Lead Technical Architect

Lead Technical Architect

We are seeking an experienced Lead Technical Architect to join our AI Platforms and Services (AIPS) team and guide the system design and solution architecture for a diverse set of enterprise AI initiatives. The AIPS team is a critical enabler of AI-driven innovation within the company, functioning as an internal service provider to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions and infrastructure. In this role, you will be instrumental in translating business needs into robust technical solutions that align with strategic goals and enable long-term success across the organization.

As the Lead Technical Architect, you will be responsible for the end-to-end technical vision for our enterprise-grade platforms. You will lead the design of scalable, secure, and maintainable systems, and implement robust enterprise integrations using APIs, messaging systems, and data pipelines in complex, heterogeneous environments. While collaborating closely with cross-functional teams—including Business Stakeholders, Data Science, Engineering, and Product—you will help set the strategic technical direction and drive the development and integration of AI-enabled solutions. Your leadership will be critical in evaluating and recommending technologies, leading proof-of-concept (POC) efforts, and presenting architectural designs to the Architecture Review Board.

The ideal candidate brings a strong software engineering and solution architecture background, deep experience in Python, and a solid understanding of enterprise integrations. They will have a passion for staying current with advancements in AI, cloud, and enterprise technologies, proactively identifying opportunities for innovation that align with Highmark's roadmaps. While deep AI expertise is not required, familiarity with AI solutioning is a definite plus. This individual will also ensure all solutions comply with regulatory standards, including HIPAA and other Healthcare IT requirements.

The AI Platforms and Services team is revolutionizing how our organization leverages AI. Our team culture is highly collaborative, innovative, and results oriented. We value continuous learning, open communication, and a commitment to excellence. As a key technical leader, you will provide mentorship and guidance to project teams, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence. Join us and help build the future of AI at Highmark Health!

Essential Responsibilities

• Lead to provide strategic consultation to business customers in defining or designing business processes, functions and organizational structures, as well as in researching, identifying and internally marketing enabling technologies based on customer capability requirements. Facilitate development of the most complex enterprise business solutions that combine knowledge of particular business processes and issues, general technological options, and process facilitation techniques. Lead and participate in enterprise strategy development, including environmental analysis, opportunity identification, value cases and business innovation portfolio development.
• Specify and design large or the most complex systems, solutions, networks, infrastructure elements, or processes. Select appropriate design standards, methods and tools and ensures that they are applied effectively. Lead reviews of others' system design to ensure selection of appropriate technology, efficient use of resources and integration of multiple systems and technology. Establish policy for selection of architecture components. Evaluate and undertake impact analysis on the most complex major design options. Ensure that the system architecture balances functional, service quality and systems management requirements.
• Use appropriate tools, including models of components and interfaces, to contribute to the development of the most complex architectures. Produce detailed component requirements, specifications and translates these into detailed solutions/designs for implementation using selected products. Provide advice on technical aspects of system development, integration (including requests for changes, deviations from specifications, etc.) and processes. Ensure that relevant technical and business strategies, policies, standards and practices are applied correctly.
• Select and use tools and methods to establish, clarify, and communicate the functional and non-functional requirements of system users, their characteristics, and tasks. Identify the technical, organizational, and physical environment in which the most complex products or systems will operate. Identify, propose, initiate, and lead significant improvement programs, taking responsibility for the quality and appropriateness of the work performed and the realization of measurable business benefits. Modify existing process improvement approaches and/or develop new approaches to achieving improvement.
• Lead the resolution of a variety of architecture and business problems and serve as a technical or business lead for highly complex project initiatives.
• Communicate effectively with all levels of organization
• Manage expectations of customers, partners and management
• Participate in customer walkthroughs and plans; design and technical walkthroughs; and problem resolution and decision making
• Interact with departments across the organization as necessary, including the development and interpretation of highly complex requirements for peers and other staff.
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of specific technical aspects in area of expertise and provides expert advice regarding their application. The area of specific expertise may be any aspect of information or communication technology, technique, method, process, product, or application area.
• Provide leadership and mentoring in the areas of expertise and architecture to their peers, developers, management and business users including technical expertise, coaching, and ad-hoc training by:
• Prepare presentations on complex issues on the area of expertise.
• Present to their peers to ensure consistency to Highmark's strategic direction.
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

Education

Required

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology or closely related field

Substitutions

• None

Preferred

• Master's Degree

Experience

Required

• 7 years in an IT discipline
• 7 years in a Business discipline

Preferred

• 8+ years of experience in software development, solution architecture, or enterprise systems design.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, with a preference for Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Strong programming skills in Python, with experience building scalable, production-grade systems.
• Proven experience leading end-to-end system design and solution architecture for scalable and secure enterprise-grade platforms.
• Expertise in designing and implementing robust enterprise integrations using APIs, messaging systems, and data pipelines.
• Experience in the development or integration of AI-enabled solutions that support strategic platforms and service initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with cross-functional teams (e.g., Business, Data Science, Engineering, Product) to define and execute strategic technical direction.
• Experience leading proof-of-concept (POC) efforts to validate the feasibility and business value of new technical solutions.
• Proficiency in creating and maintaining comprehensive architecture documentation, including diagrams, specifications, and implementation guidelines.
• Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, including formal bodies like an Architecture Review Board.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance standards in a healthcare environment, such as HIPAA.
• Experience providing technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to engineering and project teams.
• Familiarity or experience with DevOps, MLOps, Containerization and IaC, with a focus on automating and streamlining the AI development and deployment lifecycle.

Skills

An Architect is not required to have experience in all of these, but is required to have those needed to support applications they are responsible for supporting. Current skill set are reviewed every other year, new skills may be required to meet changing business needs.

• IMS
• DB2
• Oracle and Teradata Databases
• Data Warehousing
• COBOL
• Visual Basic
• C
• C++
• SAS
• Java/JavaScript Framework
• PEGA
• CSS3
• Mobile
• JSON
• Cognos
• Hadoop
• SQL
• J2EE
• HTML5/XML
• Project Management Tools: Waterfall and/or Agile

Scope of Responsibility

Does this role supervise/manage other employees?

No

Work Environment

Is Travel Required?

0 to 25%