Position Title:             CHIEF ARCHITECT

Location:                     COLUMBIA, SC / ATLANTA, GA

Description:                This role, located in Columbia, South Carolina, is accountable for defining and creating the IT platform that will carry technology through the next 5-10 years.

The role requires a deep understanding of business strategy and will define what key capabilities the business needs, which will be enabled by Information Technology. 

This role has direct accountability over core IT functions; including application, data, and integration architectures.  This role will be a key leader and will connect the Business and the development teams in the Value Streams.

The individual in this role will provide direction, guidance, and strategic insight to the senior leadership team with the objective of maximizing growth, profitability, and stability. This leader will be a significant contributor to the development and implementation of the three-to-five-year roadmap and will provide the day-to-day technical leadership to ensure business and technology outcomes are achieved.

Responsibilities:         Primary Responsibilities:

• Identify, design, and implement state-of-the art technology solutions to meet future business needs. Manage the overall direction of the company’s technology through strategic planning and evaluation.


• Accountable for the correct implementation across the enterprise of Architectural standards definition, compliance and governance


• Analyze and effectively communicate complex business and IT issues/needs and act as a consultant to help business leaders identify technology solutions to improve their operations efficiency and effectiveness and support growth goals.


• Keep innovation at the forefront. Leverages fresh perspectives, breakthrough ideas, and new paradigms to create business technology value.


• Support the identification and implementation of a flexible technical architecture to support growth.


• Ensure the security and protection of data, information systems and equipment; actively implements security, privacy, risk management and disaster recovery initiatives and best practices.


• Takes bold actions and is a change leader. Advocates for change with confidence; takes ownership and personal responsibility for implementing change, and leverages communications, goals, resources, and metrics to ensure broader understanding and accountability.


• Effectively communicate upward and across business and technology teams; builds strong partnerships with senior leaders and IT stakeholders, both internal and external.


• Create KPIs, goals, and metrics across the portfolio in order to drive continuous improvement throughout the organization.


• Leads organizations in the delivery of all responsibilities for this role, promoting a culture based on our guiding principles of customer, agility, and empowerment.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Ten plus years' experience in a senior-level IT leadership position


• Bachelors required, or equivalent relevant experience


• Experience with digital /legacy transformation; analyzing and replacing legacy systems.


• Specific technical skills in the Microsoft stack: Net/C#, CRM Dynamics, HP Extreme / NEPS, integration platforms - experience in transformation in the Insurance Industry / Capabilities


• 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 and implementation to operation and support.


• Detailed practical knowledge of the organization’s IT infrastructure and software development and maintenance methods, tools and techniques.


• Sound knowledge of risk assessment, change management, configuration management, reliability and safety methods and the use of metrics. Is skilled in project risk management.


• Can effectively articulate the architecture to technical and business audiences


• Is able to envisage the business potential of emerging technologies and products.


• Understand both developer trends and emerging technologies


• Has sound knowledge of Agile/Lean development methodologies and Continuous Deployment Tools and Techniques. Can ensure that overall Enterprise Architecture Designs and Tool/Vendor selections facilitate and/or support these techniques


• Proven experience in creating differentiating solutions for businesses

Additional skill set:

• Master Degree Preferred


• Experience in transformation in the Insurance Industry/Capabilities preferred


• Strong communication and influencing skills; able to communicate with all levels of organizational leadership and deliver impactful presentations; business and technical.


• Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, and motivate a mixture of highly specialized technical and operational resources across a range of locations.


• Proven ability to look strategically and creatively at complex problems and systems and identify practical solutions to solve those challenges.


• Change agent; advocate for ever needing change across the organization and able to create followership.