Application Architecture, Sr. Principal

Blue Shield of California•Oakland, CA

4h•$204,972 - $307,520•Hybrid

About The Position

The Stellarus Application Engineering team builds and operates the platform for payer operations, member experiences, customer integrations, pharma workflows, internal products, and marketplace capabilities. The Application Architecture, Sr. Principal will report to the Sr. Director, Application Architecture. In this role, you will shape how Stellarus designs reusable services, integrates strategic vendors, applies AI-assisted development patterns, and turns platform strategy into systems that engineering teams can build, test, deploy, and operate. The platform is built around domain-owned microservices, reusable APIs, event-driven workflows, vendor integrations, and a marketplace of capabilities that can be composed across customers and product lines. This is our most senior individual-contributor architecture role. The Senior Principal is the technical authority for application architecture across the platform: someone who sets enterprise-level architecture direction without needing a team to do it, and who is close enough to the code, system design, and production tradeoffs to make that direction credible to engineers. This role has overlap with enterprise architecture, and a background in enterprise architecture is a plus, but the work is closer to the code, system design, engineering execution, AI development improvements, vendor integration, and production tradeoffs than to enterprise architecture theater. Stellarus generally takes a build-over-buy approach when the capability is core to our platform. This role owns the call on what we build, where we integrate with vendors, how those integrations become reusable marketplace capabilities, and how teams design products for payer, provider, pharma, and partner workflows. Our leadership model is about developing great leaders at all levels and creating opportunities for our people to grow – personally, professionally, and financially. We are looking for leaders that are energized by creative and critical thinking, building and sustaining high-performing teams, getting results the right way, and fostering continuous learning. About Stellarus and the Ascendiun Family of Companies Stellarus, launched in January 2025, is designed to scale innovative healthcare solutions that support customers in creating a health care experience deserving of their family, friends, and neighbors. Stellarus is part of a family of organizations that is overseen by a nonprofit corporate entity named Ascendiun. The Ascendiun Family of Companies also includes Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and Altais, a clinical services company. Stellarus’ vision is to empower its customers to create a healthcare experience that is worthy of their family, friends, and neighbors. Stellarus’ objective is to offer innovative, modern, scalable solutions that challenge the health care status quo. This very closely aligns with Blue Shield of California’s vision by using innovation to improve quality, affordability, and experience for members. To achieve our mission, we foster an environment where all employees can thrive and contribute fully to address the needs of the various communities we serve. We are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive workplace that upholds our values and advances our goals. Our Values: At Stellarus, our core values of agility, trust, drive, courage and service shape our approach to developing innovative product offerings. Our Workplace Model: We believe in fostering a workplace environment that balances purposeful in-person collaboration with flexibility - providing clear expectations while respecting the diverse needs of our workforce. Our workplace model is designed around intentional in-person interaction, collaboration, connection, creativity and flexibility: For most teams, this means coming into the office two days per week. Employees living more than 50 miles from an office location, out of state employees, and employees in certain member-facing roles should work with their manager to determine in-office time based on business need. For employees with medical conditions that may impact their ability to work in-office, we are committed to engaging in an interactive process and providing reasonable accommodations to ensure their work environment is conducive to their success and well-being. The Company reserves the right to require more presence in the office based on business needs, and requirements are subject to change with periodic reviews. Physical Requirements: Office Environment - roles involving part to full time schedule in Office Environment. Based in our physical offices and work from home office/deskwork - Activity level: Sedentary, frequency most of work day. Please click here for further physical requirement detail. [https://www.blueshieldca.com/physical-job-requirements] Equal Employment Opportunity: External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest records and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, State and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status or disability status and any other classification protected by Federal, State and local laws.

Requirements

Senior individual-contributor architecture role.
Technical authority for application architecture across the platform.
Sets enterprise-level architecture direction.
Close enough to the code, system design, and production tradeoffs to make direction credible to engineers.
Background in enterprise architecture is a plus.
Work is closer to the code, system design, engineering execution, AI development improvements, vendor integration, and production tradeoffs.
Experience with build-over-buy approach when capability is core to the platform.

Nice To Haves

Background in enterprise architecture.

Responsibilities

Shape how Stellarus designs reusable services.
Integrate strategic vendors.
Apply AI-assisted development patterns.
Turn platform strategy into systems that engineering teams can build, test, deploy, and operate.
Own the call on what we build.
Determine where to integrate with vendors.
Define how integrations become reusable marketplace capabilities.
Guide how teams design products for payer, provider, pharma, and partner workflows.