Staff Architect / Senior Staff Architect

Job Description
Amazing Career Moments Happen Here
Transforming the insurance industry is ambitious, we know. That's why at Applied, we're building a team that shows up every day ready to learn, willing to try new things, and driven to deliver innovative software and services that make us indispensable to our customers - all within a culture built on values that make us indispensable to each other too. With 40+ years of experience in the Insurtech game, we're not just redefining what's achievable; we're creating a place where amazing career moments are made possible.
Position Overview
We're searching for a Staff Architect / Senior Staff Architect to join our Technology Team as we continue supporting teams across the enterprise with the adoption of AI and changes in the software development lifecycle. In this role, you will partner with global architects, engineers, and product leaders to design, architect, build, and test impactful products.
The ideal candidate will bring deep architectural expertise, a commitment to embracing AI, and a passion for enabling the success of engineering teams across Applied. You will help define large-scale architectural decisions, shape the patterns and standards that govern AI adoption across the software lifecycle, and ensure our systems scale beyond human throughput while continuously earning customer trust.
What You'll Do
As a Staff Architect, you will:

• Define large-scale architectural decisions across multiple domains and evaluate tradeoffs with consideration for quality, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
• Lead complex architectural design discussions across domains and drive alignment on technical approaches with consideration for company direction and long-term goals.
• Solve complex architectural problems to advance solutions and design patterns.
• Define patterns for using AI across the architecture and engineering lifecycle, and use AI to surface system-level insights that inform design and investment decisions.
• Create guides that define architectural standards and best practices across domains, and lead knowledge-sharing across engineering communities to improve the quality and consistency of design decisions.
• Partner with engineering and product leadership across multiple domains to align architectural decisions with the product roadmap and business objectives.
• Provide direction and prioritize architectural initiatives, new standards, or ways of working to ensure success across multiple teams.

As a Senior Staff Architect, you will also:

• Shape enterprise architecture strategy by establishing and evolving architectural standards across the organization.
• Resolve systemic architectural issues by identifying root causes and establishing durable solutions to improve outcomes.
• Solve complex and systemic architectural challenges with broad impact across the organization.
• Influence decisions about AI investments at the platform level and shape norms around the ethical, secure, and sustainable use of AI in architectural decisions.
• Establish enterprise-wide architectural standards and enhance documentation at scale, championing adoption across leaders and teams.
• Strategize with engineering and business leaders across the organization to align enterprise architecture with company strategy and multi-year plans.

We're Excited to Learn More About You
Your experience may include:

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering and/or architecture; Senior Staff Architect candidates should bring 12+ years of experience.
• A degree in Computer Science, a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Expert knowledge of software architecture principles and practices, with the ability to drive improvements with technical and non-technical stakeholders across multiple domains.
• Expert knowledge of modern, cloud-based technologies, distributed systems design, and software security practices.
• Extensive knowledge of software development lifecycle practices, CI/CD, automation, and best practices for scalability and resilience.
• Demonstrated ability to engage cross-functional stakeholders, solve complex architectural problems, and build consensus across domains.
• Fluency applying AI across the architecture and engineering lifecycle, including hands-on familiarity with AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor, and Copilot, along with the judgment to govern their responsible use.

You may have other skills or credentials, including:

• Comprehensive knowledge of enterprise architecture principles and practices, including enterprise integration patterns and cloud-based platforms.
• Experience influencing AI investment decisions at the platform level and shaping norms for ethical, secure, and sustainable AI usage.
• Knowledge of Agile frameworks and tools such as issue tracking and documentation platforms.

We know that talent comes from all backgrounds and experience levels. We encourage military members and their spouses as well as candidates without a degree or a background in tech to apply!
Our Technical Environment
The Applied Technology organization is aligned on a set of Approved Technologies enabled by common libraries and templates. Architects operate across the full technology stack and are expected to have fluency in the platforms and patterns that underpin Applied's products and infrastructure.
This environment includes Kubernetes clusters in Google Kubernetes Engine, Terraform CDK, GitLab pipelines, Hashicorp Vault, service design using gRPC, REST/OpenAPI and GraphQL, front-end architecture with React and TypeScript, backend patterns including Go, C#, and Python, Google BigQuery, Dataflow, Google PubSub, Redis, Cloud SQL Postgres, DataDog, Apigee, and AI/ML platforms including Vertex AI, OpenAI, SageMaker, and Azure ML.
How We Lead - Our Leadership Principles
Our Leadership Principles describe how we lead, how we decide, and how we build. In this role, highlighted leadership principles include AI & Automation as Leverage, Own the Outcome, and Insist on the Highest Standards.
You will also bring Customer Obsession, Speed as a Habit, Invent & Simplify, Platform Thinking, and Build High-Performing Teams to everything you do.
When You Join Team Applied, You Can Expect:
A culture that values who you are and recognizes that you aren't just an employee; you are a teammate, and you matter. We thrive on the benefits of our different experiences and celebrate the uniqueness our teammates bring to work with them every day.
We flex our time together, collaborating remotely and in-person to empower our teams to work in the ways that work best for them.
A comprehensive benefits and compensation package that centers our teammates and helps them bring their best to work every day, including:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Holiday and Vacation Time
• Health & Wellness Days
• A Bonus Day for Your Birthday

Learn more about the people behind our products at Applied Careers .
Compensation
The total anticipated annual compensation range for this newly created position is USD $140,000 - USD $200,000 per year, which includes starting base salary and, where applicable, variable or incentive pay. To determine a new team member's starting pay, we consider a variety of factors, including someone's depth, breadth, and variety of experience, skills, and responsibilities.
Your Security Matters
Our candidates' personal information and online safety are top of mind for us. At Applied, we proactively protect your personal information and only communicate with candidates via a secure @appliedsystems.com email or through our official careers portal. Recruiters will never request payments, ask for financial account information, or sensitive information like social security numbers.
AI Utilization
We leverage AI tools to streamline parts of our recruitment workflow, such as resume parsing and interview scheduling. However, candidate screening, interviews, and final decisions are conducted by real humans.
EEO Statement
Applied Systems is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Diversity and Inclusion is a business imperative and is a part of building our brand and reputation. At Applied, we don't discriminate, and we are committed to recruit, develop, retain, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.