Principal Enterprise Architect

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Business-outcome focused not just technology driven.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and complexity.
• Able to challenge the status quo constructively.
• Collaborative mindset aligned with Northwestern Mutual's culture of mutual success and long-term value creation.

• Flexible work schedules
• Concierge service
• Comprehensive benefits
• Employee resource groups

What We Do

You’ll Like It Here At Northwestern Mutual we believe that our lives and our work matter. And that doing what’s right is good for everyone. We follow through by designing tech that improves the community and cultivating creative ways to make finance accessible anywhere. These guiding principles have allowed our company to grow for more than 160 years. Here you’ll be with a team who emphasizes integrity and prioritizes security to design experiences that better everyone. You’ll work in cross functional teams to create optimal solutions that are rooted in innovative strategy and thoughtful execution. And you’re provided development tools and opportunities to become a leader all with the support of a collaborative team. You’ll be surrounded in a culture that values innovation and works to always evolve to stay ahead of trends and client needs. We are intentional in seeking out team members who will challenge us. Our employees choose us for the career opportunities commitment to philanthropy and desire to have a meaningful impact in the lives of our clients. You have career passions and goals. We have ambition and opportunity for you to grow your future in tech. Discover today: https://careers.northwesternmutual.com/

Why Work With Us

We invest in our people. We know careers are about choices so we provide intentional opportunity. Here you can build creative ways to make finance accessible anywhere and revolutionize traditional processes. As a mutual company our focus is our people — whether professional development or investments in the community. 

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