Description
As a Solution Architect in the Data and Analytics Architecture, you will be an working in an dynamic and transformative organization with a goal to create the next generation data and analytic capabilities. You will collaborate with the other architects, engineers and business to apply your technical expertise to create best solutions to solve impactful business problems.
The solutions architect provides technical leadership and guidance to facilitate decision making, knowledge dissemination, risk management, and project execution in the applications space which includes a portfolio of business administration systems and business intelligence assets. This position delivers solution architectures focused on the application, data, and infrastructure domains and for chartering the path for business and applications architectures in alignment with business strategies.
This position qualifies for our flexible workplace options. Work at our Grinnell, Iowa, headquarters or from a home office in any of the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Please note that candidates must be eligible to work in the U.S. without Grinnell Mutual sponsorship.
Responsibilities
- Designs the next generation information architecture that enables a business vision.
- Serves as an expert in one or more areas across Data & Analytics domain including data storage (Data Lake & Data Warehouse), data integration, business intelligence, artificial intelligence & machine learning.
- Drives the implementations of domain driven designs of Data Models, Data APIs and Data Products.
- Partners with cloud and security architects, data and software engineers to implement cutting-edge but pragmatic solutions that will enable business outcomes with data and analytics using a combination of deep technical skills, business acumen, and strong interpersonal skills.
- Keeps up with market trends in the Data & Analytics area and identifies new opportunities of technologies & solutions; you will be part of the team driving the technology selection and partner with an engineering team to conduct proof of technologies.
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Architects, designs, and delivers strategy and roadmaps based on business drivers and technical requirements. Performs solutions architecture work required by the business effectively and efficiently.
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Executing Architecture work required by the business, with particular emphasis on the business and application architecture. Maintains appropriate documentation to support decisions and actions.
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Leads activities related to Architecture Governance, facilitating timely, efficient, and effective Architecture Review Board meetings with the appropriate parties.
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Leverages current with technological developments and evaluates feasibility of incorporating architecture solution into Grinnell Mutual environment. Develops innovative solutions, approaches, and procedures to provide the quantity and quality product demanded by the corporation and end user/customer with the simplest most effective solution.
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Supports the CIO and AVP of Architecture & Data during the Portfolio Planning Activities. Applies both strategic and technical thinking to supply information and documentation during the process.
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Coordinates and manages outsourced resources and vendor software providers directly associated with the systems software under the department’s responsibilities.
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Maintains the level of knowledge necessary to support the Architecture practice. Shares information with team and primary stakeholders to facilitate knowledge transfers.
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Performs all other duties as assigned.
Requirements
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, MIS, Engineering, Business or equivalent. Requires a minimum of ten years IT experience and demonstrated accomplishments in the field. Experience working in an Agile environment preferred.
- Demonstrated understanding of financial services industry including front and back office processes (i.e. product, customers, and channel management; actuarial calculations; policy, billing and claims management; underwriting; etc.). A certification or Professional Designation in the Property Casualty Insurance Field is considered a plus.
- Hands on experience in build strategies, roadmaps and solution architecture.
- Solid experience architecting big data solutions using Data Lake, Data Warehouse, Data Products.
- Champion of data technologies in areas of data integration, Business Intelligence and AI/ML.
- Expertise architecting and developing solutions in AWS, Snowflake and Databricks.
- Experience in AWS components including: Lambda, Kinesis/Firehose, Airflow, Glue,Spark, EC2, SageMaker, S3, NoSQL database and API Gateway.
- Experience in data streaming technologies.
- Experience with No SQL and GraphQL technologies.
- Experience in Data Modeling, Governance and Data Management.
- Experience with specific DevOps and MLOps (Machine Learning) practices.
- Cloud Architecture Certification (AWS, GCP, or Azure) or strong architecture experience on Cloud.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze and solve problems. Must be able to apply architectural background and knowledge of data center technologies, software platforms, and software development life cycle to identify solution pros and cons for Grinnell Mutual. Solutions should demonstrate progressiveness within field.
- Ability to make effective decisions and/or involve others in the decision-making process as needed to obtain information, generate alternatives, make the best decision, and ensure support and consensus when appropriate. Ability to use personal judgment, experience and known facts and figures to make decisions and resolve problems.
- Ability to demonstrate leadership by serving as a role model of the organization. Must act with high degree of ethics and integrity.
- Ability to influence and negotiate demands of project including deadlines and resources to ensure user expectations and resource availability coincide to deliver at service expectations. Must communicate with all stakeholders and achieve commitment from both internal and external resources.
- Ability to remain flexible to business needs and changes. Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects while anticipating possible impacts and benefits of change.
- Ability to communicate persuasively and effectively, both orally and in writing, in various situations and with various audiences. Demonstrated writing skills to communicate information to stakeholders of varying levels. Must be able to facilitate and lead meeting as well as deliver occasional presentation to audiences at various levels within the organization and with mixed working knowledge of architecture.
- Ability to work collaboratively within division and within the corporation with stakeholders and partners to ensure a shared outcome. Demonstrated team work skills are essential.
- Requires regular and predictable attendance to meet the customer needs of the position.
- Must be able to maintain confidentiality and propriety information.
- Demonstrated ability to adhere to all Grinnell Mutual policies.
- Demonstrated ability to incorporate Grinnell Mutual core values in all areas work.
Working conditions and physical efforts
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each job duty and responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform job duties and responsibilities.
- Works under deadlines with unexpected and frequent interruptions to the workflow making it challenging to anticipate the nature and volume of work to perform and meet established deadlines.
- Physically located in a remote office or at one of Grinnell Mutual’s campuses with a work environment of a typical office setting with a noise level that is relatively quiet. The position requires an individual to sit for long periods of time, and may require frequent and extended time on the telephone and visual acuity to work on the computer.
- Ability to lift up to 10 pounds occasionally.
