Enterprise Data & AI Architect - Information Technology

Alberta Blue Cross® is an Alberta based organization dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experience and community leadership. We’re committed to providing the best health coverage to over 1.8 million members and take an active role in promoting wellness. We believe in what we do-and place trust in our employees to deliver our vision.

Working at Alberta Blue Cross® means having a career where you’ll be recognized for your contributions. We value diversity, encourage our team members to maintain a healthy work-life balance and provide opportunities for career growth.

OVERVIEW:

We have an exciting opportunity for an Enterprise Data & AI Architect to join our Enterprise Architecture team. Reporting to Enterprise Architecture leadership, and in collaboration with the Data and AI team, the Enterprise Data & AI Architect is a Domain Architect within the Enterprise Architecture practice, accountable for establishing architectural direction, standards, patterns, and guardrails for data and AI across Alberta Blue Cross. The role works closely with Enterprise Architecture, Portfolio Architects, Solution Architects, and other Domain Architects to ensure data and AI architecture frameworks are coherent, reusable, and aligned with enterprise and portfolio priorities.

The Enterprise Data & AI Architect is accountable for defining the enterprise data and AI architecture principles, standards, reference architectures and roadmap that enable trusted, secure, reusable, and responsible use of data and AI across business and technology portfolios.

This is a senior strategic architecture role responsible for shaping the long-term direction of Alberta Blue Cross’s Data & AI capabilities and is not a data engineering, analytics delivery, or AI model development position. The role focuses on setting architectural direction and standards that enables delivery teams to build and operate data and AI solutions in a consistent, scalable, and compliant manner across modern platforms and legacy environments, including on-premises Oracle databases.

Success in this role is achieved by:

• Establishing clear enterprise direction and guardrails for data and AI

• Enabling business outcomes while managing risk and regulatory obligations

• Promoting consistency, reuse, and long-term sustainability across portfolios

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• Define and maintain the enterprise data and AI architecture vision, principles, standards, and target state.

• Shape executive decisions by translating complex architectural, technology, and data considerations into clear options, trade-offs, and recommendations.

• Develop and evolve enterprise reference architectures and approved patterns covering:

  • Analytical and operational data

  • Data integration and movement

  • Metadata, lineage, and information lifecycle

  • Master and reference data

• AI and machine learning capability integration and consumption

• Establish architectural guardrails for trusted and responsible use of data and AI, including quality, security, privacy, retention and explainability.

• Provide architectural leadership across a hybrid data estate, including legacy on-prem Oracle databases and modern data and AI platforms.

• Guide portfolio and solution architects on data- and AI-related architecture decisions for major initiatives.

• Review significant programs, platforms, and investments to ensure alignment with enterprise standards and target-state architecture.

• Partner with data & AI governance, security, privacy, legal, and risk leaders to ensure architecture aligns with enterprise policy and regulatory requirements.

• Assess current-state data and AI capabilities, identify fragmentation or technical debt, and recommend enterprise improvement priorities.

• Support enterprise roadmaps for data platforms, integration patterns, metadata management, and AI enablement.

• Identify enterprise-level risks and opportunities related to data and AI adoption and advise leadership accordingly.

POSITION SCOPE:

• Accountable for enterprise-wide data and AI domain architecture direction.

• Provide strategic architectural advice that shapes enterprise technology and investment priorities for Data & AI capabilities, including major platform decisions, modernization choices, and architectural trade-offs.

• Establishes architecture standards, reference patterns, and guardrails within the enterprise architecture framework.

• Provides architecture oversight and governance for major data and AI related initiatives.

• Plays a key role in data modernization, responsible AI adoption, and long-term enterprise architecture evolution.

• Does not own delivery, engineering, or operational execution, but provides domain-level architectural direction and expertise that enables these roles to make informed decisions with their specific accountabilities

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Provide enterprise-wide architectural leadership for data and AI capabilities, in alignment with the broader architecture community

• Define and maintain enterprise data and AI architecture principles, standards, reference architectures, and target states.

• Ensure data and AI initiatives are aligned to enterprise strategy, risk expectations, security, privacy, and regulatory requirements.

• Provide architecture oversight and governance for major data- and AI-related initiatives and investments.

• Promote consistency, reuse, and sustainability across data and AI solutions while enabling portfolio specific needs.

• Identify and communicate enterprise-level risks, trade-offs, and opportunities related to data and AI adoption.

• Influence technology and platform investment decisions through an enterprise architecture lens.

• Partner with business, data & AI, technology, security, privacy, legal, and risk leaders to embed data and AI by-design into decision making.

KEY SUCCESS MEASURES:

• Clear, adopted enterprise data and AI architecture standards and reference patterns.

• Demonstrated alignment of major data and AI initiatives to target-state architecture and governance expectations.

• Reduction in architectural fragmentation, duplication, and unmanaged complexity across data and AI capabilities.

• Improved enterprise confidence in data quality, governance maturity, and responsible AI practices.

• Positive executive and stakeholder feedback on clarity of direction, decision support, and architectural guidance.

• Evidence that data and AI investments support business outcomes, regulatory compliance, and long-term sustainability.

• Effective collaboration across portfolios, enabling delivery without architectural rework or late-stage risk escalation.

WHAT YOU WILL HAVE:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, data architecture, AI architecture, or related senior technology roles.

• Experience engaging senior executives and business leaders to shape strategy, investment decisions, and enterprise technology direction.

• Demonstrated experience defining enterprise-scale data and/or AI architecture in complex organizations.

• Strong understanding of:

  • Enterprise data architecture domains (integration, metadata, lineage, governance, lifecycle)

  • AI architecture considerations (integration, consumption patterns, governance, risk controls)

• Experience establishing architecture standards, reference patterns, and roadmaps.

• Strong understanding of how data and AI support business capabilities, analytics, digital platforms, and regulatory requirements.

• Proven ability to work across multiple portfolios, business units, and delivery teams.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and influencing skills with both technical and executive stakeholders.

COMPETENCY MATRIX:

Strategic Thinking

• Description: Defines long-term enterprise data and AI direction aligned to business strategy and risk posture.

• Proficiency Level: Advanced

• Evidence: Establishes enterprise standards, roadmaps, and architecture decisions that are adopted across portfolios.

Enterprise Architecture Leadership

• Description: Provides clear architectural direction without assuming delivery or operational ownership.

• Proficiency Level: Advanced

• Evidence: Drives effective governance outcomes and consistent application of enterprise standards.

Analytical & Systems Thinking

• Description: Assesses complex data and AI ecosystems, trade-offs, and enterprise-level risks.

• Proficiency Level: Advanced

• Evidence: Reduces duplication and improves overall architectural coherence and long-term sustainability.

Collaboration & Influence

• Description: Works effectively across business, technology, security, legal, and risk stakeholders.

• Proficiency Level: Advanced

• Evidence: Builds cross-portfolio alignment and incorporates stakeholder feedback into architecture decisions.

Governance & Decision Support

• Description: Enables informed, timely decisions through architecture guidance and risk framing.

• Proficiency Level: Advanced

• Evidence: Builds executive confidence in architecture-led decisions through clear guidance, risk assessment, and recommendations.

Communication

• Description: Translates complex architectural concepts for technical and executive audiences.

• Proficiency Level: Advanced

• Evidence: Produces clear executive materials and supports well-informed architecture decisions and outcomes.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS:

Strategic Thinking

• Anticipates enterprise impacts and downstream implications of data and AI decisions.

• Balances innovation with risk, compliance, and long-term sustainability.

Leadership

• Provides calm, credible leadership in areas of ambiguity and emerging technology.

• Sets clear architectural direction while empowering delivery teams.

Analytical Skills

• Uses structured thinking to assess tradeoffs, risks, and architectural options.

• Simplifies complex topics to enable executive understanding and action.

Collaboration

• Builds trust across portfolios and functions.

• Resolves architectural tension by focusing on enterprise outcomes rather than local optimization.

This position will remain open until suitable candidates are selected.

Alberta Blue Cross® is an inclusive employer committed to a workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We empower and are advocates for our team members by welcoming, respecting and valuing their unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.

We offer the opportunity to work in an innovative, high-energy team-focused environment. If you have the qualifications we are looking for, apply online at careers.ab.bluecross.ca

A criminal record check satisfactory to Alberta Blue Cross will be required as a condition of employment, following a conditional offer.