Full-Time

Principal Architect

Posted on 2/21/2026

Deadline 5/31/26
CVS Health

CVS Health

10,001+ employees

Healthcare, insurance, PBM, and retail pharmacy

Compensation Overview

$144.2k - $288.4k/yr

+ Bonus + Equity

Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship

Minnesota, USA

Remote

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Requirements
  • 15+ years of relevant work experience (8+ years in architecture)
  • 10+ years of experience building large scale business applications using modern technologies and architecture
  • 10+ years of experience designing complex integrations with a focus on performance engineering and loose coupling using APIs, microservices, and event-driven architecture
  • 8+ years of experience and proficiency with modern languages, frameworks, and technologies
  • 6+ years of experience facilitating implementation of north star architectures by delivery teams through mentoring and building POCs, starter code, and other collaborative activities
  • Expert-level understanding of architectural methodologies/best practices, business climate, and/or regulation that affect architecture decisions
  • Recognized technical leader with full stack technology knowledge and recognized as an expert in one or more technical subjects
  • Experience recognizing the impact architectural approaches can have on strategic business decisions
  • Substantial experience with requirements analysis, estimation, systems and application design, and testing
  • Experience with defining architecture using the C4 model or equivalent with a focus on system context, container, and component diagrams
  • Expert understanding of architectural methodologies and the development of standards, architectural governance, design patterns and best practices
  • A diverse technical background with key areas of depth around AI/ML/Agentic AI, cloud, data platforms, hybrid solutions and operating at scale
  • Experience with requirements analysis, estimation, systems design, and application design
  • Excellent collaboration, influencing, negotiation, coaching and coalition-building skills
  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field
Responsibilities
  • Be part of a team responsible for enabling the technology solutions that meets our business strategy and drives business value
  • Define and collaborate on the creation of roadmaps, architectures, standards, best practice documents and starter code reference implementations that will accelerate delivery for our technology teams to execute on the future direction of CVS Health including a focus on applied AI
  • Evaluate market trends, execute buy vs. build decisions and assess cost and the impact on targeted business outcomes
  • Define future state architecture that enables and adopts the strategy for Artificial Intelligence, APIs, data stores, cloud infrastructures, cloud services, and microservices
  • Collaborate and consult with technology and business partners to optimize business applications and systems that adopt modern architecture and technologies especially around AI
  • Develop and maintain a strategic vision to support capabilities aligned to the CVS Health platform based on key business drivers and technology trends
  • Define and collaborate on the creation of frameworks for the enterprise that promote reuse, reduces cost, manages risk, and increases speed to market
  • Effectively build and maintain strong relationships with technology and business partners to establish trust and influence key business outcomes and decisions
  • Provide guidance, direction and mentorship to engineers and other stakeholders regarding the architecture and design of the respective applications
  • Ensure all Non-Functional Requirements (e.g. performance, availability and fail-over, scalability, security, etc.) are properly articulated, and work with all parties to guarantee that the software products that are delivered meet these objectives
  • Participates in high-level estimation
  • Mentor and coach junior architects and seek the opportunity to bring in continuous improvements to implement
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience developing architecture using agile methodology or SAFe practices
  • Experience in AI architecture and practical application of AI technologies
  • Experience with the concepts and practical application of Generative AI, Agentic AI, the future of Ambient Agents and beyond
  • A self-starter that is naturally inquisitive

CVS Health operates as a diversified health services company in the United States, organized into Health Care Benefits, Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness, and Health Services. Its offerings include medical insurance products, retail and mail-order prescription drugs, and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services, all connected through its integrated platform. By combining insurance, retail pharmacy, PBM, and health solutions, CVS Health coordinates care and controls costs across touchpoints for individuals, employers, and government programs. The company aims to lower health care costs while improving access and health outcomes for customers.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Founded

1963

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Q1 2026 revenue exceeded $100B, up 6% year-over-year.
  • Medical benefit ratio improved to 84.6%, signaling better cost management.
  • Pharmacy-only locations in underserved areas drive medication access expansion.

What critics are saying

  • Amazon Pharmacy captures 20% urban market share with next-day delivery.
  • FTC settlement forces PBM margin cuts of 15-20% through transparency.
  • State-level spread pricing bans eliminate $2-3B annual pharmacy revenue.

What makes CVS Health unique

  • Integrated model combines insurance, pharmacy, and primary care clinics uniquely.
  • Over 800 MinuteClinic locations and 24/7 virtual care nationwide.
  • Aetna serves 26 million medical members with broad health plans.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Company Equity

Wellness Program

Professional Development Budget

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Company News

PR Newswire
Mar 30th, 2026
CVS opens first pharmacy-only location in Chicago, plans nearly 20 this year

CVS Health has opened its first pharmacy-only location in Chicago, part of plans to launch nearly 20 such sites across the US this year. The 3,000-square-foot store at 2628 West Pershing Road features a full-service pharmacy with selected over-the-counter products. The pharmacy-only format is designed to increase access to medications, immunizations and pharmacist consultations in underserved communities. Additional locations are planned for Houston, Roxbury, Detroit and Brooklyn in 2026, alongside more than 40 traditional CVS Pharmacy stores. The move responds to consumer preferences, with CVS's 2025 research showing 80% of patients prefer face-to-face pharmacy care and 48% would switch pharmacies if limited to digital-only options. The company opened its first pharmacy-only site in Birmingham, Alabama, late last year.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 26th, 2026
CVS settles FTC insulin pricing probe as regulatory scrutiny of pharmacy benefit manager intensifies

CVS Health has reached a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over insulin pricing practices at its Caremark pharmacy benefit manager unit. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.665 per share, payable on 4 May 2026. The settlement places CVS's pharmacy benefit management model under increased regulatory scrutiny regarding drug cost transparency. The company's investment narrative centres on its integrated model across insurance, pharmacy and care delivery, with near-term focus on restoring profitability in healthcare delivery and PBM services. CVS recently appointed former Elevance Health CFO John E. Gallina to its board as an audit committee financial expert. The company's narrative projects $445.5 billion revenue and $10.2 billion earnings by 2029, implying a fair value of $96.50 per share.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 23rd, 2026
Bernstein upgrades CVS Health to Outperform with $94 price target amid Medicare Advantage turnaround

Bernstein analyst Lance Wilkes upgraded CVS Health to "Outperform" from "Market Perform" on 12 March, raising the price target to $94 from $91. The upgrade reflects the company's attractive exposure to the Medicare Advantage turnaround and expectations of stable earnings in its pharmacy and pharmacy benefit manager businesses following reforms. Wilkes cited the PBM bill passage and the Federal Trade Commission settlement with Cigna as clearing events for the stock. Separately, CVS Health announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud focused on reimagining healthcare experiences through its new health technology subsidiary, Health100, which will offer AI-powered healthcare services. CVS Health operates as a diversified healthcare company combining insurance, pharmacy benefit management, retail pharmacies and clinical services across the United States.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 13th, 2026
CVS Health's Aetna unit pays $117.7M to settle Medicare Advantage fraud allegations

Aetna, a CVS Health subsidiary, has agreed to pay $117.7 million to the US Department of Justice to settle allegations that it submitted inaccurate diagnosis codes for Medicare Advantage members to increase reimbursements. The settlement resolves longstanding False Claims Act allegations related to the Medicare Advantage programme. CVS Health shares recently closed at $76.07, down 5.1% year-to-date, though up 20.1% over the past year. The settlement is material for the company, which has thin net margins of 0.4% and debt not well covered by operating cash flow. The agreement highlights compliance risks in CVS Health's government-facing insurance operations, a central part of its Medicare Advantage business. Analysts' average target price stands at $96.50, approximately 27% above current levels.

Yahoo Finance
Mar 7th, 2026
Alphabet faces wrongful death lawsuit over Gemini AI chatbot while expanding healthcare partnership with CVS

Alphabet faces a wrongful death lawsuit alleging its Gemini AI chatbot contributed to a user's suicide, reportedly the first legal case directly linking Google's AI tools to a death. Simultaneously, the company announced a healthcare AI partnership with CVS Health focused on a real-time consumer engagement platform. The contrasting developments underscore Alphabet's expanding role in high-stakes sectors. The CVS collaboration integrates Gemini into Health100, a platform handling personal interactions across insurers, pharmacies and care providers. Meanwhile, the lawsuit tests whether conversational AI design and crisis protocols carry a duty of care, even outside formal healthcare settings. For investors, the key questions centre on how Alphabet manages legal risk, establishes guardrails and navigates regulatory oversight as its AI tools penetrate sectors requiring heightened safety and compliance standards.

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