Lead IT Architect - Life Systems

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it. We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most. The Lead IT Architect is responsible for designing, coding, testing, implementing, maintaining, and supporting software systems. Works closely with business analysts and customers to gather requirements to ensure the customer’s business needs and expectations are met in a timely and cost-effective manner. Diagnoses, isolates and de-bugs software problems and provides resolution. Prepares and modifies technical documentation. Researches, evaluates and recommends new development tools and applications as appropriate. Participates in on-call rotation. May be responsible for managing work within a project. Responsibilities: Analysis and Design: Research, compile, and evaluates information used in the development and maintenance of very large and complex systems and processes to satisfy business needs. Designs very large and complex systems and/or support processes that meet customer requirements while effectively interacting with existing systems/support processes. Programming and Testing: Constructs, modifies, and tests very large and complex system changes. Problem Determination and Resolution: Quickly diagnoses very complex problems. Determines and implements quality solutions in a timely fashion. This covers all areas of production support and daily problem research and resolution. Production incidents need prompt attention and correction to reduce impact on the business area. Documentation: Provides thorough and complete documentation for all programming changes and enhancements. Documentation must meet corporate standards. Business Knowledge and Interaction: Understands the business needs of the customer and provides quality customer support by providing appropriate communication, anticipating customer needs and/or problems, and understanding the broad impact of changes on all customer processes. Provides appropriate solutions and proactively suggests process improvements. Project / Task Management: Performs project management duties for the technical aspects of very large and complex projects as needed depending on the nature of the project. Manages individual tasks on projects to ensure that all tasks are delivered according to the project plan. IT Influence / Leadership: Provides leadership as a model of how others should interact and accomplish tasks. Is considered 'a top expert' by peers in one or more important areas of expertise, such as, a programming language, computer system, data base, etc. Provides an appropriate level of feedback to peers, support and interface areas, and management. Willingly shares and assists in the development skills of others. Work Experience, Education, Certification/Training Required: Typically, 13+ years of applicable work and/or technical experience in languages/environments considered important to the company. Typically, post-secondary degree, preferably in Management Information Services, Computer Science or Math related field may substitute for up to 4 years of work and/or technical experience. Technical certifications are desirable and may substitute for some work and/or technical experience. (Microsoft Certifications, etc.) Recognized expertise in their assigned areas of responsibility. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required: Demonstrates a thorough, detailed working knowledge of relevant technologies. Responsible for designing and implementing how the technologies will be incorporated in current systems or will be used in development of very complex new systems. Cobol and Assembler languages. CICS is a plus. IBM mainframe environment preferred. Experience with Life and Annuity systems (LIFE-COMM, LIFE/70) is preferred. Experience in new product implementation is a plus. Experience in Documerge is a plus. Demonstrates a thorough, detailed understanding of various data structures. Requires programming skills sufficient to solve difficult and very complex technical problems. Must be able to manage multiple, changing priorities, resolve conflicts and be able to work well under pressure. Must be self- motivated, able to work independently and willing to self-teach and take responsibility for ongoing professional development. Ability to analyze and design software solutions to meet very complex requirements. Requires oral and written communication skills sufficient to communicate clearly with peers and customers. Employee Benefits: We aim to protect the wellbeing of our employees and their families with a broad benefits offering. In addition to offering comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, we support emotional wellbeing through mental health benefits and an employee assistance program. Work/life balance is important and Protective offers a variety of paid time away benefits ( e.g. , paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day). The financial health of our employees is just as important as physical and emotional health. Some of the financial wellbeing benefits include contributions to healthcare accounts, a pension plan, and a 401(k) plan with Company matching. All employees are encouraged to protect their overall wellbeing by engaging in ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards. Eligibility for certain benefits may vary by position in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans. Accommodations for Applicants with a Disability : If you require an accommodation to complete the application and recruitment process due to a disability, please email [email protected]. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application and recruitment process. Please note that the above email is solely for individuals with disabilities requesting an accommodation. General employment questions should not be sent through this process. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to being inclusive and attracting, retaining, and growing an inclusive workforce.