Staff Architect / Senior Staff Architect

Applied Systems•Lewisville, TX

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

Transforming the insurance industry is ambitious. Applied is 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, Applied is not just redefining what’s achievable; it’s creating a place where amazing career moments are made possible. Applied is searching for a Staff Architect / Senior Staff Architect to join its Technology Team as it continues supporting teams across the enterprise with the adoption of AI and changes in the software development lifecycle. In this role, the individual 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. The individual will help define large-scale architectural decisions, shape the patterns and standards that govern AI adoption across the software lifecycle, and ensure systems scale beyond human throughput while continuously earning customer trust.

Requirements

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.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

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.
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.