Principal Architect, IT Corporate Services

At Ascensus, technology is more than just a solution. It powers the business that helps millions of people save for what matters—retirement, education, and healthcare.  Our technology experts tackle exciting challenges in collaborative teams, but work in an environment where individual and career development is always valued.  Technology associates leverage their talents and passion, building new and innovative platforms, creating programs founded in automation in agile frameworks, and driving existing and new markets—all of which supports the rapid growth of a dynamic industry leader.

Section 1: Position Summary

The Principal Architect – IT Corporate Services serves as the senior-most technical specialist within the IT Corporate Services department. In this role, the Principal Architect is responsible for shaping and executing the department’s IT strategy and ensuring that technical objectives and solutions align with the overall vision and direction of the organization. This position oversees enterprise application support (for platforms such as Microsoft 365, Box, Adobe, DocuSign, FreshService) and IT service delivery processes across multiple departments. The Principal Architect drives architectural decisions, provides expert guidance on enterprise systems, and spearheads innovation to extract maximum value from existing products while evaluating new technologies for potential benefit. The role requires close collaboration with cross-functional teams to deliver robust, secure, and forward-looking IT solutions that meet business needs.

Section 2: Job Functions, Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and execute IT architecture strategy for IT Corporate Services, creating long-term technology roadmaps and blueprints that align IT initiatives with departmental and enterprise-wide business goals.
• Maintain overall enterprise application architecture and integration: Oversee the architecture of key enterprise applications (Microsoft 365, Box, Adobe, DocuSign, FreshService), ensuring these systems are well-integrated, interoperable, and effectively support business processes across the organization.
• Lead Microsoft 365 platform management for the organization, serving as the subject matter expert in all aspects of M365 administration (Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, etc.) including mobile device management with Intune, implementation of Conditional Access security policies, and oversight of multi-tenant environments.
• Administer and optimize enterprise collaboration tools such as Box (cloud content management) and other SaaS applications (e.g. Adobe Sign, DocuSign), managing user access and permissions, ensuring data security and compliance, integrating these tools with other systems, and promoting best practices to drive user adoption.
• Ensure robust security and compliance across corporate IT systems by implementing and enforcing best practices for identity and access management, data protection, and IT governance (for example, leveraging Conditional Access, data loss prevention, and related Microsoft 365 security features).
• Drive automation and efficiency in IT operations by leading the design, implementation, and optimization of applications, ensuring alignment with enterprise goals. Drive integration initiatives for new platforms, third-party tools, and internal systems, leveraging REST APIs, scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Python), and automation to streamline workflows.

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues in the enterprise application environment, acting as the highest-level escalation point for critical incidents and ensuring timely resolution of architecture-related problems to maintain high system availability.
• Architect and implement observability frameworks for monitoring, logging, and performance analysis.
• Guide and mentor technical teams and stakeholders: Offer expertise and guidance to IT teams (including architects, engineers, and administrators) throughout all phases of solution design and implementation. Communicate the architecture vision and technical decisions to stakeholders, including senior leadership and business partners, to ensure understanding, alignment, and buy-in.
• Continuous improvement and innovation: Regularly review current systems and architectures, recommending enhancements or re-engineering to improve performance and efficiency.
• Responsible for protecting, securing, and proper handling of all confidential data held by Ascensus to ensure against unauthorized access, improper transmission, and/or unapproved disclosure of information that could result in harm to Ascensus or our clients.
• At Ascensus we are guided by our Core Values of People Matter, Quality First and Integrity Always®. They inspire us every day to prioritize an environment of respect for those we serve and one another and should be visible in your actions on a day-to-day.

Supervision  

• No supervisory duties are required in this position.
• No vendor management or ownership of service towers in the position.

Section 3:  Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field is required (Master’s degree preferred), or equivalent experience.
• Extensive Experience: At least 10 years of progressive experience in information technology, with several years in an architectural or senior technical leadership capacity.
• Enterprise Applications Expertise: Deep expertise in administering and architecting Microsoft 365 solutions (including hands-on experience with Intune for device management and Entra ID/Azure AD for identity management, as well as managing Conditional Access policies and other M365 security & compliance features). Experience with other enterprise-wide applications such as Box (or similar content management systems) and electronic signature or productivity platforms (Adobe, DocuSign) is highly desirable, including integrating these tools into business workflows.
• Scripting and Automation Skills: Proficiency in PowerShell and other scripting or automation frameworks to automate tasks and integrate systems. Ability to develop scripts for administration, deployment, and monitoring of enterprise applications.
• Strategic & Analytical Mindset: Demonstrated ability to think strategically about technology and to design architecture solutions that align with business strategies and goals. Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on performance, scalability, and reliability of systems.
• Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Proven ability to articulate complex technical concepts to technical teams in a clear and compelling manner. Able to influence decision-making and foster collaboration across different teams and departments.
• Innovation & Continuous Learning: A track record of driving innovation and improvement in past roles. Curiosity and continuous learning attitude to stay updated on emerging technology trends and to continuously enhance expertise.
• Certifications: Relevant industry certifications are strongly preferred. Examples include certifications such as Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, Box Certified Professional, or Docusign Certified Administrator. These demonstrate a commitment to professional development and a deep understanding of the domain.
• Excellent organization skills, proven analytical abilities and decision making skills

Ability to participate in scheduled non-business hour implementation and maintenance activities.

For all virtual remote positions, in order to ensure associates can effectively perform their job duties with no distractions, we require an uninterrupted virtual workspace and there is also an expectation of family care being in place during business hours. Additionally, there is an internet work speed requirement of 25 Mbps or better for individual use. If more than one person is utilizing the same internet connection in the same household or building, then a stronger connection is required. If you are unsure of your internet speed, please check with your service provider. Note: For call center roles specifically, it is a requirement to either hardwire your equipment directly to the internet router or ensure your workstation is in close proximity to the router. Please ensure that you are able to meet these expectations before applying.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

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