Solutions Architect - FHIR
Job Status: Full time exempt
Location: Hybrid (Bethesda, MD)
About the Company:
EMI Advisors LLC (EMI) is a digital transformation firm that operationalizes disruptive technologies for mission impact. We provide end-to-end strategic, operational, and technical advisory services, working with our client partners across the defense, health and human services, and information technology sectors. We provide end-to-end strategic, operational, and technical advisory services, working with our client partners across the defense, health and human services, and information technology sectors. It is our privilege to design and build solutions that improve the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and societies.
EMI Advisors values candidates with a growth mindset, believing your talents can be developed through hard work, smart strategies, and input from others.
About the Role:
EMI Advisors is seeking a Solutions Architect – FHIR to lead the design and delivery of standards-based health data exchange solutions for our government clients. In this role, you will serve as the senior technical voice on client engagements — architecting FHIR-based interoperability solutions, coaching client and vendor technical teams, and translating complex policy and program requirements into implementable technical designs. This is a hands-on advisory position that blends deep FHIR expertise with the consulting skills to guide state and federal stakeholders through modernization of their health data systems. You'll join a collaborative, mission-driven team where your work directly improves how health and human services data flows to the people and programs that need it.
Key Responsibilities:
Serve as lead solutions architect for client health data exchange initiatives, designing end-to-end FHIR-based interoperability solutions spanning source systems, FHIR servers, APIs, and downstream consumer applications.
Design, develop, and maintain FHIR R4 resources, profiles, and mappings in conformance with HL7 implementation guides (e.g., eLTSS, US Core), including translating program and policy requirements into FHIR data structures.
Coach and advise client technical teams (state IT staff, system integrators, and vendor partners) on FHIR implementation practices, including API design, authentication and authorization patterns (OAuth 2.0, mTLS, SMART on FHIR), patient identification and matching strategies, and conformance testing.
Provide architectural oversight for adjacent health data capabilities, including clinical quality language (CQL), terminology services and code system management (e.g., LOINC, SNOMED CT, value set maintenance), and bulk FHIR/analytics pipelines. Hands-on expertise is not required, but the architect must know enough to scope the work, identify and evaluate specialized resources, and manage their delivery effectively.
Provide architectural guidance on DevSecOps practices across health and non-health client environments, including secure SDLC, CI/CD, environment management, release and version management, monitoring, and incident response.
Advise clients on data governance, security, and compliance considerations, including HIPAA, audit logging, access controls, and consent-related requirements for health engagements, and comparable regulatory frameworks in other domains.
Develop and review technical documentation and deliverables, including architecture diagrams, interface specifications, API onboarding guides, test plans, and technical assessment reports.
Lead or support integration and conformance testing with external trading partners (e.g., health information networks, provider organizations, EHR vendors), including troubleshooting connectivity, certificate, and data quality issues.
Represent the technical workstream in client-facing meetings, translating architecture and implementation detail for non-technical program and executive stakeholders.
Contribute technical content to proposals, roadmaps, and strategic planning deliverables, including modernization assessments and pre-implementation interface design.
Mentor and develop junior EMI technical staff, and contribute to building EMI's internal technical capabilities, reusable assets, and delivery practices across the firm.
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Health Informatics, or a related technical field.
7+ years of experience in solutions architecture, systems integration, or software development, with at least 3 years of hands-on FHIR implementation experience in health data exchange.
Deep working knowledge of HL7 FHIR R4, US Core, and domain-specific implementation guides; experience authoring or implementing against an HL7 IG strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience with API security architectures, including OAuth 2.0, mTLS certificate management, token-based authorization, and SMART on FHIR.
Practical experience with patient identity management and matching approaches (e.g., MPI/EMPI concepts, deterministic and probabilistic matching).
Working familiarity with CQL, terminology services, and standard code systems (LOINC, SNOMED CT, ICD-10, value set management) sufficient to scope requirements, select and direct specialist resources, and validate deliverables.
Working knowledge of DevSecOps practices and tooling, including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, secure configuration management, and application monitoring; experience in government or regulated cloud environments a plus. Ability to apply these practices outside health contexts is valued.
Proficiency in at least one modern development stack used for FHIR services (e.g., C#/.NET, Java, Node.js) and familiarity with FHIR server platforms (e.g., HAPI, Azure Health Data Services, Firely).
Experience advising or coaching client technical teams, ideally state or federal government IT organizations, with the ability to meet teams where they are and build internal capability rather than dependency.
Experience mentoring junior technical staff and contributing to internal practice or capability development.
Familiarity with health data privacy and compliance frameworks (HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2 awareness, state data governance requirements) and with federal interoperability policy (ONC certification criteria, CMS interoperability and prior authorization rules).
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain architectural decisions to non-technical program leadership.
Experience with Medicaid, HCBS, LTSS, or public health data systems strongly preferred.
Preferred Qualifications:
HL7 FHIR certification (e.g., HL7 FHIR Proficiency Certificate) or active participation in HL7 workgroups, accelerators (e.g., Gravity, Da Vinci), or connectathons.
Experience authoring FHIR Implementation Guides using FHIR Shorthand (FSH), SUSHI, and the IG Publisher.
Hands-on experience with FHIR conformance and certification testing tools (e.g., Inferno, Touchstone, AEGIS).
Cloud architecture certification (AWS, Azure, or GCP), with experience deploying health data workloads in FedRAMP or StateRAMP-authorized environments.
Familiarity with TEFCA, QHINs, and health information exchange (HIE) network participation
Experience with eLTSS, HCBS, or Medicaid Enterprise Systems (MES) modularity and CMS certification (SMC/OBC) processes.
Prior consulting experience supporting state or federal government clients, including proposal development.
Master's degree in a relevant technical or health informatics field.
Active public trust clearance or ability to obtain one.
Benefits and Perks:
Flexible work schedule
401(k)
Health Benefits
Medical & Dental Insurance
Short-term Disability
Tuition Assistance
Referral Program
Paid Time-Off
EMI Advisors is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. EMI Advisors makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. For more information, please email hello@emiadvisors.net.
Please let us know if you require accommodations or have questions during the application or interview process by emailing us at hello@emiadvisors.net.
