake integrations where applicable).

  • Oversee development of web mapping, spatial analytics, and dashboards; mentor GIS analysts and developers.

  • Coordinate requirements, data governance, and quality-assurance with stakeholders and external partners.

  • Drive advanced spatial analysis (HEC, network analysis, GeoAI/ML use cases) and present technical deliverables to leadership.

Why It Stands Out

  • High hourly rate for a senior, hands-on ArcGIS architect with leadership and public-health data focus.

  • Opportunity to shape enterprise geospatial governance and influence analytics used for Medicaid/CHIP program delivery.

  • Role combines technical architecture, mentoring, and strategic stakeholder work across health and government sectors.

Potential Trade-offs

  • Contract role (variable duration/benefits) — confirm length and renewal potential.

  • Requires deep, specific toolset (ArcGIS Enterprise/Pro, SQL Server geodatabases, Python, SQL) and 7+ years’ experience — narrow candidate pool.

  • Likely high expectations for stakeholder coordination, documentation, and timely delivery in a public-sector context.

Qualifications / Requirements

  • Bachelor’s/Master’s in Geography, GIS, CS, Public Health, or related field.

  • 7+ years GIS experience with ≥3 years in lead/architect roles; expert ArcGIS (ArcGIS Pro, Enterprise) skills.

  • 5+ years with SQL Server geodatabases; strong Python and SQL proficiency.

  • Experience in geospatial governance, metadata standards, and stakeholder engagement.

  • Preferred: Medicaid/public-health domain knowledge, Esri certifications, Snowflake experience, GeoAI/ML familiarity.

Perks / Benefits

  • High pay for senior contract work and exposure to impactful public-health analytics projects; opportunities to mentor and lead technical teams.

Here is the link to view more job details or apply.

Would You Take This Job? — How appealing is a senior ArcGIS architect role focused on Medicaid/public-health data at a high contract rate?

Did a similar Medicaid/CHIP build last year — the “governance of ArcGIS-based enterprise solutions” part lives or dies on locking down a canonical provider ID and address standard early; otherwise , every ETL turns into dedupe hell. If you take it, insist on a HIPAA-safe staging zone and automated QA in the pipeline (Data Reviewer or Great Expectations) plus clear ownership with the data stewards; Esri’s enterprise patterns here are solid: https://enterprise.arcgis.com/. Rate feels light for an architect in Austin, so I’d push for the top of the band or a roadmap commitment — what’s the contract length?

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I’d take it if you can set strict privacy guardrails: keep PHI behind the warehouse via DB views and only publish aggregated hex bins — “never map fewer than 5 members” — per HHS de-ID guidance (https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/special-topics/de-identification/index.html). Also, require a frozen locator for provider geocoding so results are reproducible; nobody wants a heat map that shifts week to week. If they insist on client-level feature layers in Portal, push back and use join-only views.

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