Application Architect

Career Opportunity

Role Title

Application Architect

Purpose of role

The Application Architect is responsible for the design of application architectures, conforming to organizational Enterprise Architecture principles and standards. This includes the design and implementation of application models and services within the over-all computing infrastructure and capturing the requirements for these services in order to identify the techniques and technologies required.
The Application Architect is also responsible for identifying the types, the organization, and collaborations of software components needed for delivering the defined user services; as well as, assisting with the defining of data elements and models, ensuring the definitions are granular and pragmatic enough to allow business processes to be performed efficiently and effectively.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical SME for a range of enterprise applications, providing direction on solution design and development in order to increase the value delivered by the technology landscape either through improvements to the efficiency of our technology environment or through reduction in the total cost of technology operations
• Contribute to architectural standards for all application services and components
• Create certainty, clarity and simplicity within the IT Infrastructure by increasing re-use and reducing redundancy in applications and technology designs
• Participate in the development, propagation and adoption of Enterprise Architecture Governance across IT through implementation of TOGAF principles
• Apply critical analysis as it relates to technical feasibility studies, system design artifacts, UML designs, and business requirement documents
• Ensure that application architectures are flexible and support the business needs by maintaining an understanding of business strategies and infrastructure capabilities
• Assist with projects and initiatives by assessing proposals and designs for architectural compliance (application, data, infrastructure and business solutions) before, during and after implementation
• Lead application performance assessment
• Identify and assess technologies that may have a significant impact on the technology or business environments or that may provide a cost savings to Foresters
• Provide creative solutions, alternatives and recommendations to business leaders in regards to application changes and enhancements.

Key Qualifications

• University degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent educational or professional experience and/or qualifications
• Understanding of the life insurance business and financial services (e.g. Policy Administration, New Business/Underwriting, Claims, Billing, Compensation) is preferred
• Ability to define and design high quality application architectures that meet stakeholder requirements and that are consistent with enterprise architectural standards and industry implementations.
• Work experience in applying TOGAF and/or enterprise architecture frameworks within an organization
• Proven experience in application design patterns
• Proven experience in .NET and Java technologies
• Proven experience in service-oriented architectures including ESB, service registries, SOAP, XML, web services, BPEL, integration design patterns, and governance
• Proven experience in Web technologies, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Angular JS.
  Strong working knowledge of mainframe systems
• Strong working knowledge of software development methodologies including RUP, Agile, Extreme Programming, SDLC, and Waterfall
• Understanding of information technology security, confidentiality and privacy practices and regulations
• Strong verbal and written business and technical communication skills
• Ability to map technology to business problems and vice-versa
• Ability to lead and inspire others through conviction and vision – able to market solutions and exercise influence through the power of ideas rather than by mandate
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to facilitate technical reviews or design sessions
• Superior analytical/problem solving and critical thinking abilities
• Effective time-management with the ability to work under constantly changing conditions and tight deadlines.

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Equal Opportunity Employment and Inclusion – at Foresters Financial, we are committed to sustaining an equal opportunity environment for all job applicants. We embrace Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) as a core strategic objective for building strong, innovative teams in which all our employees can show up wholly and authentically as themselves.

Foresters Financial strives to provide an accessible candidate experience for prospective employees with different abilities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] in advance of your appointment.

Thank you for choosing Foresters. Only those candidates who will be selected for further consideration will be contacted by our Talent Acquisition Team.