Position SummaryThe Principal Cloud Architect is the senior individual contributor accountable for cloud architecture across Aetna Technology. This role sets the technical direction for how workloads are designed, placed, secured, and operated on AWS as the primary platform, with GCP and Azure supported where business context requires. The Principal Cloud Architect defines reference architectures and the paved road that engineering teams build on, resolves the hardest cross-cutting design problems, and serves as Aetna Technology's deepest technical authority on cloud - driving outcomes through design authority and influence rather than direct reports.
This role can work remotely from anywhere in the continental USA.
Key Responsibilities:Cloud Architecture and Reference Design- Own the Aetna Technology cloud reference architectures - landing zones, account/subscription structure, networking, identity, and workload patterns - with AWS as primary and GCP/Azure supported by exception.
- Set the multicloud position: define which workloads run where and why, and the criteria that govern placement rather than defaulting to team preference.
- Design and maintain the paved road - the golden patterns, modules, and guardrails that let teams ship fast without re-solving solved problems.
- Serve as the escalation point for the hardest cloud design decisions across the portfolio, going deep with engineering teams when needed.
Security, Resilience, and Cost- Embed zero-trust, identity, and network segmentation patterns into reference architectures so security is inherited by default, not bolted on per team.
- Define resilience and workload-placement standards - availability targets, failure isolation, and blast-radius reduction for business-critical systems.
- Own cloud cost architecture: bring FinOps discipline into design decisions so cost is a first-class constraint, and surface the cost implications of architectural choices in concrete dollar terms.
AI/ML Platform Infrastructure- Provide the cloud architecture underpinning Aetna Technology AI capabilities - compute, data access, model serving, and multi-model orchestration patterns.
- Partner with AI platform teams on the infrastructure and guardrails required to run AI workloads securely and cost-effectively at scale.
Standards, Governance, and Enablement- Author the cloud standards enforced as automated gates and paved-road defaults, not as a review queue.
- Contribute to architecture governance - reference architectures, technology radar input, and design reviews - in partnership with Enterprise Architecture.
- Evaluate emerging cloud-native services across all three providers and make directional recommendations on adoption.
Technical Influence- Translate cloud architecture trade-offs into clear, decision-oriented narratives for senior technology leaders and peer architects.
- Coach and raise the bar for Solution Architects and senior engineers through design reviews and system-level reasoning - without direct reporting relationships.
- Act as a credible technical partner to strategic cloud vendors and internal platform teams.
Required Qualifications- 12+ years in technology, with deep, hands-on cloud architecture experience at Aetna Technology scale.
- Expert-level AWS architecture (compute, networking, identity, data, security); working proficiency in GCP and Azure sufficient to make sound multicloud placement and design calls.
- Demonstrated ownership of landing zones, reference architectures, and paved-road / golden-path patterns.
- Strong command of cloud security and zero-trust architecture - identity, segmentation, and blast-radius reduction.
- Working knowledge of FinOps and cost-aware architecture, able to tie design decisions to dollar impact.
- Track record of driving technical outcomes through influence and design authority as an individual contributor.
Required Qualifications- Experience in healthcare, health insurance, or similarly regulated industries.
- Hands-on background with AI/ML platform infrastructure - model serving, multi-model orchestration, and the compute/data patterns that support them.
- Relevant cloud certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect Professional).
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code and automated policy/guardrail enforcement.
Competencies- Technical Depth - Aetna Technology's deepest cloud authority; credible with Principal Engineers and able to go deep on any layer of the stack.
- Systems Thinking - Sees the whole system; anticipates second-order effects across security, cost, and resilience.
- Decisiveness - Makes directional calls with incomplete information and adjusts as context evolves.
- Influence Without Authority - Drives alignment and raises engineering standards across boundaries with no direct reports.
- Pragmatism - Ships standards as gates and paved road, not as queues; balances rigor against delivery speed.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent experience.
Pay RangeThe typical pay range for this role is:
$144,200.00 - $288,400.00
This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company's equity award program.
Great benefits for great peopleWe take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
This full-time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.
We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 12/31/2026
