Workforce Modernization Architect
Career Team is looking for a Workforce Modernization Architect who designs solutions around people, processes, and compliance; not code. Many of Career Team's customers run federally funded workforce development programs. These programs must submit reports to federal agencies in strictly defined formats, such as the WIOA Participant Individual Record Layout (PIRL), and follow detailed logic rules. You'll make sure our government software platform is built to meet those requirements from the start, translate federal reporting specifications into clear business rules, work with technical teams to make sure the system calculates and formats data correctly, and help customers submit accurate, on-time reports.
Role Overview:
Own federal reporting requirements. Interpret federal reporting specifications, data standards, and program guidance, with a focus on PIRL and related U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Education reporting. Turn them into detailed functional requirements.
Define reporting logic. Write clear, testable business rules for how the system must calculate each reported value. This includes:
Reporting periods and date ranges
Who counts in each reporting population, including participants, exiters, and co-enrollments across WIOA titles (Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV)
Unduplicated counts and deduplication
Enrollment, program participation, and exit logic
Age and status calculated as of specific dates
Handling of missing, refused, or conflicting data
Specify output formats. Document required file layouts, field definitions, code lists, ordering, and file naming conventions (CSV, XML, fixed-width, or agency-specific templates) so exports pass federal validation the first time.
Solve compliance issues. Find the root cause of reporting and compliance problems, whether they come from system logic, data entry, or unclear guidance, and lead them through to a documented fix.
Resolve ambiguity. Identify gaps or contradictions in federal guidance. Research agency FAQs, TEGLs, and technical assistance resources. Document how the system handles edge cases and the reasoning behind each decision.
Lead testing and quality assurance. Build test scenarios and expected results for reporting logic. Partner with QA to review system outputs against specifications and federal validation tools, such as DOL's WIPS edit checks. Trace errors back to the rule or data that caused them.
Bridge state case management systems. Apply your knowledge of how different state case management systems capture and structure participant data. Anticipate integration, mapping, and consistency challenges across customers in multiple states.
Track regulatory change. Monitor updates to federal specifications, PIRL versions, and reporting cycles. Assess how changes affect the system and customers, and plan updates ahead of deadlines.
Build data quality in. Recommend intake workflows, required fields, and validation checks that keep bad data out of the system, instead of fixing it at report time.
Support customers during reporting cycles. Help program staff understand their reports, troubleshoot validation errors, and answer questions from grant managers, monitors, and auditors.
Qualifications:
Experience in workforce development, including programmatic experience in at least one WIOA program: Title I (Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth), Title II (Adult Education and Family Literacy), Title III (Wagner-Peyser Employment Service), Title IV (Vocational Rehabilitation), or Title V (Senior Community Service Employment Program)
Hands-on experience with PIRL and federal reporting for grant-funded programs
Hands-on experience with more than one state case management system
Experience with government software, either as a user, implementer, or administrator in a public-sector setting
Grant management experience, including an understanding of how reporting ties to performance, funding, and compliance
A proven ability to read and interpret technical federal specifications and translate them into precise, unambiguous requirements
Strong logical reasoning. You're comfortable expressing rules as clear conditions (if/then logic, inclusion and exclusion criteria, date calculations) and working through edge cases methodically
Familiarity with testing and quality assurance practices, including writing test cases and validating report outputs against expected results
Meticulous attention to detail. You understand that a single miscounted field or formatting error can cause a report to be rejected or put funding at risk
Comfort working in spreadsheets to check counts, reconcile numbers, and trace discrepancies
Nice to have:
Familiarity with Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) and general grants compliance
Experience with additional federal reporting systems or data standards, such as WIPS, NRS, RSA-911, HMIS, CAREWare, or Sage
Experience working with federal agencies, state workforce agencies, or their technical assistance providers
Basic SQL or reporting-tool experience for querying data during validation (helpful, not required)
Background as a program administrator, grants manager, or data analyst at a federally funded agency or local workforce development board
What success looks like:
In 30 days: You know our platform, the state systems our customers use, and the federal reporting requirements they rely on most, starting with PIRL.
In 90 days: You're writing reporting logic specifications and test cases on your own. You're leading requirements conversations with customers, engineers, and QA.
In 6 months: Customer reports pass federal validation reliably. Compliance issues are resolved at the root cause. Specification changes are planned ahead of deadlines. Sales and implementation teams rely on you as the go-to expert for compliance-heavy workforce deals.
About Career Team: