Senior Architect (Distributed Data Strategy Architect)

Senior Integration Architect (Data & APIs) Our vision for the future is based on the idea that transforming financial lives starts by giving our people the freedom to transform their own. We have a flexible work environment, and fluid career paths. We not only encourage but celebrate internal mobility. We also recognize the importance of purpose, well-being, and work-life balance. Within Empower and our communities, we work hard to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, and our associates dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering for causes that matter most to them. Chart your own path and grow your career while helping more customers achieve financial freedom. Empower Yourself. As a Senior Integration Architect (Data & APIs) at Empower, you will be both a strategic leader and hands-on technical expert responsible for designing and evolving enterprise integration architecture. Partnering with enterprise architects, application teams, and business leaders, you will define API-first and event-driven architectures that enable real-time, reliable, and scalable system communication. You will drive standardized integration patterns such as RESTful/gRPC APIs, asynchronous messaging, and data contracts to ensure consistency, security, and resilience across the enterprise, while leading modernization efforts to reduce point-to-point integrations and enable loosely coupled systems across legacy and modern platforms. You will influence key architectural decisions, mentor engineering teams, and establish best practices for API lifecycle management, event-driven design, and distributed system reliability. Responsibilities Design and implement API-first and event-driven architectures that enable scalable, real-time system communication Architect integration patterns including REST/gRPC APIs, asynchronous messaging, and event-driven workflows across distributed systems Define and enforce data contracts, schemas, and interface standards to ensure consistent, reliable data exchange across domains Design for resilience in distributed systems, including preventing duplicate processing, managing retries and replays, and ensuring fault tolerance Lead modernization of legacy integrations by reducing point-to-point dependencies and enabling loosely coupled architectures Establish best practices for API lifecycle management including versioning, documentation, security, and governance Provide architectural leadership through design reviews, mentoring, and cross-team collaboration to ensure consistent adoption of integration patterns Required Skills Experience designing and implementing scalable integration solutions across distributed systems Strong understanding of API-based system design and modern integration approaches (e.g., synchronous and asynchronous patterns) Familiarity with event-driven architectures and messaging concepts in real-world applications Experience defining and managing interfaces or data exchange patterns across systems Understanding of reliability considerations in distributed systems (e.g., handling failures, retries, or duplicate processing) Experience working across a mix of legacy and modern systems in complex enterprise environments Proficiency in backend or service-based development using languages such as Java, Python, or similar Nice to Have Qualifications Experience with API management platforms or gateways (e.g., Apigee, Kong, AWS API Gateway, Azure API Management) Hands-on experience with messaging or streaming platforms (e.g., Kafka, Kinesis, Pub/Sub) Familiarity with domain-driven design concepts (e.g., bounded contexts, service boundaries) Experience designing or working with contract-first APIs or schema-driven development approaches Exposure to cloud-native architectures and distributed system patterns in AWS, Azure, or GCP Experience participating in architecture governance processes (e.g., design reviews, reference architectures, ADRs) Certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate or Professional) Education Bachelor's and/or master's degree in computer science or related field (information systems, mathematics, software engineering, etc.) Physical Requirements/Working Conditions Normal Office Working Conditions We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to diversity. All individuals, regardless of personal characteristics, are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, religion, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable state or local law. Empower