Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) is hiring for an IT Architect, Principal within our Technology Strategy and Planning area. 

About the Role

Provide overall direction, guidance, definition, and facilitation for the development of architecture required to meet business strategies and goals. Identify, support, and analyze the enterprise’s business drivers, IT strategies, and current IT environment and recommend solutions to improve, develop, and align IT to the business. Lead, consult or oversee multiple complex projects/programs/domains that have significant impacts and require in-depth technical knowledge across multiple specific architecture disciplines such as technology, solution, business, or information/data. 

Functions/Aspects of the role may include:

• Guide other architects and IT leaders in the communications and implementation of roadmaps. Ensures that the architectural strategy is aligned with business goals.
• Define principles that guide technology decisions and the relationship between enterprise business context (industry and market trends) and specified technology.
• Work with business peers to develop and present business capability models and roadmaps to facilitate discussion and decision making with stakeholders across the enterprise.
• Create, modify, and approve logical designs and architectures by reviewing end-user topology, security, performance, and interoperability requirements.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of software product standards, as well as the design of standard software configurations. Guide the design of enterprise-wide initiatives to integrate systems.
• Lead architectural collaboration with other IT teams in the management of technical change, verification of testing results, and monitoring of technical standards compliance and deployment.
• Develop, motivate, and mentor IT members to create a team environment. Coach and mentor team members.
• Evaluate and advise on options, risks, costs versus benefits, system impacts, and technology priorities in highly complex situations. Advise, collaborate with, and lead product and delivery management on reporting status, issues, risks, and benefits.
• Direct the research and evaluation of emerging technology, industry, and market trends. Confirm technology recommendations are based on business relevance, appropriate timing, and deployment complexity, and makes final recommendation.
• Lead teams in developing plans, assessing improvement options and ongoing quality activities across the enterprise.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in related field required. 
• Master’s degree in related field preferred.
• Ten (10) years of experience in IT and business/industry (architecture design and deployment, systems lifecycle management, infrastructure planning and operations, etc.) with five (5) years of technical leadership and relevant architecture experience (information solutions, business, technology, etc.) required.
• Exposure to multiple diverse technologies and processing environments required.
• Extensive self-motivation and risk-taking abilities.
• Extensive experience in decision making and critical and strategic thinking. Ability to analyze situations, reach productive decisions and maintain focus on key success factors.
• Extensive experience with client relationship management to determine and satisfy client needs and maintain a partnering relationship through communicating, presenting, facilitating, managing and developing others.
• Ability to develop and integrate new ideas and initiatives that improve the performance of the organization.
• Ability to drive consensus on complex matters involving diverse stakeholders where there may be varying points of view.
• Knowledge of all components of a holistic architecture.

Departmental Preferences (Experience/Skills):

• Experience in the design, development and successful execution of transformation initiatives, and solutions in healthcare functions such as sales & marketing, servicing, operations etc.
• Experience in working with corporate, business, and functional areas to collaboratively develop opportunities and technology solutions aligned to established strategies and plans.
• Experience in leading, collaborating with business stakeholders in ideation, planning, developing concepts, conducting technology pilots and demonstrate value.
• Experience in evaluating, implementation and managing strategic partnerships, M&As and joint ventures with technology services vendors and partners.
• Strong Leadership and Executive level communication skills with ability to create, develop and present on Strategies, Architecture related new and ongoing initiatives and activities.
• Ability to operate, manage and drive results in fast paced, ambiguous and challenging environment working with cross functional Business, IT and Consultant SMEs (subject matter experts)
• Experience in collaborating with cross functional teams in Architecture, Application development and Operations areas to develop solutions and implementation plans aligned to Business and IT objectives.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other grounds, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, protected veteran status or status as an individual with a disability.