Director, Solutions Architect

Nrg Bluewater Wind; Washington; Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

NRG Energy seeks a Director of Solutions Architecture for Partner Ecosystem & Integrations to own end-to-end system design and integration blueprints bridging external partner brands with Vivint’s smart home platform. The role is an independent contributor leading architectural initiatives with external teams and internal stakeholders.

You will define interfaces, security baselines, and performance targets for multi-vendor IoT devices, APIs, and edge/cloud pathways, ensuring low latency and high

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software/systems architecture or principal engineering experience.
• 4+ years designing developer platforms, partner APIs, IoT architectures, or connected smart home environments.
• Cross-functional experience leading architectural design for large-scale hardware/software integrations across distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Own multi-year technical architecture and integration blueprints for third-party brand integrations.
• Evaluate prospective partner technologies and define integration patterns before development begins.
• Establish architectural baselines, security guardrails, and performance targets for interoperability and low latency.

Skills

Autonomous Individual Contribution

End-to-End IoT Systems Architecture

Ecosystem Systems Thinking

Executive Technical Presence

Education

B.S./M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Job description

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Welcome to the intersection of energy and home services. At NRG, we’re all about propelling the next generation of leaders forward. We are driven by our passion to create a smarter, cleaner and more connected future. We deliver innovative solutions that make our customers’ lives easier—helping them power, protect, and intelligently manage their homes and businesses. To do this, we need creative and talented people to join our company.

We offer a dynamic work environment and a unified and inclusive culture. NRG fosters a strong sense of belonging that leads to better collaboration and business performance. Our company programs are designed to help employees develop the skills they need for success now and in the future. In everything we do, we aim to champion our employees and bring value to our customers, investors and society.

More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

Position Summary: Director of Solutions Architecture – Partner Ecosystem & Integrations

The Director of Solutions Architecture for Partner Ecosystem & Integrations is the single-threaded technical architecture owner responsible for the end-to-end system design, interface contracts, and technical integration blueprints that bridge Vivint’s smart home platform with strategic external partner brands. Operating as a high-impact, independent strategic technical leader, you will design the architectural foundation that enables external hardware—such as smart lighting, advanced climate controls, multi-vendor sensors, and entertainment platforms—to interoperate seamlessly alongside Vivint’s proprietary hardware suite.

This is an individual contributor role requiring an elite systems architect who can operate autonomously without a team of direct reports. You will specialize in developing deep technical relationships with principal architects and engineering leads at world-class technology companies, leveraging their domain expertise while ensuring Vivint's security, latency, and reliability standards are strictly maintained. You will bridge external APIs, local edge protocols, and cloud environments with Vivint’s core infrastructure to deliver low-latency, deeply integrated consumer experiences at scale.

Primary Responsibilities

• Strategic Ecosystem & System Architecture
  • Partner System Blueprint Ownership:Own the multi-year technical architecture, system interface designs, and integration blueprints for all third-party (3P) brand integrations across the Vivint Home ecosystem.
  • Architecture Evaluation & Feasibility:Serve as the organization’s primary technical architect for evaluating prospective partner technologies, performing deep-dive technical feasibility assessments, and defining integration patterns before development begins.
  • Interoperability & Performance Standards:Establish strict architectural baselines, payload schemas, and security guardrails to ensure external hardware meets native performance, low latency, and high availability targets within the Vivint platform.
• Technical Design & Infrastructure Alignment
  • Cross-Organizational Systems Design:Partner closely with internal Platform Engineering, Embedded Firmware, Cloud Infrastructure, and Information Security teams to architect scalable, secure SDKs, APIs, and edge/cloud communication pathways.
  • Industry Standards Integration:Drive Vivint’s architectural evolution with emerging smart home protocols (such as Matter, Thread, and specialized cloud-to-cloud/local mesh APIs) to streamline partner onboarding and future-proof the platform.
  • Technical Authoring & Documentation:Independently author comprehensive System Architecture Documents (SADs), API specifications, data flow diagrams, and technical RFCs to gain executive and engineering alignment on strategic partner initiatives.
• Influence, Negotiation & External Technical Leadership
  • External Technical Diplomacy:Act as the principal architectural liaison to partner product and engineering teams, establishing integration contracts and steering external technical roadmaps to align with Vivint’s infrastructure.
  • Matrixed Engineering Leadership:Operate with high autonomy to guide, unblock, and align internal engineering squads, security reviewers, QA automation teams, and product management partners.
  • Lifecycle Architecture Governance:Establish architectural review mechanisms, post-launch telemetry specs, and failover/degradation strategies to continuously maintain the stability, security, and performance of partner integrations.

Required Skills & Functional Dimensions

• Autonomous Individual Contribution:Proven track record of operating with complete technical independence, driving complex architecture across multi-company initiatives without direct administrative reporting lines.
• End-to-End IoT Systems Architecture:Deep expertise in cloud-to-cloud integration patterns, local wireless topologies (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread, Wi-Fi), embedded driver layers, state-synchronization engines, and platform-level SDK development.
• Ecosystem Systems Thinking:Exceptional ability to conceptualize end-to-end data pipelines, identity management, authentication (OAuth/mTLS), and edge-to-cloud state management across disparate corporate ecosystems.
• Executive Technical Presence:Superb written and verbal communication skills. Proven ability to negotiate complex technical contracts with partner executives and translate intricate system trade-offs for executive internal stakeholders.

Required Education & Experience

• Experience:8+ years of software/systems architecture or principal engineering experience, with at least 4+ years explicitly focused on designing developer platforms, partner API ecosystems, IoT architectures, or connected smart home environments.
• Partnership Track Record:Demonstrated experience architecting complex, high-scale technical integrations with tier-1 consumer electronics, silicon vendors, or software enterprise partners.
• Cross-Functional Execution:Proven success leading architectural design for large-scale, multi-phase hardware/software integration projects across distributed engineering organizations.
• Education:B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical engineering experience).

The base salary range for this position is: $210,000 - $250,000* *The base salary range above represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonus, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition the position may be eligible to participate in the benefits program which include, but are not limited to, medical, vision, dental, 401K, and flexible spending accounts.

NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol-free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Protected Veteran Status/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.

EEO is the Law Poster (The poster can be found at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf)

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