IT Director of Enterprise Architecture

You spend at least a third of your day at your job. You might as well spend it doing something you really love while working with a team you really enjoy being with, right? That’s the kind of atmosphere we offer at Pekin Insurance—fun, fast-paced, gratifying, supportive, and collaborative.

Of course, it’s not all fun and games. Insurance is a serious business, and we pride ourselves on making people’s lives whole again after a major disaster or even a fender bender. It’s that sense of helping people that makes our team want to do our best every day.

If you want to be excited about starting your workday and are ready to make a real difference in people’s lives, this could be the right spot for you.

See what Pekin Insurance has to offer by viewing a short video here.

Position Overview

The Director works closely with the Assistant Vice President of Information Technology (IT) to direct the identification, prioritization, and delivery of business/technology initiatives; development of expectations, work processes, and business architecture; and the oversight, performance evaluation and management of staff, and directing contractors.

We are seeking a dynamic Director of IT to lead and inspire teams responsible for enterprise agency and customer digital capabilities, customer billing, and P&C claims technology. In this pivotal role, you will drive innovation and transformation, leveraging industry-leading platforms and cutting-edge technology to enhance our business. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact, shaping the future of our digital landscape. This role requires deep technical expertise in enterprise systems, cloud platforms, and modern architecture frameworks that align with business needs.

Essential Job Function

Strategic Leadership and Business Alignment

• Define and execute the enterprise architecture strategy, aligning technology with business goals.
• Work closely with the CIO, AVPs, Directors, Managers, and business leaders to shape the IT roadmap.
• Advocate for architectural best practices and drive enterprise-wide digital transformation.
  
  

Hands-On Architecture Design and Implementation

• Actively design and review architecture solutions for complex enterprise systems.
• Lead high-level solution architecture while collaborating with engineering teams on implementation.
• Ensure designs follow best practices for scalability, security and performance.
• Provide technical leadership in cloud architecture, APIs and DevOps.
  
  

Governance, Standards and Compliance

• Establish and lead and Enterprise Architectures Review Board to enforce standards.
• Develop and enforce architecture guidelines, frameworks, and best practices.
• Manage technical debt, system modernization efforts, and compliance.
  
  

Technology Innovation and Emerging Trends

• Research, evaluate and introduce emerging technologies to drive business value.
• Make key decisions on cloud adoption, AI/ML, automation, and modernization initiatives.
• Approve enterprise technology tools and platforms for company-wide adoption.
  
  

Team Leadership and Mentorship

• Lead and mentor a team of enterprise architects, solution architects, and domain architects.
• Foster a collaborative environment between architecture, engineering, security and DevOps teams.
• Establish skill development programs and hands-on training for architecture team members.
  
  

Operational Efficiency and Cost Optimization

• Develop KPIs and metrics to evaluate IT effectiveness and improve business processes.
• Optimize IT investments by balancing technology trade-offs, costs, and risks.
  
  

Required

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field.
• 10 plus experience in IT, with at least 5 plus years in enterprise architecture leadership.
• Proven hands-on experience in designing enterprise-scale architectures.
• Expertise in cloud computing, APIs, DevOps, and security best practices.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and working with senior leadership.
  
  

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of modern enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF, Zachman, SAFe, ITIL, COBIT).
• Proficiency in API design (WSO2) and CI/CD pipelines.
• Deep understanding of security frameworks, compliance, and governance models.
• Ability to code, review and guide technical solutions.
  
  

Preferred Certifications

• TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework)
• AWS or Azure Solution Architect
  
  

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Demonstrated ability to:

• Influence others
• Develops leaders, teams, and individuals
• Understand change leadership
• Demonstrated knowledge of:
• Agile methodology & Product Management principles
• Customer business needs, processes, and functions
• Business and technology infrastructure, architecture, and processes
  
  

Demonstrated Skill In

• Soft and interpersonal, including teamwork, facilitation, and negotiation
• Analytical and technical
• Written, verbal, communication, and presentation
• Planning and organizational
  
  

Salary Range

• $155,300-$195,800 per year
• This range is based on the expected level of experience and skills for this position. Final compensation will depend on individual qualifications.
• This position is bonus eligible
  

Benefits

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Generous 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off (PTO) with Paid Holidays
• Flexible/Hybrid Work Schedule
• Paid Volunteer Program
  
  

For more information about the benefits we offer, please visit our Careers Page.