Enterprise Architect

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For a detailed look at CNA’s benefits, check out our Candidate Guide.

The Enterprise Architect will join CNA as an individual contributor owning the overall architecture for the Scaled Agile aligned portfolio. They will be instrumental in aligning the business strategy with our technology vision and driving innovative and effective solutions for a diverse and complex set of business problems. The Enterprise Architect will be responsible for deconstructing a business problem into the required components and processes, driving the decisions that need to be made, defining the architectural solution direction that ultimately solve the problem and bring clarity to the ambiguous. The individual will serve as the primary architectural leader in that portfolio, providing leadership to both the business and technology teams to drive solution directions and recommendations that advance the strategic goals and vision of both business and technology.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Performs a combination of duties in accordance with departmental guidelines:Individual contributor accountable for end-to-end architecture solutions for business portfolio(s), serving as the principal designer for the portfolio within the context of a portfolio-level SAFe framework.
• Lead the alignment of business strategy and technology vision, working closely with senior business and technology leadership, fostering constructive tension and collaboration to shape and influence strategic decisions and drive innovative and effective solutions for complex business problems.
• Establish the portfolio level epic backlog, in collaboration with portfolio leadership, to enable strategic business and technology capabilities within the business area and identifying synergies across the enterprise.
• Drive architectural advancement through enabler initiatives, influencing cross-domain capabilities, foundational components and NFRs.
• Assess portfolio-level epics, deconstructing business problems to define architectural solution direction, and provide clarity to ambiguous situations.
• Responsible for establishing the technical blueprint and guiding principles for portfolio epics, encompassing conceptual architecture, contextual overview, capability interaction, and system interfaces, providing authoritative direction for the release train's feature development
• Align portfolio-level architecture with broader enterprise architecture initiatives, contributing to the development of architectural frameworks and strategies.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends, proposing technology adoption strategies to enhance business capabilities.
• Improve architectural practices, methodologies, and processes within the portfolio, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Assess and manage technical debt, prioritizing and addressing areas of improvement as part of the portfolio backlog.
• Provide leadership and guidance in the creation of architectural standards, principles, and best practices to ensure the coherence, security, and scalability of our technology landscape.
• Maintain conceptual overview of the portfolio including the inventory of the application landscape, application strategies, and risk scores associated to the applications.
• Support and coach System Architects in building their skillsets and ensuring alignment with standards and patterns.
• May perform additional duties as assigned.

Reporting Relationship

Typically AVP or above

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Strategic and innovative leader within a technology organization, driving an architectural strategy and vision.
• Proficient in agile methodologies and applying enterprise architecture principles to the development lifecycle.
• Ability to design target state solution architectures using modern decoupled, event-based, and API-enabled frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of contemporary technology and business trends, enabling creative and cost-effective problem-solving.
• In-depth understanding of business functions and processes within the organization and across the industry.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, consultative and leadership skills to effectively engage, influence, and build partnerships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Proficient in complex problem-solving, with the ability to articulate approaches and solutions to both business and technology partners effectively.
• Familiarity with end-to-end architecture processes and procedures, including experience with EA frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and SAFe Agile.

Education & Experience

• Degree in Business Information Systems, Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• Typically a minimum of nine years of solid, diverse work experience in technology including experience with business analysis, solution design, architecture, and development.
• Experience working as an Enterprise Architect in corporate environment, preferably in a SAFe portfolio-level capacity.
• Experience in managing and resolving architectural challenges and trade-offs while considering both technical and business requirements.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholders, such as business leaders, technology teams, and enterprise architects, to align technology strategies with business objectives.
• Experience in providing strategic guidance and recommendations to senior leadership regarding technology investments and architectural decisions.
• Experience in commercial insurance industry and applicable certifications preferred

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CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact leaveadministration@cna.com.