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Principal, Solution Architect

Northern Trust · Chicago, IL · $137,400–$233,600 a year · Full time

Posted Aug 4, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you had to balance strategic value, time to market, cost and risk on an architecture decision. What did you give up?

What they are checking: Whether they make pragmatic trade-offs openly instead of always choosing the ideal design or the fastest one.

Describe a program where your architecture helped reduce time to value.

What they are checking: Whether their architecture has delivered measurable business results, not just cleaner diagrams.

How do you stay hands-on enough to keep credibility with engineers?

What they are checking: Whether their application development background still informs their decisions and earns engineering trust.

What would you do

A business sponsor wants a new vendor platform that duplicates something we already have. How do you handle it?

What they are checking: Whether they can influence project direction with evidence while respecting the sponsor's real needs.

A project is behind and the team wants to skip a standard you set. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they know when to hold a standard and when a documented exception is the smarter choice.

About the work

How would you find overlapping capabilities across several applications and decide which to converge?

What they are checking: Whether they can spot shared services and lead convergence that actually reduces cost and complexity.

How do you explain an architecture decision to a senior business leader with no technical background?

What they are checking: Whether they can reach business and technical audiences, which the posting calls out directly.

Walk me through how you would document a solution architecture so delivery teams can build from it.

What they are checking: Whether their architecture work is concrete enough to guide delivery rather than staying at slide level.

How do you decide whether to build, buy or reuse a capability?

What they are checking: Whether they weigh total cost, fit, control and long-term support in a structured way.

What architecture risks are specific to a large, regulated financial institution?

What they are checking: Whether they account for resilience, data protection and regulatory requirements in their designs.

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Northern Trust.

About Northern Trust As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions. Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide. With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service. Role Description: This individual must be delivery-oriented, possess excellent analytical and communication skills with the ability to reach senior business management as well as technical audiences. Must be able to influence project direction and make pragmatic decisions to optimize the balance between strategic value, time to market, cost and risk. Identify shared services, overlapping capabilities and convergence to standards in order to improve efficiency and quality, and reduce time to value. The preferred candidate will have a broad background in application development, architecture, and technology program management. Must be able to work independently to solve complex problems, create/manage technology plans, and yet possess the soft skills to work with a variety of partners. Responsibilities: Architectural Governance • You will be part of the development and operations of the Global Engineering- Architectural Governance. • Ensure technical solutions provide business value while mitigating technical debt. • Mediate conflicting priorities to drive optimal solutions. • Identify and escalates duplication of efforts, functional and technical redundancy, and enforces the use of existing firm-wide shared services. Roadmaps • Delivery of the multi-year Technology Strategy that depicts application target architectures and roadmaps across the portfolio. • Influence the strategy and vision of senior decision makers through articulated communications and presentations. • Influence project portfolios towards implementation of the target state • Ensures alignment between Technology & Business strategies • Reviews investment spend to ensure alignment with target state and roadmaps Partnership • Build strong relationships with key stakeholders • Solve problems collaboratively. • Liaise with the Enterprise Architecture groups. Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience • Minimum 12+ years development experience • Experience in Architecture and Transformation programs • Agile SCRUM management experience; Agile transformation experience a plus • Strong Big data / Open Source experience in building modern warehouse. • Experience in Reconciliation is a must with the TLM software knowledge. • Strong Database knowledge in Oracle and Snowflake(preferable) • In-depth knowledge in the middleware layers like Kafka/MQ/Spark. • Understanding of AI / Machine learning is an added advantage. • Strong development background using Cloud/Docker technologies. Salary Range: $137,400 - 233,600 USD Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component. Work Authorization Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa). Working with Us As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve. Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities. Reasonable Accommodation Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at MyHRHelp@ntrs.com , or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.

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