ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION

An Architectural Engineer who cannot translate a business strategy into a platform roadmap leaves delivery teams building toward conflicting targets. That is the specific failure this role exists to prevent. The Architectural Engineer defines future-state architectures for enterprise platforms, owns the strategic roadmap, and guides cross-functional teams from requirements through production-ready patterns. Working within matrixed, global technology organizations, the role demands fluency in both business-capability modeling and cloud-native architecture governance across multi-business-unit environments.

As the Architectural Engineer, you define the strategic platform architecture that connects business requirements to scalable, production-grade solutions, leading PoC validation and architecture review board presentations for major platform components. You operate within a global enterprise technology organization, partnering with delivery architects, business analysts, and senior technology leaders across time zones to drive adoption of standardized, future-state architectures.

Career Impact: Owning architecture review board outcomes and enterprise platform roadmaps establishes deep credibility with senior technology leadership in large-scale, matrixed software organizations.

Business Impact: The platforms and patterns this role defines determine whether delivery teams ship coherent, scalable solutions or accumulate costly technical debt across multi-business-unit deployments.

Growth Opportunity: Hands-on exposure to cloud-native architecture, BPM, and ecommerce technology domains accelerates the path toward Principal Architect or Director of Technology Architecture.

• Define strategic platform architectures that align business objectives with enterprise technology standards and cloud delivery capabilities.
• Own the architecture roadmap for assigned platform components, governing its adoption across cross-functional delivery teams.
• Lead architecture review board presentations, including PoC validation findings and future-state transition collateral.
• Partner with business stakeholders and delivery architects to translate requirements into reusable, scalable platform patterns.
• Develop reference architectures, guidelines, and position papers that enable delivery teams to implement approved designs consistently.
• Assess emerging technologies and architecture patterns, recommending adoption where they reduce complexity or improve platform resilience.
• Mentor solution tech leads and delivery architects on architectural standards, design decisions, and implementation approaches.
• Identify opportunities to standardize the technology landscape and establish reuse patterns across the enterprise portfolio.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent work experience.
• 6 or more years of software engineering or enterprise architecture experience, with demonstrated delivery of platform-scale architectural solutions.
• Experience influencing adoption of architectural standards across matrixed, global teams without direct reporting authority.
• Proficiency in cloud-native architecture patterns including microservices, event-driven design, and containerized deployment models.
• Experience developing architecture roadmaps, design standards, and technical governance collateral for enterprise platforms.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with ability to present complex architectural trade-offs to both technical and business audiences.
• Experience conducting architecture trade studies, PoC evaluations, and stakeholder alignment across multiple concurrent platform initiatives.

• Prior experience in healthcare technology platforms, ecommerce architecture, or multi-business-unit enterprise environments.
• Familiarity with business process management and automation architecture patterns, including workflow orchestration design.
• Experience coaching or formally mentoring solution architects or senior engineers toward architectural decision-making accountability.
• Background in architecture governance frameworks, including review board facilitation and design pattern documentation at enterprise scale.

• Architecture review board approval rate, measuring how well designs pass governance on first submission.
• Time from platform component intake to approved architecture, reflecting roadmap throughput for the team.
• Adoption rate of defined reference architectures by delivery teams across the enterprise portfolio.
• Number of reusable platform patterns published and actively consumed, measuring standardization progress.
• Stakeholder alignment score at architecture review board presentations, tracked as revisions required per submission.
• Typical tools: diagramming and modeling (commonly Visio or LucidChart); cloud platforms (commonly Azure, GCP, or AWS)

• Base Salary Range: $145,000 to $185,000 annually, depending on seniority and location.
• Bonus: Annual performance bonus, typically 10 to 15 percent of base salary.
• Equity: RSU grants common at larger enterprises; varies by employer size.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer contributions standard.
• PTO: 15 to 25 days annually, plus federal holidays.
• Common Perks: Remote or hybrid flexibility, continuing education reimbursement, conference attendance support.

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. A background check is required as a condition of employment. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States prior to their start date.

The Architectural Engineer owns the definition of future-state strategic architecture for the Pharmacy Platform, leading research, partner identification, PoC validation, and architecture review board presentations for each new platform component. Working within Optum Technology and the Health Care Platform, the role shapes how delivery teams and extended architects implement and transition to next-generation solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design strategic platform architectures to meet business objectives while aligning with Optum Technology and the Health Care Platform.
• Collaborate with the business to understand and influence business requirements.
• Maintain knowledge of current and emerging technologies, products, and trends related to architectural solutions.
• Collaborate with enterprise architects to gain buy-in and support for strategic platform components.
• Ensure best practices are followed.
• Define architectures, guidelines, patterns, roadmaps, and other collateral to enable delivery teams to transition to future state architectures.
• Work with delivery team architects and relevant business stakeholders to understand key business requirements and develop strategic architectures.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of experience in a software engineering or architect role, including delivering enterprise architectures and leading teams of software engineers or architects.
• Experience creating architectures and platforms, and influencing development teams, business users, and management in the adoption of technical solutions.
• Experience leading through influence in a large, matrixed, and global environment across multiple time zones.
• Prefer expertise in data, BPM, and automation.
• Experience working with microservices, Agile, Azure, CICD, Cosmos, Camunda, graph, data warehousing, security, DevOps, Testing, and Automation.
• Experience with cloud services from Azure, GCP, or EC2, and expertise in enterprise architecture on critical, scalable, and flexible systems.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to communicate across multiple levels in the organization.

Embedded within the capital facilities team, the Architectural Engineer delivers oversight of architectural, electrical, and mechanical systems plans and cost estimates to ensure compliance with applicable building codes and district standards. Working closely with consultants, contractors, and senior management, the role enables compliant, on-budget facilities design projects from feasibility through construction.

Core Functions

• Review, edit, correct, and interpret drawings, plans, and specifications.
• Prepare preliminary estimates of costs for architectural, electrical, or mechanical systems projects.
• Perform and review load and other related calculations to ensure system capacity and adequacy.
• Make field surveys of existing structures or systems, including load checks, and inspect construction work for conformance with designs.
• Prepare clear, technically sound, and informative engineering reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Plan and conduct surveys, tests, and investigations pertaining to structures or systems associated with design and construction.
• Maintain close contact with equipment manufacturers to keep up-to-date specifications and knowledge of new developments.
• Provide technical assistance and support to building maintenance operations and in-house projects involving alterations to existing installations.
• Serve as capital facilities project manager, overseeing design feasibility studies, project scope, architect selection, design review, agency submissions, and construction bids, including presentations to community groups and senior management.
• Perform all activities in compliance with equal employment and nondiscrimination policies, federal and state laws, board policies, and professional standards.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in architecture or engineering from an accredited college, with coursework in the applicable specialty area (electrical, mechanical, civil, or architectural engineering).
• Equivalent combinations of education and professional experience providing the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
• Professional Architect or Engineer license issued by the State of Maryland Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors recommended but not required.
• Valid class C non-commercial driver's license.
• 4 years of architecture or engineering design experience in the applicable specialty area, including project management for multiple concurrent facilities design projects.
• Thorough knowledge of engineering design, construction, building codes, standards, ordinances, and regulations in area of engineering specialty.
• Proficient in personal computers and relevant computer-assisted design and office applications.
• Good interpersonal, presentation, oral, and written communication skills, and ability to prioritize multiple projects and maintain effective working relationships with consultants, contractors, and personnel at all levels.

Reporting to the Core Squad leadership, the Architectural Engineer leads end-to-end technical architecture across the full solution development lifecycle, from analysis and design through production support, for multiple work streams within the International Business IT landscape. Partnering with business analysts, Front-End Developers, and DevOps Engineers, the role ensures applications built on Azure and modern cloud technologies remain secure, scalable, and resilient.

Primary Duties

• Manage day-to-day delivery of development team and ensure quality and timely delivery of agreed release scope.
• Collaborate with business analysts to design and develop business solutions with end-to-end technical architecture responsibility across modeling, design, development, testing, and production support.
• Translate business requirements into system production solution design and patterns that enable quality, re-usability, scalability, availability, and maintainability.
• Present and communicate ideas and designs to various teams for review and brainstorming.
• Support development defect resolution and operational or production incident solutions.
• Apply coding expertise to design and develop all layers of the applications, including Single-Page Applications using Angular alongside Front-End Developers.
• Work on containerized microservices, configure CI/CD pipelines, and perform application monitoring in collaboration with DevOps Engineers.
• Develop or refactor applications in object-oriented languages such as Java or C#, and host them using Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Service Bus, and modern authn/authz protocols such as OIDC and OAuth2 with Azure AD and Okta.

Skills & Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in large-scale software development, including 5+ years as a full-stack developer and 3+ years in technical analysis and design.
• 2+ years of cloud technology experience, with Azure preferred.
• Experience designing solutions for high performance and addressing performance issues in complex systems.
• Knowledge and experience in Insurance, Financial industry, or Finance functions is a strong plus.
• Highly proficient in modern programming languages and ORM frameworks, and experience with container technologies is a big plus.
• Accomplished interpersonal and communication skills, and experience working in diverse, multi-locational teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to manage own workload in a self-directed manner.
• Proficiency in English is mandatory.

Sitting at the intersection of technology strategy and customer engagement, the Architectural Engineer leads the adoption of next-gen flexible architecture while researching, designing, and delivering solutions that reduce complexity and drive competitive advantage across ecommerce and digital experience domains. Operating across multiple business units as a coach and mentor to solution tech leads, the role shapes enterprise standards and the strategic technology roadmap for internal and external clients.

Duties

• Collaborate with IT on setting technology strategy, roadmap, and vision for the customer engagement landscape while representing internally and externally.
• Proactively assess value and potential application of emerging technologies and products.
• Own the strategic roadmap, oversee its governance, and invite adoption through cross-functional teams.
• Research, analyze, design, propose, and deliver solutions that support business and technology strategies, and provide end-to-end view of how all components fit together.
• Identify opportunities to standardize the technology landscape, and facilitate the establishment of standards and guidelines for design and reuse of technology solutions across the enterprise.
• Develop and document target-state reference architectures, position papers, and educational materials.
• Provide technical guidance to project teams, and serve as an escalation point for complex functional and technical issues.
• Interface across business areas as a visionary to assist in leveraging enterprise capabilities and services.

Requirements

• Advanced experience in architecture or application design across customer/digital experience, cross-channel operations, digital operations, sales, and marketing domains.
• Ecommerce or retail background, and experience in a multi-business unit enterprise model.
• Knowledge of Agile development, DevSecOps practices, APIs, and microservices.
• Experience with Salesforce (SFCC, SFSC, SFMC), commerce engines (Hybris, HCL), Adobe suites (AEM, Marketo), EDA (Kafka), and API (Apigee).
• Strong understanding of industry trends, relevant emerging technologies, and business capability modeling.
• Strong ability to build networks and influence senior, cross-functional leaders with an innovative and realistic mindset.
• Leadership competencies in organizing priorities, managing and measuring work, peer relationships, continuous improvement, and motivating others.

A key member of the space mission systems team, the Architectural Engineer leads program trade studies spanning constellation design, communications architecture, and spacecraft bus resource modeling to build the architectural foundation for Space and Ground Segment programs. Collaborating across payload, bus, ground, and operations teams, the role delivers mission requirements, test cases, and algorithm description documents that enable on-orbit mission readiness.

• Lead program trade studies covering constellation design, mission ConOps, space and ground communications architecture, payload aperture sizing, and spacecraft bus GN&C and resource modeling trades.
• Develop Mission SEIT (A-spec level) program requirements and design reference missions and use case vignettes for Space and Ground Segment design.
• Develop mission test cases to support payload, bus, space vehicle, ground, and mission I&T and mission operations preparation.
• Develop mission algorithm description documents for ground mission management and space vehicle command and control.
• Support on-orbit operations.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or relevant technology field, with MS or PhD preferred.
• Active TS/SCI security clearance required.
• 20+ years of experience in space programs (18 with MS; 15 with PhD), spanning system engineering architecture, requirements development, hardware and software design, verification, test, and mission operations.
• Demonstrated experience in space mission systems engineering including Architecture Development, Trade Studies, MBSE, and CONOPS development across LEO to GEO missions and multiple sensor phenomenologies.
• Experience in space vehicle IPT leadership, on-orbit FSW development, integration and test lead roles, and modeling and simulation of spacecraft bus GN&C, resource modeling, and payload operations.
• Knowledge and experience in RF system architectures, RF performance modeling and simulation, and RF hardware, communication, and signal collection.
• Experience with EO/IR payloads, narrow and wide-band communications, data distribution, fault management, attitude and ephemeris determination, and space vehicle power and thermal systems.
• Desired software experience in Matlab, C/C++, Python, and STK.

Secure, automated delivery of cloud infrastructure depends on the Architectural Engineer, who builds and maintains DevSecOps pipelines, account structure environments, and security configurations supporting continuous integration and delivery on a 24x7 system. Based within a team running Agile development cycles, the role ensures vendor security patches are tracked and implemented while identifying automation opportunities that improve efficiency across the organization.

Accountabilities

• Collaborate with stakeholders to develop DevSecOps pipeline and workflow.
• Design and maintain a base environment covering account structure and security rules.
• Review and ensure DevSecOps tools, infrastructure provisioning, and configurations.
• Identify automation opportunities to improve efficiency and productivity.
• Support Agile development with continuous integration and delivery on a 24x7 system.
• Provide application lifecycle support to monitor vendor security patches and oversee implementation status.

Technical Qualifications

• Certified DevSecOps Professional (CDP), Certified DevSecOps Engineer (DSOE), CCSP, GIAC, GICSP, CISM, CISSP, ISO 27001 ISMS Lead Auditor, SSCP, CISA, CIA, GPEN, CEH, or equivalent security certification.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience building cloud infrastructure, container platforms, and managing DevSecOps tools.
• 2+ years of experience in Linux, Python, JavaScript, OpenShift, Coverity, Blackduck, Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes, SonarQube, SonarLint, Veracode, Nagios, Nexus, Splunk, Bitbucket, Jenkins, Maven, securiCAD, ThreatModeler, Artifactory, and JIRA.
• Experienced with AWS and serverless cloud architecture, migration, deployment, and setup.
• Strong knowledge of SAST and DAST security testing practices.
• Capability to work with BI tools such as Tableau and MicroStrategy.

As the Architectural Engineer, this role controls projects from start to finish, producing detailed blueprints and design proposals that meet client needs, environmental considerations, and applicable building codes and regulations. The team relies on this work to keep construction projects within budget and timelines while maintaining compliance with quality standards and architectural best practices.

Activities

• Control project from start to finish to ensure high quality, innovative, and functional design.
• Take the brief to identify client needs and put together feasibility reports and design proposals.
• Develop ideas keeping in mind client needs, building usage, and environmental impact.
• Produce detailed blueprints, make any necessary corrections, and compile project specifications.
• Keep within budgets and timelines, and ensure all works meet specific standards, building codes, guidelines, and regulations.
• Make on-site visits to check on project status, report findings, and liaise with construction professionals.
• Follow architectural trends and advancements.

Position Requirements

• Proven working experience as an architect, and a strong portfolio demonstrating artistic skills.
• Expert knowledge of building products, construction details, and relevant rules, regulations, and quality standards.
• Excellent drawing skills and familiarity with design software.
• Strong imagination and ability to think and create in three dimensions.
• Visual awareness, eye for detail, and strong communication and project management skills.