[Hiring] Architect (Java, Kubernetes, AWS, Gen AI, Agentic AI) @Empower

Role Description

An Architect within the technology organization will provide thought leadership and direction in aligning projects and solutions to a technology vision they will help evolve. This role works closely with business partners and technology leadership in the assessment of business initiatives and their impact on current technology, modernization efforts, and change management. The role will entail developing technology strategies, reference architectures, solutions, best practices, and guidance across the entire IT development organization; with particular focus on total cost of ownership, stability, scale, and performance.

In this rapid-paced environment, the person must possess a "can-do" attitude while demonstrating a strong work ethic. This person should have a strong aptitude to help drive decisions. He or she will be actively involved in influencing the strategic direction of technology at Empower and Great West Financial. There will be collaboration across teams including IT Infrastructure, PMO office, Business, and third-party integrators in reviewing, evaluating, designing, and implementing solutions.

The Architect must understand the available technology options and educate and influence technology teams to leverage them where appropriate. The Architect will recognize and propose alternatives, make recommendations, and describe any necessary trade-offs. In most cases, the Architect will lead the design and implementation of end-to-end solutions directly with the development teams.

The ideal candidate will leverage their technical aptitude and direction-setting skills with the development organization to prove out technical concepts quickly using a variety of tools, methods, & frameworks.

• Help define and execute on the business aligned data strategy and vision.
• Develop, document, and provide input into the technology roadmap for Empower and Great West Financial.
• Create Reference Architectures that demonstrate an understanding of significant components and the relationships between them.
• Maintain a high level of skill in various application deployment and workload architectures, such as:
  • Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
  • Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS)
  • Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
• Connect data strategy to integration protocols and technologies, such as REST & resource-oriented design, OData, and API Gateways.
• Design and modernize complex data architectures into cloud compatible or cloud native data solutions where applicable. Create strategies and designs for migrating data to cloud systems.
• Participate in the evaluation of new technologies, integration options, challenge the status quo, create solid business cases, and influence direction while establishing partnerships with key constituencies.
• Implement best practices, standards & guidance, then subsequently provide coaching of technology team members.
• Make leadership recommendations regarding strategic architectural considerations related to data design and process.
• Provide strong leadership and direction in development/engineering practices.
• Collaborate with other business and technology teams on architecture and design issues.
• Respond to evolving and changing security conditions. Implement and recommend security guidelines.
• Provide thought-leadership, advocacy, articulation, assurance, and maintenance of the Enterprise Architecture discipline.

Qualifications

• Technical bachelor's degree (e.g. computer science, IS, engineering, math, etc.) or a non-technical bachelor's degree (e.g. Business).
• 5+ years of experience in the development and delivery of database systems.
• 3+ years of experience creating solution architectures and strategies across multiple architecture domains (business, application, data, integration, infrastructure, and security).
• Solid experience with three or more of the following technology disciplines:
  • SOA & Microservices design
  • Cloud Architectures
  • Big Data/Advanced Analytics
  • Data Warehouse systems
  • Advanced Programming
  • Modern Integration Methods (API Gateway/Web Services, Messaging & RESTful architectures)
  • NoSQL
  • Client-side Development (e.g. Web and/or Mobile)
• Expertise in addressing architectural cross-cutting concerns and their trade-offs, including topics such as caching, monitoring, operational surround, high availability, security, etc.
• Demonstrates competency applying architecture frameworks and development methods.
• Strong knowledge of data modeling, security patterns, and integration methods.
• Experience with DevOps processes and tools.
• Understanding of business process analysis and business process management (BPM).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrates continuous learning of new technologies.
• Self-motivated individual that thrives in a team environment.
• Financial industry expertise preferred (Investments, Asset Management, etc.).

Company Description

We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, religion, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable state or local law.