Solution Architect - Hybrid

Manulife • Waterloo, ON

2d • CA$86,100 - CA$136,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

John Hancock Technology Office is seeking a Solution Architect to support high-profile technology initiatives that drive our customer-centric digital transformation. In this role, you'll work closely with engineering leaders, product teams, business stakeholders, and senior architects to design scalable, secure, and modern technology solutions. You'll remain hands-on with technology while building your expertise in solution architecture, helping turn business vision into reality. If you enjoy solving complex technical challenges, collaborating across teams, and leveraging emerging technologies such as cloud and AI, we'd love to hear from you.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, systems development, or application development.
• Strong experience delivering enterprise-scale applications and technology solutions.
• Experience as a senior developer, technical lead, engineering lead, or similar leadership role.
• Hands-on experience with one or more modern programming languages such as Java, C#, .NET, Python, JavaScript, or TypeScript.
• Experience designing web, mobile, API, integration, or distributed systems.
• Solid understanding of software architecture principles, design patterns, and modern engineering practices.
• Experience with cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure, as well as AWS or Google Cloud Platform.
• Knowledge of CI/CD, DevOps, test automation, and Agile delivery practices.
• Experience with cloud-native, microservices, event-driven, and API-first architectures.
• Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and deployment automation.
• Experience working with containerized and serverless technologies.
• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with technical and business stakeholders.
• Understanding of application security, privacy, compliance, and secure design principles.
• Understanding of Generative AI and AI-enabled solution architectures.
• Familiarity with Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), AI agents, and modern AI integration patterns.
• Exposure to Microsoft AI technologies, including Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Copilot technologies, or related Azure AI services.
• Understanding of Responsible AI, AI governance, and security considerations.
• Ability to evaluate and incorporate AI capabilities into business solutions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in financial services or a regulated industry.
• Experience with Microsoft or Salesforce platforms and associated technologies.
• Exposure to cloud-native development and modern engineering practices.
• Experience working within Agile delivery environments.
• Passion for emerging technologies and innovation.
• Cloud, architecture, AI, Agile, Microsoft, or Salesforce certifications are considered an asset.

Responsibilities

• Partner with engineering, product, and business teams to design and deliver scalable technology solutions.
• Develop architecture artifacts, technical designs, and recommendations aligned with enterprise standards and long-term technology strategy.
• Participate throughout the project lifecycle, guiding teams from concept through delivery.
• Design secure, maintainable, resilient, and highly scalable solutions.
• Lead proof-of-concepts and technical evaluations for emerging technologies and innovative approaches.
• Contribute to reusable frameworks, architecture patterns, engineering standards, and best practices.
• Communicate solution options, trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with teams to define non-functional requirements, architecture diagrams, and implementation approaches.
• Review architecture designs, estimates, requirements, and code to ensure alignment with business and technical objectives.
• Evaluate vendor and third-party solutions for integration, scalability, security, and operational support.
• Support architecture governance, reviews, and technical decision-making.
• Document architecture decisions and technical rationale through Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
• Identify technical risks and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Contribute to modernization, cloud adoption, AI, automation, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Stay current with industry trends, particularly in cloud computing, AI, software engineering, and cybersecurity.

Benefits

• health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans.
• various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources.
• generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

What This Job Offers

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