Lead Director Software Development (Architecture, Client Experience)

The Lead Director - Architecture, Client Experience owns the end-to-end architecture vision and execution for highly complex, enterprise-scale initiatives across Adjudication and Client Experience platforms, partnering closely with business leaders, product management, engineering, security, and enterprise architecture teams.

AI is an integral and mandatory component of all solution designs. The Lead Director will ensure that AI-assisted, data-driven, and intelligent capabilities are intentionally evaluated and embedded by default-not added later-across platforms, workflows, and developer experiences.

The Lead Director will establish and scale a technology incubation and innovation function, driving the identification, validation, and adoption of advanced architectures-including AI/ML, Generative AI, agentic workflows, cloud-native platforms, event-driven integration frameworks, and intelligent automation.

This is a hands-on architecture leadership role requiring deep technical credibility, strong people leadership, and the ability to influence strategy while staying close to design and implementation., * Lead, manage, and mentor a team Architects, setting clear expectations for architecture quality, consistency, and outcomes

• Own architecture standards, guiding principles, and review processes, ensuring AI-first and automation-first thinking is applied consistently across all solution designs
• Provide hands-on architecture oversight, design reviews, and technical guidance for Tier-1 and strategic initiatives, explicitly validating AI, data, and intelligence opportunities
• Drive reuse of platforms, patterns, shared services, and AI capabilities to reduce complexity and accelerate delivery
• Lead the development of end-to-end, AI-enabled solution architectures for highly complex, cross-domain PBM initiatives
• Ensure all solution designs evaluate AI assisted decisioning, Automation and intelligent workflows & Data driven insights and observability
• Perform and guide Buy vs Build vs Partner analyses, including AI platforms, models, and services, using qualitative and quantitative inputs to make defensible recommendations
• Develop and maintain reference architectures for cloud-native, event-driven, API-first, microservices-based, and AI-enabled solutions
• Partner with application, platform, and SRE teams to resolve architectural bottlenecks, including scalability, performance, resilience, integration, and operational intelligence
• Drive AI-first, automation-first architecture, reducing manual processes across development, operations, and business workflows
• Guide architects and teams in designing intelligent automation solutions, including: Agentic workflows, Event-driven orchestration
• Lead modernization initiatives focused on technical debt reduction, legacy optimization, and cloud migration, embedding intelligence into modernized platforms
• Ensure architectures incorporate security, observability, Responsible AI, and operational readiness by design
• Partner closely with business leaders, product management, engineering, data science, security, and EA teams to translate AI capabilities into business outcomes
• Present architecture strategies, AI prototypes, and emerging technology capabilities to executive leadership through compelling narratives and demos
• Coach and develop architects to be AI-literate, cloud-native, and business-aware technology leaders

• 10+ years of overall design and development experience, including enterprise-scale solution architecture
• 7+ years of hands-on cloud architecture experience, primarily in Azure, with solid experience in GCP
• Deep expertise in software architecture patterns, including Domain-Driven Design, microservices, event-driven, and AI-enabled architectures
• Strong experience with enterprise integration platforms, including streaming technologies such as Kafka or Pulsar
• Proven ability to lead and influence architecture decisions across large, matrixed organizations
• Experience mentoring architects and driving AI and platform adoption at scale
• Strong ability to translate complex technical and AI concepts into business-relevant outcomes, * PBM or healthcare domain experience
• Hands-on experience with AI/ML platforms and Generative AI architectures
• Knowledge of healthcare data standards and regulatory considerations
• Expertise in SQL/NoSQL data stores, caching, and high-performance cloud-native systems
• Experience with design thinking and innovation frameworks
• Participation in open-source communities or industry forums, Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent experience, Master’s degree preferred

$144,200.00 - $288,400.00

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.

Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.

This full-time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well-being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility.

We’re building a world of health around every individual - shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger - helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.