System Architect Director - Data Platform Engineering

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The System Architect (SA) Director has overall technical authority for one or more programs/Agile Release Trains (ARTs) within a portfolio, hands on leader with direct management accountability for a staff of Engineers. The SA Director works closely with an Enterprise Architect, Product Management and Release Train Engineer (RTE) to ensure ongoing alignment of technical and business outcomes. They also work with Technical Architects, as needed, to ensure architectural outcomes are within required guardrails. The SA Director owns the creation, maintenance and communication of the Architectural Runway, along with oversight through implementation by one or more development teams. The SA Director is an expert and champion of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) architectural design and development, incrementally building the associated mindset and behaviors across stakeholders with which they work.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Performs a combination of duties in accordance with departmental guidelines:

• Builds and continually refines detailed Architectural Runway and Vision, and Enabler Epics in collaboration with various stakeholders, for data platform e ngin eering team .

• D efine and lead implementation, advancements of Data Platform Engineering , based on requirements, scalability, performance, and security considerations. Partner with enterprise architecture and define a clear roadmap for the platform's evolution, aligning it with the organization's strategic goals .

• Lead the design and execution of AI-driven Frameworks to enable migration of data marts from on-premises platforms to cloud environments. This includes leveraging advanced AI capabilities for reverse engineering, forward engineering optimized cloud-native architectures, and automating schema mapping, transformation logic, and validation processes.

• Responsible for designing, building, and maintaining scalable, secure, and cost-efficient cloud data platforms, including architecture planning, migration strategies, performance optimization, governance, and integration of AI-driven automation for data engineering workflows.

• Implement FinOps practices, including tun ing and usage monitoring to ensure cost efficiency across data platforms

• Ensure platform security and compliance by implementing robust identity and access management, encryption, and data protection measures.

• Contributes to and influences the program increment roadmap, backlog and prepares architectural outcomes for program increment planning.

• Incrementally builds and shepherds the scaled agility mindset, values, principles, and practices across teams, ARTs.

• Owns measurable velocity, specifically around overcoming hurdles, implementing new designs , and implementing best practices.

• Guides and negotiates with Developers/Engineers, Tech Product Manager/Owner, RTE, and Enterprise Architect to ensure architectural alignment.

• Actively engages in all ART events, collaborating, coaching and guiding stakeholders to ensure ongoing alignment with the Architectural Vision.

• Influences and creates the ongoing Enabler Epics for maintaining and stabilizing all ART applications and pipelines, including upgrades of technology, frameworks, and infrastructure.

• Has full management responsibility for the performance and development of subordinate staff, including resource planning, hiring, talent, performance, and career development.

• Presents Architectural Overview at program increment planning, socializing and enabling Product Owners and teams to successfully complete associated Enabler Epics.

• Negotiates Enabler Epic scope adjustments, as needed, and accepts them as they are completed.

May perform additional duties as assigned.
Reporting Relationship
Typically, Director or above
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• D eep expertise in data platform engineering, cloud technologies, and AI integration to ensure scalable, secure, and cost-efficient platforms and data engineering delivery enable

• Expert knowledge of design and implementation of enterprise workflow systems, distributed cloud platform architecture, intranet/internet architecture, and communication architectures.

• Expert knowledge of the data development life cycle, along with application program development technological alternatives and architecture methodologies for multi-platform environments.

• Expert in data engineering principles and practices, experience managing code quality through pull requests and other processes.

• Extensive experience at highest technical level of all phases of data platform architecture design using state of the art architecture, Data pipeline frameworks and development

• Strong knowledge of AI technology and business trends that allows architecture to solve problems in a creative and cost-effective manner.

• Expert understanding of SAFe /Agile, architecture, SDLC, and testing practices with experience incrementally building and shepherding the scaled agility mindset, values, principles, and practices across teams and ARTs.

• E xcellent written, verbal, and presentation skills . Able to communicate, collaborate and consult effectively with vendors, clients, peers, and IT management and staff .

• Strong analytical, problem solving, and negotiations/conflict resolution skills . Able to balance technical excellence with business results.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to coach, influence, guide and mentor teams, peers, clients and leadership in cross functional teams.

• Extensive experience developing strategic system architecture plans and/or architectural runways and decomposing architectural initiatives into program Epics.

• Extensive experience with information processing fundamentals, understanding of current and emerging best practices.

• Proven experience identifying , analyzing, and resolving system problems.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or master's Degree (preferred) in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related discipline; or equivalent work experience.

• Typically, a minimum of 10 years' work experience in technical delivery, including experience with systems architecture methodologies, concepts and frameworks like TOGAF.

• Typically, a minimum of 8 years' work experience with architecture in some of the following technology platforms ( GCP, Big Query , LLM's, AI Agents, Composer, GitHub, Power BI ).

• Experience with Tech, insurance or finance-based products Applicable certifications preferred - GCP Architect , CPCU, ASE, SDP

• Preferred experience with Jira, Confluence, and Lucid Spark

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I n certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. In District of Columbia , California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois , Maryland , Massachusetts , New York and Washington, the national base pay range for this job level is $72,000 to $141,000 annually.Salary determinations are based on various factors, including but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location. CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees - and their family members - achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals. For a detailed look at CNA's benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com .
CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact [email protected] .