Lead Network Architect

What's the role?

The person in this role will be responsible for furthering the Network Architecture function at Northwestern Mutual and helping drive the strategic design for a variety of networking technologies. To do this, the individual must be in tune with mainstream industry concepts and function as the highest-level technical expert. As part of this role, you will work with peers and the Principal Network Architect to help define emerging technologies for the organization to invest in while maintaining a mainstream architecture that is flexible and easy to support.

This role is focused on evaluating current architectures across multiple network technologies, creating best practices and an overall homogeneous network ecosystem. They will help lead the architectural committee to collaborate on proposed designs, eliminate technical debt and deliver core functions in an improved fashion.

This position is also responsible for managing relationships amongst enterprise peers, organizational teams and vendors to achieve company strategies. Focus should be placed on risk identification, prioritization, and mitigation planning. Senior leadership communication of identified risks and plans will be key to this role.

Core Responsibilities:

• Recognized as an expert within the company and has in-depth expertise in Network Technologies.
• Ability to solve unique problems that have a broad impact on the business.
• Ability to anticipate business and technology needs to provide product recommendations and drive improvements.
• Leads projects with notable risk and complexity; develops the strategy for project execution
• Solves unique problems with broad impact on the business; requires conceptual and innovative thinking to develop solutions.
• Communicates complex ideas, anticipates potential objections and persuades others, often at senior levels, to adopt a different point of view
• Responsible for establishing and providing leadership with the technology strategy and roadmaps as well as product recommendations that enable the business at the enterprise level.
• Drives change that moves technology and the business forward to solve complex problems.
• Responsible for setting architecture standards and practices for engineering domains.
• Active participant in setting technical vision for a broad set of technology disciplines.
• Remain hands on to be an effective technical leader and plays an active role in mentoring and coaching other engineers.
• Develops strategies, writes proposals and pitches them across the enterprise for new architectures, systems and approaches.
• Applies industry leading and ground-breaking best practices in order to analyze and develop software solutions.
• Designs, organizes, and executes high impact solutions across the organization.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills within area of expertise, and in adjacent domains.
• History of delivering and supporting highly available architectures.
• Lead and drive architecture for key engineering initiatives leveraging proven design and architecture patterns.
• Have a history of consistently delivering successful solutions across multiple dimensions, including performance, scalability, and resiliency.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguous situations without losing focus on the big picture.
• Successfully communicates to both technical and non-technical audiences in varying forms and all levels of detail.
• Influence teams, technology or business leaders on impactful issues and decisions.
• Responsible to manage the technology life cycle while working with peers across the technology organization.
• Influence and Endorse quality solutions that are resilient, secure, and scalable.
• Helps create and apply industry best practices by working with vendors and peers.
• Ability to collaborate with enterprise architecture, application teams, information security and other infrastructure teams to deliver the best possible product.
• Produces documentation, artifacts and designs, for technical and non-technical audiences
• Act as a technical consultant to both internal and external customers and at all levels of the organization.

Experience & Technical Skills:

• 10+ years of professional IT experience
• 10+ years of experience in Network Technologies
• Experience in an Architect or Lead Engineering role.
• Exposure to modern Data Center Networking technologies such as hyper converged infrastructure, Multi Data Center architecture, Software Defined Networks, etc.…
• Knowledgeable in automation, tools, agile and DevOps philosophies
• Local Area Network and Campus Network Solutions
• SD-WAN
• Wireless
• Data Center Network Technologies
• WANs and Internet Connectivity
• Overlay Networking
• Load Balancing and DNS technologies
• Network Segmentation and Zero Trust Networks
• Automation & Infrastructure as code
• Cloud Connectivity

Bring Your Best! What this role needs:

• Enterprise experience in key technologies such as routing/switching, WAN, DC networks, Application LBs, DNS, Network Security
• Highly effective at communications across peers and Leadership levels
• Strong relationship skills and ability to handle customer and business escalations
• Ability to handle and drive escalations with our partner organizations, Applications, and Security
• Experience with engineering best practices to include analyzing, designing, developing and supporting software solutions and/or infrastructure implementations/upgrades
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Strong sense of ownership and the ability to work with a limited set of requirements

Our Benefits!

• Collaborative team first environment
• Tons of room for career growth.
• We offer highly competitive compensation, including annual bonus opportunities
• Medical/Dental/Vision plans, 401(k), pension program
• We provide tuition reimbursement, commuter plans, and paid time off
• We provide extensive Professional Training Opportunities
• We offer an excellent Work/Life Balance
• Hackathons/Dedication to Innovation

#LI-Hybrid

Northwestern Mutual pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement in the salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. At Northwestern Mutual, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. Please note that the salary range listed in the posting is the standard pay structure. Positions in certain locations (such as California) may provide an increase on the standard pay structure based on the location. Please click here for additional information relating to location-based pay structures.

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you work or would be working in California, Colorado, New York City, Washington or outside of a Corporate location, please click here for information pertaining to compensation and benefits.