Principal Enterprise Architect

Northwestern Mutual • Milwaukee, WI

2d

About The Position

Northwestern Mutual is seeking an Enterprise Architect with strong Business Architecture capabilities to help shape and evolve the firm’s enterprise-wide strategy, capabilities, and technology landscape. This role bridges business vision and execution by aligning business strategy, operating models, and capabilities with technology platforms and architectural standards. The ideal candidate combines deep experience in enterprise technology architecture with a pragmatic, value‑driven approach to business architecture—supporting a complex financial services organization focused on insurance, investment, and wealth management solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or related technology leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience discovering and applying business architecture concepts such as capabilities, value streams, and information concepts.
• Experience working in large, complex enterprises; financial services, insurance, or wealth management experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of modern enterprise technologies (cloud platforms, integration patterns, data architectures, security).
• Proven ability to influence without authority and work effectively across organizational boundaries.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, SAFe, or similar).
• Exposure to business architecture practices or certifications (BIZBOK, IIBA, or equivalent).
• Experience supporting large-scale business or digital transformation initiatives.
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise architecture strategies, principles, standards, and target-state roadmaps that support Northwestern Mutual’s business objectives.
• Partner with technology, data, security, and platform teams to guide solution design and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Provide architectural oversight and consultation for major initiatives, transformations, and investment decisions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architectural patterns (e.g., cloud, API-based architectures, data platforms, AI enablement) and assess their business impact.
• Reduce technical complexity and risk by rationalizing applications, platforms, and integrations across the enterprise.
• Collaborate with risk, security, and compliance partners to ensure architectures meet regulatory and resiliency requirements common to financial services.
• Translate enterprise and business-unit strategies into clear business capabilities, value streams, and operating models.
• Develop and maintain business capability maps and link them to technology roadmaps and investment portfolios.
• Partner with business leaders, product owners, and transformation teams to clarify business outcomes, dependencies, and trade-offs.
• Support portfolio planning and prioritization by connecting strategic objectives to capabilities, initiatives, and technology investments.
• Enable business transformation by identifying capability gaps, redundancies, and opportunities for simplification or acceleration.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business and technology leaders across Northwestern Mutual.
• Facilitate architecture and strategy discussions that balance long-term vision with near-term execution.
• Communicate complex architectural and business concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor architects and contribute to the maturity of enterprise and business architecture practices.

Benefits

• Pay Range - Start: $176,000.00
• Pay Range - End: $264,000.00
• Structure 110: $193,600.00 USD - $290,400.00 USD
• Structure 115: $202,400.00 USD - $303,600.00 USD
• Geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal