Principal Enterprise Architect

About the role

The role bridges business vision and execution by aligning business strategy, operating models, and capabilities with technology platforms and architectural standards.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise architecture strategies, principles, standards, and target-state roadmaps that support Northwestern Mutual’s business objectives.
• Partner with technology, data, security, and platform teams to guide solution design and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Provide architectural oversight and consultation for major initiatives, transformations, and investment decisions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architectural patterns (e.g., cloud, API-based architectures, data platforms, AI enablement) and assess their business impact.
• Reduce technical complexity and risk by rationalizing applications, platforms, and integrations across the enterprise.
• Collaborate with risk, security, and compliance partners to ensure architectures meet regulatory and resiliency requirements common to financial services.
• Translate enterprise and business-unit strategies into clear business capabilities, value streams, and operating models.
• Develop and maintain business capability maps and link them to technology roadmaps and investment portfolios.
• Partner with business leaders, product owners, and transformation teams to clarify business outcomes, dependencies, and trade-offs.
• Support portfolio planning and prioritization by connecting strategic objectives to capabilities, initiatives, and technology investments.
• Enable business transformation by identifying capability gaps, redundancies, and opportunities for simplification or acceleration.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders across Northwestern Mutual.
• Facilitate architecture and strategy discussions that balance long-term vision with near-term execution.
• Communicate complex architectural and business concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor architects and contribute to the maturity of enterprise and business architecture practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or related technology leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience discovering and applying business architecture concepts such as capabilities, value streams, and information concepts.
• Experience working in large, complex enterprises; financial services, insurance, or wealth management experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of modern enterprise technologies (cloud platforms, integration patterns, data architectures, security).
• Proven ability to influence without authority and work effectively across organizational boundaries.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, SAFe, or similar).
• Exposure to business architecture practices or certifications (BIZBOK, IIBA, or equivalent).
• Experience supporting large-scale business or digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills.

Compensation

Pay Range - Start: $176,000.00 Pay Range - End $264,000.00 Structure 110 Geographic Specific Pay Structure: $193,600.00 USD - $290,400.00 USD Structure 115 $202,400.00 USD - $303,600.00 USD We believe in fairness and transparency. It’s why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process.