Principal Enterprise Architect

Northwestern Mutual; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 176,000 - 264,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Mutual is seeking a Principal Enterprise Architect / Business Architect to shape enterprise strategy, capabilities, and technology. The role bridges business vision with execution, aligning operating models, capabilities, and platforms across the organization.

You will lead architecture programs, collaborating with technology, risk, and business teams to deliver scalable, compliant designs that support insurance, investment, and wealth management solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in enterprise architecture or related leadership roles.
• Experience applying business architecture concepts such as capabilities and value streams.
• Financial services, insurance, or wealth management experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of cloud, data architectures, security, and integration patterns.
• Ability to influence without authority across organizational boundaries.
• Familiarity with architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or SAFe.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise architecture strategies, principles, standards, and target-state roadmaps that support business objectives.
• Partner with technology, data, security, and platform teams to guide solution design and ensure alignment with architectural standards.
• Provide architectural oversight and consultation for major initiatives, transformations, and investment decisions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architectural patterns (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.
• 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.

Skills

Influence without authority

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Communication

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field

Tools

TOGAF

SAFe

Job description

Principal Enterprise Architect / Business Architect

Northwestern Mutual is seeking an Enterprise Architect with strong business‑architecture capabilities to shape and evolve the firm’s enterprise‑wide strategy, capabilities, and technology landscape. This role bridges business vision and execution by aligning strategy, operating models, and capabilities with technology platforms and architectural standards. The ideal candidate combines deep experience in enterprise technology architecture with a pragmatic, value‑driven approach to business architecture for a complex financial services organization focused on insurance, investment, and wealth management solutions.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Architecture

• Define and maintain enterprise architecture strategies, principles, standards, and target‑state roadmaps that support business objectives.
• Partner with technology, data, security, and platform teams to guide solution design and ensure alignment with architectural standards.
• Provide architectural oversight and consultation for major initiatives, transformations, and investment decisions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architectural patterns (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.

Business Architecture

• 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.

Strategic Partnership & Influence

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders across the organization.
• 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.

Qualifications

• 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 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.

Preferred Experience

• 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.

Compensation

Pay Range – Start: $176,000.00; End: $264,000.00.

Geographic Specific Pay Structure:

• Structure 110: $193,600.00 – $290,400.00 USD.
• Structure 115: $202,400.00 – $303,600.00 USD.

We believe in fairness and transparency. Salary ranges are shared for most roles, but final compensation is based on factors such as skills, experience, market conditions, and location. Geographic‑specific pay structures and benefits may apply.

Northwestern Mutual is an equal‑opportunity employer that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment where each employee can contribute ideas, take on challenges, lead, and focus on business and personal success.