Senior Lead Architect (#509)

Our client are seeking an experienced Senior Solution Architect to lead the end-to-end architecture design for a large-scale life insurance platform modernization program. This role will drive the transformation of legacy mainframe systems into modern, cloud-based, scalable, and secure solutions.
 

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture, Strategy & Roadmap

• Define and govern end-to-end solution architecture for the modernization program
• Translate business strategy into scalable, secure, and compliant technical solutions
• Establish architecture standards, design principles, and reusable blueprints
• Develop and maintain architecture roadmaps aligned with business and IT strategy

Platform Evaluation & Design

• Evaluate and select appropriate platforms, tools, and technologies
• Design modern architectures leveraging cloud-native, microservices, and API-first approaches
• Ensure solutions are scalable, resilient, and future-ready

Integration & Security Architecture

• Define integration patterns including APIs, event-driven architecture, and messaging systems
• Ensure robust security architecture aligned with regulatory and enterprise requirements
• Collaborate with security teams to embed security-by-design principles

Cloud & DevOps Alignment

• Drive adoption of cloud platforms (AWS/Azure) and modern DevOps practices
• Ensure alignment with CI/CD pipelines, automation, and infrastructure-as-code principles
• Promote engineering best practices for reliability, scalability, and efficiency

Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Ensure architectural compliance with enterprise standards, governance, and regulatory requirements
• Lead architecture reviews and provide guidance on best practices
• Oversee risk management, data governance, and system integrity

Mentoring & Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship across teams
• Guide engineers, architects, and stakeholders in architecture best practices
• Foster collaboration across cross-functional and geographically distributed teams

Required Skills & Experience

Education & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in software or solution architecture
• 5+ years leading architecture for large-scale modernization programs within insurance or financial services

Domain Expertise

• Strong knowledge of life insurance processes (policy administration, underwriting, billing, claims, endorsements)
• Understanding of regulatory requirements within Japan (e.g., financial services regulations)

Technical Expertise

• Strong experience with cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure
• Expertise in cloud-native architectures, microservices, and distributed systems
• Hands-on experience with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes)
• Deep understanding of API-led integration, API gateways, and event-driven architecture
• Experience with data architecture, including SQL/NoSQL, data integration, and governance
• Familiarity with modern DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines
• Proficiency in at least one programming language

Tools & Practices

• Experience with architecture modeling tools and documentation frameworks
• Familiarity with collaboration and design tools (e.g., diagramming and documentation platforms)