Principal Solution Architect

What We Can Achieve Together:

The Principal Solution Architect is the technology lead in the design and delivery of enterprise-scale technology solutions. This role is responsible for defining architecture strategy, driving innovation, and ensuring alignment with business objectives across complex digital and cloud initiatives. This role will also, supports and transforms functions of large and highly complex, and globally distributed IT applications.

The Principal Solution Architect leads the definition of solution architecture and strategy in alignment with TNC’s vision and IT’s “Future State Roadmap,” leveraging deep technical expertise. This role designs and develops complex technology systems and solutions based on business and system requirements, following TNC’s methodologies and development best practices.

The Principal Solution Architect helps establish foundational, multi-year technology roadmaps and governance frameworks (including cloud and AI execution strategies) for the organization. This role acts as a lead architect on application lifecycle initiatives, including upgrades, conversions, and enhancements.

Responsibilities also include performing tasks required to complete projects such as solution design, development oversight, executing technical analysis, generating reports, and interpreting results. The role requires the ability to assess both short- and long-term impacts of architectural decisions and clearly communicate those implications. The Principal Solution Architect continuously evaluates evolving business needs, market conditions, and industry trends to recommend optimal technology solutions.

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Provide architectural guidance to feature teams to accelerate speed to market while reducing long-term maintenance costs and ensuring alignment with non-functional and enterprise requirements.

• Lead trade-off analysis and decision-making for complex, high-impact architectural choices, resolving technical conflicts across teams.

• Collaborate to develop and promote reusable patterns, best practices, and reference implementations through proof-of-concepts (POCs), research, and experimentation.

• Establish “paved roads” by defining pre-approved reference architectures that streamline development and enable self-service capabilities.

• Partner across multiple business units and collaborate closely with other architects and technology leaders.

• Act as a thought leader and strategic advisor to delivery and product teams.

• Advocate for and evolve the Architecture Review Board (ARB), shifting from a governance-only model to an enablement-focused approach.

• Present architecture strategies, designs, and recommendations to technical and business leadership across TNC.

• Define, implement, and continuously improve architecture processes and governance models.

• Engage with internal and external technology partners to enhance TNC’s capabilities and drive adoption of new solutions.

• Contribute to the development of cloud, data, and enterprise technology standards to ensure interoperability and alignment with best practices.

• May serve as a lead member of a Center of Excellence (CoE), mentoring team members and advancing organizational knowledge in key technology areas.

• Maintain expertise in current and emerging technologies through training, research, and professional development.

• Stay current on industry trends, with a particular focus on cloud, data, AI/ML, and generative AI advancements.

We’re Looking for You:

Are you passionate about applications and programming? Do you like data-centric tools? Guided by science, TNC creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that people and nature can thrive together. We’re looking for someone who is industry savvy and motivated to making sure our systems are operating smoothly and receive the necessary enhancements to keep us thriving!

The ideal candidate will have all or some of the qualifications. If you don’t have all of them, please apply anyway and tell us about your skills and experience:

• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.

• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities

• Experience working within a global organization.

• Proven experience defining and evolving Enterprise Architecture functions and operating models

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience.

• 8 years of experience in Information Technology field with 6 years of recent relevant experience in a cloud environment (AWS / Azure)

• Demonstrated expertise in cloud architecture, including:

  • Designing and deploying highly available, scalable, and secure solutions on AWS and/or Azure

  • Developing cloud-native solutions using APIs and services across IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS models

  • Effectively communicating cloud concepts and architectures to technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Strong understanding of modern architecture challenges and patterns, including:

  • Migration to cloud-native, microservices-based, event-driven, and decoupled architectures

  • Driving enterprise data and analytics modernization strategies (e.g., leveraging platforms such as Databricks)

  • Enabling adoption of cloud and AI workloads across the organization

  • Deep understanding of the Well-Architected Framework, including security and compliance considerations

  • DevSecOps practices, including CI/CD pipeline design and implementation

• Experience driving the adoption of generative AI and machine learning capabilities across enterprise systems, leveraging AWS or other leading AI platforms (e.g., Azure AI, Google Cloud, OpenAI)

• Experience architecting and implementing AI-enabled enterprise solutions, including LLM-based applications, data pipelines, and modern cloud-native architectures for scalable production deployment

• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor technical teams in architecture and solution development

• Working knowledge across enterprise domains, including application, data, infrastructure, and security architectures

• Proven ability to build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $93,840.00 – $151,360.00. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate's location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.

Who We Are:

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s many reasons to love life inside TNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube to hear stories from staff or visit Glassdoor.

One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. In addition to the requirements in our job postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job and consider each applicant’s unique experience. Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote a popular saying at TNC, “you’ll join for the mission, and stay for the people.”

What We Bring:

Since 1951, TNC has been doing work you can believe in. Through grassroots action, we have grown from a small non-profit into one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff and partners, we impact conservation around the world!

TNC offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with an 8% employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work well-being benefits. Learn more about our Benefits and Perks here.

We’re proud to offer a flexible work environment that supports of the health and well-being of the people we employ.

Our recruiting process includes a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we may review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Employees must submit their application by logging into Workday and applying via the Jobs Hub.

The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer.Our commitment to equal employment opportunity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization is a priority, and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.

The successful applicant must meet the requirements of The Nature Conservancy's background screening process.

Do you have military experience? Visit our U.S. Military Skills Translator to match your military experience with our current job openings!

TNC is committed to offering accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please send a note to applyhelp@tnc.org with Request for Accommodation in the subject line.