Principal Strategic Architect – Managed Services

Job Description

At CDW, we make it happen, together. Trust, connection, and commitment are at the heart of how we work together to deliver for our customers. It’s why we’re coworkers, not just employees.

Coworkers who genuinely believe in supporting our customers and one another. We collectively forge our path forward with a level of commitment that speaks to who we are and where we’re headed. We’re proud to share our story and Make Amazing Happen at CDW. The Principal Applications Architect is responsible for designing and supporting the implementation of our managed services applications and platforms that provide comprehensive remote monitoring, management and operations upon which thousands of our customers depend.

This includes ensuring that the platform architecture and methods align with the organization’s business strategy and goals. The role involves strategic planning, governance, and overseeing the integration of new technology solutions.

What you will do Design and plan custom software platforms and seamless platform integrations foundational to our Managed Services capabilities. This includes architecting solutions that enable robust integration with SaaS services, cloud environments, and AI agents, ensuring these systems work together to deliver comprehensive, scalable, and intelligent managed service offerings. Define the overall architecture of Managed Services systems and solutions, choosing the appropriate technologies and components, defining how they interact, and ensuring that the architecture is scalable, reliable, and secure.

Evaluate new technologies, tools, and products to determine their suitability for our platforms, including benchmarking, and conducting proof of concept projects. Create prototypes to ensure strategic vision translates into reality and fails fast when they do not. Establish and enforce coding standards, best practices, and architectural guidelines for development teams to ensure consistency and maintainability of systems.

Ensure that systems and solutions meet security and compliance requirements. Design platforms and systems with a focus on performance and scalability to ensure that platforms can handle increased workloads and are optimized for speed and resource efficiency.

Implement AI-based automation processes and monitoring tools for predictive analytics and system health. Apply automation best practices and configure automated workflows using industry-standard tools and frameworks. Drive digital transformation initiatives by designing scalable digital solutions and fostering innovation across teams.

Effectively communicate and collaborate with Development teams, Infrastructure teams, and other stakeholders to ensure that the architectural vision is understood and implemented. Create and maintain documentation related to the architecture, roadmaps, design decisions, and technical specifications to help teams understand and implement the architecture correctly. Resolve complex technical issues and challenges that may arise during the development and deployment of IT systems, providing guidance and solutions to overcome obstacles.

Balance technical requirements with budget constraints to make cost-effective decisions in technology selection and design to ensure that IT projects stay within budget. Interact with technology vendors, negotiate contracts, and manage relationships to ensure the organization gets the best value from third-party products and services. Anticipate and keep up with emerging technologies and industry trends to recommend innovative solutions that can give the organization a competitive edge.

Ensure the quality of the IT systems by setting up quality assurance processes, testing procedures, and monitoring tools to catch and prevent defects and issues. What we expect of you Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field and 10 years’ experience in IT, including software development and systems architecture, OR 14 years’ experience in IT, software development, and systems architecture. Passionate about technology with deep knowledge of numerous technologies, platforms, and frameworks relevant to architecting our globally scaled services platforms.

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