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What does an Architect do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted Expert
Dak Kopec Ph.D.
What does an Architect do

Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users. They ensure that every structure is functional, safe, cost-effective, and suit the needs of the future occupants. They closely monitor the working progress to make sure that the project is built according to plan. Some architects are focused mainly on creating designs while some are exclusive in the production of building plans or "blueprints".

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Architect responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real architect resumes:

  • Manage Daimler resources for development of RFC programs
  • Manage overall testing activities withing the group including functinal, system and regression testing.
  • Manage the company website using HTML and CSS to produce an easily read website that customers can access more intuitively.
  • Manage GitLab and Jenkins deployment environment to support automate AWS- development software builds.
  • Lead re-architecture and implementation of cloud solution for enterprise auto-backup of individual computing devices.
  • Provide insight and manage all technology relate aspects with presentations and communications at Sr. management and CxO level.
  • Design dynamic user interfaces using AJAX and JQuery to retrieve data without reloading the page and send asynchronous request.
  • Maintain Jenkins continuous integration infrastructure and automate releases to DEV/TEST/STG/PROD environments.
  • Raise and follow up for SR & RFC to oracle support.
  • Used PGP modules and SFTP adapter.
  • Involve in migrating data warehouse to Hadoop platform.
  • Involve in oracle CDH MDM gross root analysis.
  • Implement Ajax function to load data dynamically onto drop down.
  • Establish HTTP error code base fault response mechanism for APIs.
  • Perform analysis and design for RFP responses and new projects.

Architect skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Architects are proficient in Cloud, Java, and Infrastructure. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Architects that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Cloud, 10%

    Directed and drafted Athene cloud strategy to provide guidance and foothold into Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service while providing oversight to Software-as-a-Service implementations.

  • Java, 8%

    Developed Java applications and tools to continuously improve and enhance the automation framework's deployment, execution and reporting mechanisms.

  • Infrastructure, 7%

    Managed technical architects for development and support of existing and new terminal platforms to support Walmart mobile and batch application infrastructure.

  • Azure, 5%

    Developed and configured BizTalk Service in Windows Azure for messaging connectivity for pharmacies with a drug manufacturer.

  • AWS, 5%

    Implemented detective controls to identify potential security incidents, threat identification and response both automated and manual using AWS Cloud watch.

  • Digital Transformation, 5%

    Work closely with clients on digital transformation initiatives- achieve business goals for B2C/B2B Omni-channel growth.

Common skills that an architect uses to do their job include "cloud," "java," and "infrastructure." You can find details on the most important architect responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an architect to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "architects must understand the content of designs and the context in which they were created." Architects often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed data environments integration for statistical/predictive reporting with r, python and java. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform architect duties is communication skills. Architects responsibilities require that "architects share their ideas, both in oral presentations and in writing, with clients, other architects, and workers who help prepare drawings." Architects also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "configured java keystore for ssl communication. "

Creativity. This is an important skill for architects to perform their duties. For an example of how architect responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "architects design the overall look of houses, buildings, and other structures." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an architect: "integrate front-end creative utilizing dhtml, javascript, html5, css3 and ajax with jquery apis. ".

Organizational skills. A big part of what architects do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to architect responsibilities because "architects often manage contracts." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical architect tasks: "mentored individual contributors, developed and proliferated organizational bkms, developed and implemented organizational infrastructure improvements to enable group projected growth. "

Technical skills. Another crucial skill for an architect to carry out their responsibilities is "technical skills." A big part of what architects relies on this skill, since "architects need to use cadd technology to create plans as part of building information modeling (bim)." How this skill relates to architect duties can be seen in an example from an architect resume snippet: "developed a web based fleet management system technical: spring mvc, core java, tomcat, quartz scheduler, hibernate oracle"

Visualization skills. Lastly, "visualization skills" is an important element of what an architect does. Architect responsibilities require this skill because "architects must be able to envision how the parts of a structure relate to each other." This resume example highlights how architect duties rely on this skill: "read data from elasticsearch for visualization using java for the honeypot work. "

See the full list of architect skills

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Compare different architects

Architect vs. Job captain

A Job Captain is responsible for overseeing the drafting process of a project and completing outstanding items or tasks that remain to be accomplished. They take direction from the Project Manager, the Project Architect, and/or the Architect of Record.

We looked at the average architect salary and compared it with the wages of a job captain. Generally speaking, job captains are paid $15,588 lower than architects per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both architect and job captain positions are skilled in project management, design development, and revit.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an architect are more likely to require skills like "cloud," "java," "infrastructure," and "azure." On the other hand, a job as a job captain requires skills like "autocad," "bim," "project design," and "architectural design." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Job captains really shine in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $76,826. Comparatively, architects tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $111,725.The education levels that job captains earn slightly differ from architects. In particular, job captains are 7.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an architect. Additionally, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Architect vs. Senior solutions architect

Senior Solutions Architects are responsible for creating programs or systems that would address the clients' needs. They are expected to be familiar with different tools and systems. This would help them create the best solutions for their clients. Senior Solutions Architects are technologically-savvy. They are expected to be updated with the current trends and innovations in technology. They should also be familiar with these innovations in case these innovations are needed in the company. Senior Solutions Architects are expected to have experience in solving different technical and technological challenges. They should have a solutions-driven mindset.

Senior solutions architect positions earn higher pay than architect roles. They earn a $38,657 higher salary than architects per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Architects and senior solutions architects both require similar skills like "cloud," "java," and "infrastructure" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, architect responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "c++," "design development," "revit," and "team-oriented environment." Meanwhile, a senior solutions architect has duties that require skills in areas such as "analytics," "sr," "solution architecture," and "healthcare." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, senior solutions architects earn a higher salary than architects. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, senior solutions architects earn the most pay in the start-up industry with an average salary of $139,751. Whereas architects have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $111,725.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Senior solutions architects tend to reach similar levels of education than architects. In fact, they're 2.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Architects in the next 3-5 years?

Dak Kopec Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Coordinator, BA Interior Architecture and Design and Master of Design Program, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

COVID-19 has changed the playing field, and future skills will need to include creative ways to use materials and systems for enhanced infection control. This will consist of thinking differently about ventilation systems, space planning, and material specifications.

Architect vs. Architectural internship

The job of architectural interns is to assist an architect with all aspects of architectural work. Their duties and responsibilities may include maintaining project files, conducting research on construction sites such as zoning laws and regulations, and preparing presentations for clients. They are also expected to create 3D models and do drafting. The skills and qualifications required for this role include a degree in architecture or a related field, in-depth knowledge of 3D modeling software such as Autodesk and AutoCAD, and hand drafting skills.

On average scale, architectural interns bring in lower salaries than architects. In fact, they earn a $32,721 lower salary per year.By looking over several architects and architectural interns resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "java," "project management," and "revit." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from architect resumes include skills like "cloud," "infrastructure," "azure," and "aws," whereas an architectural internship is more likely to list skills in "auto cad," "powerpoint," "bim," and "adobe photoshop. "

Architectural interns make a very good living in the professional industry with an average annual salary of $58,087. On the other hand, architects are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $111,725.Most architectural interns achieve a lower degree level compared to architects. For example, they're 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Architect vs. Architectural consultant

An architectural consultant is an individual who owns or works for an independent architecture or multidisciplinary design firm to develop innovative building design solutions. The essential skills that an architectural consultant should possess to accomplish his/her or her responsibilities include good creative ability and strong organizational, technical, and visualization skills. The education requirements for the job include possessing a college degree in architecture, business, or a related field.

Architectural consultants tend to earn a lower pay than architects by an average of $13,749 per year.While both architects and architectural consultants complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like cloud, java, and azure, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between architects and architectural consultants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an architect might have more use for skills like "infrastructure," "digital transformation," "c++," and "project management." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of architectural consultants require skills like "design solutions," "business problems," "data architecture," and "technical support. "

In general, architectural consultants earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $110,423. The highest-paying industry for an architect is the technology industry.In general, architectural consultants hold similar degree levels compared to architects. Architectural consultants are 0.6% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of architect

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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