Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them.

Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself.

Job Summary:

At Empower, an Architect is in an elevated development position and thought leadership role. An Architect, working with both business and IT teams, will align solutions to the technology vision they help create. This role supports Sr. Architects in the development of technology strategies, reference architectures, solutions, best practices and guidance across the entire IT development organization; all the while addressing total cost of ownership, stability, performance and efficiency. The candidate will also be working with Empower Innovation Lab team as the team is experimenting with emerging technologies, such as Generative AI, and Advanced Analytics.

Responsibilities:

• Help Sr. Architects and peers define and execute on the business aligned IT strategy and vision.
• Develop, document, and provide input into the technology roadmap for Empower Retirement and Great West Financial.
• Create Reference Architectures that demonstrate an understanding of technology components and the relationships between them.
• Leverage knowledge of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), including microservices where appropriate, to deliver solutions.
• 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) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).
• Ensure that IT understands how to leverage various integration protocols and technologies, such as REST & resource-oriented design, OData and API Gateways.
• Design and modernize complex systems into cloud compatible or cloud native applications where applicable. Create strategies and designs for migrating application to cloud systems.
• Participate in the evaluation of new applications, technical 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 process design and process orchestration.
• 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.
• Provide solution, guidance, and implementation assistance within Full stack development teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 12+ years of experience in the development and delivery of software systems.
• 3+ years of experience creating solution architectures and strategies across multiple architecture domains (business, application, data, integration, infrastructure and security).
• 3+ years of experience developing in the following technologies: AWS, Java (Spring, SpringBoot), Web Services (JSON/XML), RESTful architectures, AWS API Gateway, Lambda, NodeJS, Python.
• Experience in Amazon Connect from AWS or any other contact center service or IVR systems.
• Preferred candidates with AWS Solution Architect Certification.
• Solid experience with one 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 experience in Web and/or Mobile technologies.
• Good understanding of front-end and web frameworks such as React and Angular and how they integrate with APIs and backend services.
• Experienced in modern deployment models using Jenkins and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficient with source code version control such as GitHub/GitLab/BitBucket
• Working knowledge of addressing architectural cross cutting concerns and their tradeoffs, 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.).
• Understanding of machine learning algorithms, deep learning frameworks, and AI model architectures.
• Understanding of ethical AI principles and practices.
• Experience implementing AI transparency and explainability techniques..

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.