Chief Architect

Commence•Virginia Beach, VA

1d•$170,000 - $185,000•Remote

About The Position

At Commence, we’re the start of a new age of data-centric transformation, elevating health outcomes and powering better, more efficient process to program and patient health. We combine quality data-driven solutions that fuel answers, technology that advances performance, and clinical expertise that builds trust to create a more efficient path to quality care. With human-centered, healthcare-relevant, and value-based solutions, we create new possibilities with data. We provide proof beyond the concept and performance beyond the scope with a focus on efficiencies that transform the lives of those we serve. With a culture driven by purpose, straightforward communication and clinical domain expertise, Commence cuts straight to better care. The Chief Architect owns the target-state architecture for a CMS case management program and holds final decision authority across cloud, data, security, and application layers. This is a technical leadership role and you will represent the program's architecture at technical review boards, defend design decisions to government stakeholders, and set the standards that the Cloud Architect, Data Solutions Architect, Security Lead, and Salesforce Developer build within.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field
12-15+ years of experience in solution/enterprise architecture, with prior experience holding a Principal Architect, Chief Architect, or Enterprise Architect title — this cannot be a first-time architecture leadership role
Direct experience delivering on federal contracts. CMS experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated experience owning architecture governance (ADR processes, architecture review boards) on at least one prior program
Experience designing cloud-native, API-driven solutions using AWS services and CI/CD pipelines
Experience with enterprise application architecture, service-oriented and microservices architectures
Platform fluency spanning both healthcare interoperability standards (FHIR, HL7) and case-management/BPM platforms (Pega or Salesforce)
Experience with data integration, transformation, and governance in healthcare contexts
Experience working within Agile development environments
Demonstrated ability to arbitrate technical disagreements across specialist teams and make binding decisions

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting CMS modernization initiatives specifically
Prior experience presenting architecture to a federal client's technical review board
Experience with provider directory and healthcare exchange systems
Experience with cloud migration and modernization programs
AWS Certified Solutions Architect

Responsibilities

Own and approve the program's target-state architecture across cloud, data, security, application, and integration layers
Serve as the program's CMS-facing technical authority
Set and own the architecture decision record (ADR) process; approve all ADRs before implementation
Resolve architectural conflicts between the Cloud Architect, Data Solutions Architect, Security Lead, and Salesforce Developer
Define solution patterns, reusable components, and architectural standards enforced consistently across all workstreams
Own the strategy for secure provider, beneficiary, and healthcare data exchange, including FHIR, HL7, Direct Messaging, RESTful APIs, and event-driven integration patterns
Set the integration strategy between the case-management platform (Pega/Salesforce) and the data layer
Own cloud-native architecture direction leveraging AWS services, including containerized and serverless application strategy
Set data ingestion, transformation, quality control, metadata management, and lakehouse/medallion architecture strategy in partnership with the Data Solutions Architect
Partner with the Security Lead to embed CMS ARS requirements, HIPAA safeguards, NIST controls, and FedRAMP requirements into every workstream
Provide binding architectural guidance to all engineering teams; identify technical risk and mandate mitigation strategies
Mentor senior technical staff and other architects on the program
Own technical specifications and implementation guidance at the program level