Job Summary The Enterprise Architect is a senior-level role responsible for defining, governing, and evolving enterprise-wide technology architecture to enable business strategy, reduce complexity, and improve security, resilience, and delivery speed. This role partners with business and IT leaders to define target-state architectures and roadmaps across application, data, integration, security, and cloud domains-ensuring solutions integrate cleanly into BCBSKS's enterprise technical and data environments and align with a Cloud-first approach and digital transformation priorities.
"This position is eligible to work remote, hybrid or onsite in accordance with our Telecommuting Policy."
What you'll do - Define and maintain enterprise architecture principles, reference architectures, and standards across application, data, integration, security, and cloud domains.
- Develop target-state architectures and multi-year roadmaps aligned to business capabilities, risk posture, and investment priorities.
- Lead architecture governance (reviews, exceptions, and decision records) ensuring solutions are compliant, secure-by-design, and operationally ready.
- Provide end-to-end solution architecture for initiatives, including application design, integration patterns, data flows, identity, and security controls.
- Guide application modernization and platform adoption (e.g., API-first, event-driven, containerization) with clear tradeoffs and migration paths.
- Shape cloud architecture guardrails (landing zones, networking, identity, logging/monitoring, cost governance) consistent with an Azure-first approach.
- Define data architecture direction (data domains, master/reference data, metadata, quality, privacy classification) to enable analytics and AI use cases.
- Partner with Information Security and Compliance to incorporate threat modeling, least privilege, encryption/key management, and regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPAA).
- Evaluate technologies and vendors; recommend adoption, consolidation, or retirement based on enterprise fit, risk, and total cost of ownership.
- Mentor architects and engineering teams; promote engineering best practices (CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, testing, observability) and continuous reduction of technical debt.
What you need Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: - Ability to define and govern enterprise architecture across application, data, security, integration, and cloud domains, ensuring consistency across portfolios and products.
- Strong architecture communication skills (diagrams, models, decision records) and the ability to explain tradeoffs to technical and executive stakeholders.
- Experience developing target-state architectures and roadmaps, aligning technology direction to business capabilities and measurable outcomes.
- Broad cloud architecture proficiency (Azure preferred) including networking, identity, resilience, observability, and cost management concepts.
- Security architecture knowledge including IAM, threat modeling, encryption/key management, secure SDLC, and privacy/regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA).
- Application and integration architecture expertise (API-first, event-driven patterns, messaging) and experience modernizing legacy systems.
- Data architecture and governance knowledge (data domains, master/reference data, metadata, lineage, retention, and quality).
- Familiarity with CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, automated testing, and operational readiness practices that improve delivery quality and repeatability.
- Demonstrated ability to influence without authority, mentor teams, and facilitate cross-functional decisions.
- Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks and modeling approaches (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman, ArchiMate) and pragmatic application in delivery environments.
Education and Experience: - High school diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field preferred.
- Minimum of 8 years' experience in progressively responsible IT roles required.
- Minimum of 5 years' experience in an architectural role performing design, development, and support of enterprise systems required.
- Certifications in enterprise, cloud, security, and/or data architecture (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, CISSP/CCSP, relevant data platform certifications) or equivalent preferred.
- Experience with enterprise architecture methodologies and frameworks, including TOGAF, Zachman, or ArchiMate preferred.
Physical Requirements: - Office setting, with possible remote or hybrid work opportunities depending on the department.
- Some meetings, trainings, demonstrations, etc. may require in person attendance.
- May involve long periods of time working on a computer.
Compensation IT&S 18$128,160 - $152,200 - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas offers excellent competitive compensation with the goal of retaining and growing talented team members. The compensation range for this role is a good faith estimate, it is estimated based on what a successful candidate might be paid. All offers presented to candidates are carefully reviewed to ensure fair, equitable pay by offering competitive wages that align with the individual's skills, education, experience, and training. The range may vary above or below the stated amounts.