Principal Architect (Hybrid)

American Family Insurance Agency Staff; Madison (WI); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) contribution

Pension plan

Annual incentive

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Student loan repayment

Paid family leave

Job summary

American Family Insurance is seeking Lead and Principal Enterprise Architects to shape enterprise technology strategy and governance. This hybrid role involves influencing senior leaders, defining target-state roadmaps, and guiding major programs across platforms and AI enablement.

You will report to the Director, Architecture and contribute to architectural governance and strategic initiatives in a regulated insurance environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading enterprise architectures across domains.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and align stakeholders.
• Proven leadership in software engineering practices and large-scale tech programs.
• Knowledge of AI-enabled architecture and modern development patterns.

Responsibilities

• Align technology to business strategy through target-state architectures.
• Define standards, reference patterns, and reusable services across the enterprise.
• Embed cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory requirements into guidance.
• Lead architecture governance across EARB and SARBs.
• Mentor architects and drive executive buy-in for priorities.
• Guide major programs: resiliency, platform consolidation, AI enablement.

Skills

Stakeholder alignment

Executive influencing

Software engineering leadership

Enterprise architecture

AI enablement

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Engineering

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Guidewire

Salesforce FSC

MuleSoft

Apigee

GitLab

Job description

Shape the Future of Enterprise Architecture at American Family. We're growing our Enterprise Architecture practice and seeking Lead and Principal Enterprise Architects to help define its future. This is a rare opportunity to influence enterprise technology strategy, architecture standards, governance, and key business initiatives while shaping how architecture partners with the business.

As a Lead Enterprise Architect, you'll drive strategic alignment for a domain, platform, or value stream. As a Principal Enterprise Architect, you'll shape enterprise-wide strategy, influence senior leaders, and help steer the company's most significant technology decisions. If you're excited about building and evolving a practice, not just maintaining one, we'd love to talk.

You will report to the Director, Architecture

Position Compensation Range:

$150,000.00 - $255,000.00

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Compensation may vary based on the job level and your geographic work location. Relocation support is offered for eligible candidates.

Primary Accountabilities:

• Align technology to strategy: Translate business goals into target-state architecture and roadmaps aligned to AmFam's Customer-Driven strategy and Technology focus areas - delivery & innovation, AI at scale, and resiliency.
• Apply and shape standards: Work within enterprise principles, reference architectures, and standards; identify, socialize, and promote reuse of proven patterns, platforms, and shared services.
• Steward the architectural runway: Define enablers and non-functional requirements so delivery teams ship features without excessive rework; support portfolio-level initiative definition to guide in solution planning and implementation.
• Advance strategic programs: Provide architecture leadership for the major enterprise technology programs including improving overall technology resiliency, platform consolidation, and AI enablement.
• Translate business technical: Frame technology choices as business outcomes and business goals as technical implications, for both delivery teams and leadership.
• Participate in architectural governance: Engage in the Enterprise Architecture Review Board (EARB) and Solution Architecture Review Boards (SARBs); validate that solutions apply established patterns, standards, and resiliency requirements.
• Embed risk, security & resilience: Incorporate cybersecurity, privacy, and regulatory requirements into architecture guidance in a highly regulated insurance environment.
• Mentor and collaborate: Coach fellow architects and engineers; strengthen the consistency and completeness of architecture deliverables and contribute to communities of practice.
• Secure executive-level buy-in: Build alignment and win support for architectural priorities through influence, storytelling, and trusted-advisor relationships with senior leadership.

Key Deliverables

• Target-state architecture and roadmaps
• Reference patterns, enablers, and non-functional requirements feeding solution intent
• Architecture review artifacts and decision inputs for Enterprise and Solution-level Architecture Review Boards (ARBs)
• Current-state / future-state landscape assessments and the architectural runway that allows us to evolve and transform how technology supports our business over time.

Specialized Knowledge & Skills Requirements

• Demonstrated experience providing customer-driven solutions, support, or service.
• Demonstrated experience communicating, influencing, and building alignment with stakeholders at all levels, from technical teams to executive leadership.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex issues, driving consensus, and achieving results through influence and collaboration.
• Demonstrated experience leading software engineering practices, solution design, and large-scale technology implementations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of enterprise architecture and modern application development methodologies.
• Demonstrated knowledge of business strategy, business architecture, and operating models, and their application to technology strategy.
• Demonstrated knowledge of enterprise architecture patterns, including service-oriented, web, mobile, integration, messaging, business intelligence, client-server, and legacy architectures.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Extensive experience in solution and/or enterprise architecture.
• Strong business acumen and broad knowledge of applications, data and AI, cloud, integration, infrastructure, and security.
• Experience developing and applying enterprise architecture standards, governance practices, and target-state roadmaps.
• Experience incorporating AI into architectural processes and deliverables.
• Proven ability to influence and align executive stakeholders without direct authority.
• Experience communicating updates and resolutions to customers and other partners.
• Experience in insurance, financial services, or other highly regulated industries.
• Experience working within a federated architecture governance model.
• Familiarity with AWS, Azure, GCP, Guidewire, Salesforce FSC, MuleSoft, Apigee, GitLab, Datadog, ServiceNow, Reltio MDM, and Java/Node/Python ecosystems.
• Experience operating in a SAFe environment, including PI Planning, Portfolio Kanban, and architectural enablers.
• Relevant certifications such as TOGAF, AWS, Azure, GCP, Salesforce, or Guidewire are a plus.

Licenses

• Not applicable.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 10%.

Physical Requirements

• Work that primarily involves sitting/standing.

Working Conditions

• Not applicable.

Additional Information

• To ensure a strong start, all employees participate in our New Employee Orientation during their first week. This experience is held in person at our Madison, WI Headquarters or one of our AmFam core locations to help you connect with our mission, meet key team members and build relationships that support your growth. At times, sessions may be delivered virtually based on scheduling and availability.
• Offer to selected candidate will be made contingent on the results of applicable background checks
• Offer to selected candidate is contingent on signing a non-disclosure agreement for proprietary information, trade secrets, and inventions
• Sponsorship will not be considered for this position unless specified in the posting

In this hybrid role, you will be expected to work a minimum of 10 days per month out of the Boston, MA or Madison, WI offices.

We provide benefits that support your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. You will have access to comprehensive medical, dental, vision and wellbeing benefits that enable you to take care of your health. We also offer a competitive 401(k) contribution, a pension plan, an annual incentive, 9 paid holidays and a paid time off program (23 days accrued annually for full-time employees). In addition, our student loan repayment program and paid-family leave are available to support our employees and their families. Interns and contingent workers are not eligible for American Family Insurance Group benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws pertaining to non-discrimination, non-harassment and equal opportunity. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

American Family Insurance is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please email [e-mail] to request a reasonable accommodation.