Lead Solution Architect

At CVS Health, we're building a world of health around every consumer and surrounding ourselves with dedicated colleagues who are passionate about transforming health care.As the nation's leading health solutions company, we reach millions of Americans through our local presence, digital channels and more than 300,000 purpose-driven colleagues - caring for people where, when and how they choose in a way that is uniquely more connected, more convenient and more compassionate. And we do it all with heart, each and every day.Position Summary

The Lead Solution Architect is accountable for the business solution designs for key strategic initiatives including (but not limited to) developing architectures that represent business, applications/integration, data, infrastructure, platform, and security architectures. In this role you will create solution architecture for key strategic initiatives including developing architectures and runways that represent business, application/integration, data, infrastructure, platform, and security architectures, partnering within Data, Digital, Analytics, and Technology teams.Accountabilities include:

• End to End Solution Leadership: Ultimate accountability and oversight for driving solutions from cradle to grave for a given domain by providing leadership and oversight to application architects and tech leads who are intimately familiar with the application architectures within their specific domain.
• Buy vs Build Analysis: In depth experience in performing Buy vs Build analysis based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis across the available options to provide a final recommendation based on the rationale.
• Architecture and design reviews: Play a key leadership role in architecture design reviews and identify gaps and recommend design changes. Actively lead and participate in the Architecture community to drive modernization opportunities for the advancement of Aetna technology while keeping in mind the complexities of our IT landscape.
• Develop Reference architecture and implementation: Providing leadership, coaching and guidance to Application Development, Infrastructure and EA to develop/assemble Aetna-applicable reference architectures for cloud-native applications to be applied to Aetna applications targeted for refactor and optimization.
• Application profile identification: Leverage significant technical expertise and domain knowledge to identify Aetna apps targeted for refactor and optimization for cloud.
• Proof of concept technology support: Lead and drive proofs-of-concept and technology deep-dives specific to partner technologies.
• "Whatever it takes" attitude to help clear technical roadblocks: Advise and assist Application development teams with technical roadblocks such as performance challenges within a solution.
• Cost optimization identification: Engage with appropriate stakeholders to recommend or assess opportunities to drive cost efficiencies aimed at simplicity, configurability and eventual elimination of technical debt associated with Aetna applications.
• Tech Debt: Manage tech debt within a given portfolio and develop solution proposals to reduce them.

• Ability to teach and upskill talent within the organization.
• Thought leadership and mentoring
• Excellent communication
• Deep collaboration skills. Ability to work as a team player seeking alignment and able to influence outcomes through hands-on demonstration of cloud capabilities.

• 8+ years of design/development experience
• 2+ years of hands-on cloud implementation experience
• Best in class technical subject matter expertise and domain knowledge
• SME level understanding of cloud design and architecture for one or more public cloud provider (Azure, AWS or GCP) to deliver large-scale distributed solutions across the full enterprise stack.
• SME level technical skills in the following areas: application, data, integration and, security architecture/design
• SME level understanding of APIs (Rest, GraphQL, gRPC. Etc.) and microservices-based architecture is a must.
• Experience working with technologies that work as glue between modern applications and legacy infrastructure leveraging streaming platforms like Kafka.
• Ability to collaborate with Aetna Tech, EA, Operations and Security to deliver solutions.
• Experience in enterprise development tools and methodologies (XP, Agile) including DevSecOps and DataOps
• Hands-on technologists with coding skills and proficient in modern technology stacks (Cloud, DevOps, Kafka etc.)
• Understanding of both SQL and NoSQL database technologies as well as Cloud database technologies.
• Demonstrable hands-on experience is a must
• Facilitates adoption of cloud-native/cloud-first architectures.
• Experience integrating with legacy mainframe/mid-range applications including developing roadmaps for modernization of the applications.

• Experience in the Healthcare Payor Industry is a plus. GCP/Azure Architect cloud certification is preferred.

• Bachelor's degree in computer science/related field required or equivalent experience.

• Affordable medical plan options, a 401(k) plan (including matching company contributions), and an employee stock purchase plan.
• No-cost programs for all colleagues including wellness screenings, tobacco cessation and weight management programs, confidential counseling and financial coaching.
• Benefit solutions that address the different needs and preferences of our colleagues including paid time off, flexible work schedules, family leave, dependent care resources, colleague assistance programs, tuition assistance, retiree medical access and many other benefits depending on eligibility.