AVP Enterprise Architecture

About the role

Architects are responsible for leading the creation and implementation of an Enterprise Architecture and associated artifacts (e.g., Technology backlog). They ensure the technical direction of applications and solutions both within and across business area portfolios aligns strongly with the business strategy. Architects liaise with other technical leaders to ensure technical standards, frameworks, and processes are applicable across multiple applications or business capability areas. They drive a cost-effective IT portfolio through enterprise reuse, evaluate products and tools, and ensure the Target State Enterprise Architecture is reactive, adaptable, and maintainable.

Architects provide the link between the Target State Enterprise Architecture Strategy/Roadmap and Delivery Teams, ensuring strategic architecture is realized and informed by implementation learnings. They manage multiple executive stakeholders within IT and assigned operating companies, lead architects or technical leaders, and are recognized as thought leaders in architecture by senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Ultimately responsible for the correct implementation across the enterprise of architectural standards definition, compliance, and governance.
• Mentor Principal and Senior employees within their Domain to ensure strong architecture practice and increase their skill set.
• Manage Architects within their Domain when required.
• Collaborate with multiple business and technical stakeholders to create, maintain, and iteratively implement a sustainable and future-proof set of Technology Roadmaps.
• Collaborate with Chief Product Owners and Business Strategy Consultants to align business and technology strategies, ensuring realization of business capabilities through Enterprise Architecture.
• Resolve architectural uncertainties through prioritization, planning, and execution of architectural sprints; reprioritize Technology Roadmap and portfolio backlogs based on outcomes.
• Collaborate with Architects across the Enterprise to ensure standardized, efficient, high-quality, architecturally sound tactical implementations of technology roadmaps.
• Responsible for design-time (code coverage, complexity, etc.) and runtime (performance, stability, scalability) quality of architectural designs and implemented applications and solutions across the Enterprise.
• Further business goals through evaluation, assessment, and comparison of emergent technology within or across business area portfolios, including prototyping, proof of concept work, and vendor engagement.
• Coordinate or participate in tool, technology, and service selection, risk assessments, and sunsetting in conjunction with technical and business stakeholders, ensuring consistency with business needs and architectural sustainability.
• Ensure Enterprise Architecture is operational, agile, measurable, and operable within Continuous Build and Deploy for both internal and external implementers.
• Coordinate the identification and assessment of new and emerging hardware, software, and communication technologies, products, methods, and techniques; evaluate their relevance for the organization and provide regular briefings to leadership, management, and staff.
• Actively monitor for and seek opportunities, new methods, and trends in IT capabilities and products to advance the organization; stay abreast of external trends and new functionality from third-party/cloud solutions, identifying opportunities for expanded business applicability and reporting their benefits.
• Recognize potential strategic applications of IT and initiate investigation and development of innovative methods to exploit IT assets for the benefit of the organization and community.
• Play a leading role in improving interaction and understanding between the business and IT.
• Champion Architecture, Technology, and Innovation across the Enterprise through various modes of communication, with a focus on the Development Community.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent relevant experience; Master’s degree preferred.
• Demonstrates an understanding of strategic issues and is an authority on the systems development life-cycle and typical problems associated with the implementation of information systems, from initial concept through development, implementation, operation, and support.
• Proven experience leading value stream mapping and business capability definition.
• Familiarity with ArchiMate as a modeling language for enterprise architecture is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with BizzDesign for enterprise architecture modeling is desired.
• Detailed practical knowledge of the organization’s IT infrastructure and software development and maintenance methods, tools, and techniques.
• Conversant with the organization’s IT strategy, policies, and standards.
• Sound knowledge of risk assessment, change management, configuration management, reliability, and safety methods, and the use of metrics; skilled in project risk management.
• Ability to effectively articulate architecture to technical and business audiences.
• Communicates persuasively and effectively to business and technical audiences.
• Good knowledge of key areas of the organization that could benefit from the application of technology.
• Able to envisage the business potential of emerging technologies and products.
• Current in understanding of both developer trends and emerging technologies.
• Sound knowledge of Agile/Lean development methodologies and Continuous Deployment Tools and Techniques; ensures overall Enterprise Architecture Designs and Tool/Vendor selections facilitate and/or support these techniques.

Benefits

Unum provides access to benefits and resources to help employees invest in themselves, including:

• Onsite fitness facilities.
• Generous paid time off.
• Employee professional development programs.
• Healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental).
• Insurance benefits (short- and long-term disability).
• Performance-based incentive plans.
• 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 5% and an additional 4.5% contribution regardless of employee contribution.

All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of individual Plans.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is $133,500.00–$274,100.00. Actual pay will be based on skill, geographical location, and experience.