Principal Solution Architect - Data Focus

Job Description Blue Cross NC is seeking a highly experienced Principal Solution Architect (Data Focus) to provide enterprise-level architecture leadership across complex business and technology initiatives. This role serves as a strategic technology leader responsible for defining solution direction, reviewing enterprise designs, guiding large-scale technical investments, and ensuring solutions align with business outcomes, architecture standards, security requirements, and long-term technology strategy. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in enterprise data architecture, cloud-native platforms, integration technologies, AI-enabled solutions, and modern software engineering practices. This individual will influence architecture direction across multiple domains while mentoring architects and engineering teams throughout the organization. What You’ll Do Lead enterprise architecture efforts by defining solution strategies, architecture roadmaps, standards, and reference models that support business and technology objectives. Serve as the lead architect for complex initiatives, providing architectural direction across business stakeholders, technology teams, vendors, and delivery organizations. Design and govern scalable enterprise data architectures, ensuring alignment with data quality, governance, metadata management, analytics, compliance, and business requirements. Drive architecture decisions across modern technology ecosystems, including cloud platforms, data and analytics solutions, system integrations, APIs, event-driven architectures, databases, and application development. Establish and enforce architectural standards, patterns, governance processes, and security requirements to ensure consistent, scalable, and resilient solutions. Evaluate emerging technologies, conduct proofs of concept, and recommend innovative solutions that improve business outcomes and accelerate technology modernization. Identify and mitigate technical risks, architecture gaps, and solution dependencies while ensuring solutions meet performance, reliability, scalability, resiliency, and security requirements. Guide architecture activities throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), partnering with Agile delivery teams to ensure successful solution implementation. Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and coaching to architects, engineers, and technology teams while promoting architecture best practices and continuous improvement. Influence strategic technology decisions and effectively communicate architectural vision, recommendations, and trade-offs to executive and technical audiences What You Bring Bachelor's degree or advanced degree (where required) 8+ years of experience in related field. In lieu of degree, 10+ years of experience in related field. Bonus Points Experience developing enterprise technology strategies and leading large-scale architecture initiatives. Deep expertise in two or more areas including Data & Analytics, Cloud, Software Development, Integration, Infrastructure, or Security Architecture. Strong knowledge of enterprise architecture, solution design, software development methodologies, and SDLC practices. Experience designing and governing enterprise-scale data platforms, analytics solutions, and data governance capabilities. Hands-on experience with cloud-native technologies, modern integration patterns, APIs, and platform engineering practices. Experience evaluating emerging technologies and delivering AI-enabled business solutions. Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, leadership, mentoring, and change management capabilities. What You’ll Get The opportunity to work at the cutting edge of health care delivery with a team that’s deeply invested in the community Work-life balance, flexibility, and the autonomy to do great work Medical, dental, and vision coverage along with numerous health and wellness programs Parental leave and support plus adoption and surrogacy assistance Career development programs and tuition reimbursement for continued education 401k match including an annual company contribution Learn more Where You’ll Work Our Hybrid Flex approach is built on presence with a purpose – giving you flexibility to work remotely with intentional in-person connection – that supports a workplace that’s flexible, connected, and future focused. In a Hybrid-Flex role, you’ll work in the office at least two days a week for collaboration and connection. In a Remote Flex role, you’ll work virtually, with a few in-office visits each year for meaningful moments that matter. Whether your role is Hybrid Flex or Remote Flex depends on the nature of the work and distance from our Durham headquarters. We welcome candidates from outside the local area and in any states listed on this job posting. Onsite expectations will be discussed during the interview process. Salary Range At Blue Cross NC, we take great pride in a fair and equitable compensation package that reflects market-price and our starting salaries are typically planned near the middle of the range listed. Compensation decisions are driven by factors including experience and training, specialized skill sets, licensure and certifications and other business and organizational needs. Our base salary is part of a robust Total Rewards package that includes an Annual Incentive Bonus*, 401(k) with employer match, Paid Time Off (PTO), and competitive health benefits and wellness programs. *Based on annual corporate goal achievement and individual performance. $143,616.00 - $229,786.00 Skills _____________________________________________________________________ JOB ALERT FRAUD: We have become aware of scams from individuals, organizations, and internet sites claiming to represent Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina in recruitment activities in return for disclosing financial information. Our hiring process does not include text-based conversations or interviews and never requires payment or fees from job applicants. All our career opportunities are published on . If you have already provided your personal information that you suspect is fraudulent activity, please report it to your local authorities. Any fraudulent activity should be reported to: .