Web Application Architect

Bridge Specialty Group is seeking a Web Application Architect to join our growing team in Plano, TX.

We are seeking a talented and experienced Web Application Architect to join the Bridge Specialty Group IT organization. Reporting to the Head of IT Architecture, this role will lead the architecture, modernization, and governance of highly interactive, transactional web applications used by customers, brokers, underwriters, operational teams, and business partners.

The Web Application Architect will define modern front-end and full-stack application patterns, guide UI/UX design and implementation, and shape secure integrations between web experiences, enterprise backend services, and third-party applications. This role will work closely with Product Owners, UX/UI Designers, Application Development teams, Enterprise Architecture, Data Architecture, Integration teams, Security, and Cloud Platform teams to deliver intuitive, accessible, scalable, resilient, and maintainable digital solutions.

How You Will Contribute:

Web Application Architecture & Digital Experience

• Collaborate with the Head of IT Architecture and Enterprise Architecture teams to define web application architecture standards, reference designs, and technology roadmaps.

• Establish architectural patterns for highly interactive, workflow-driven, and transactional web applications.

• Define standards for front-end frameworks, application composition, state management, browser compatibility, responsive behavior, API consumption, performance, and maintainability.

• Conduct architecture and technical design reviews to ensure solutions align with enterprise, security, cloud, and integration standards.

• Guide to modernization of legacy web and non-web applications through refactoring, re-platforming, decomposition, and incremental user experience improvements.

• Lead architecture decisions for customer-facing, partner-facing, and internal web applications.

• Define component-based front-end architectures using modern JavaScript and TypeScript frameworks such as React, Angular, or comparable technologies.

• Establish reusable component libraries, design systems, coding standards, and front-end engineering practices.

• Define approaches for routing, state management, caching, error handling, feature configuration, internationalization, and browser-side security.

• Architect applications supporting complex, high-volume, and multi-step business transactions.

UI/UX Design & User Experience

• Partner with Product Owners, and business stakeholders to translate user needs and business workflows into intuitive digital experiences.

• Provide architectural guidance for interaction design, information architecture, navigation, responsive layouts, and consistent visual behavior.

• Promote user-centered design, accessibility, usability, mobile-first design, and inclusive design practices.

• Support creation and governance of design systems, prototypes, wireframes, and reusable interaction patterns using tools such as Figma or comparable platforms.

• Use user feedback, analytics, and usability findings to guide continuous improvement of digital experiences.

Transactional & Workflow Application Design

• Design reliable application flows for submissions, quoting, servicing, approvals, document handling, workflow tasks, and other insurance business processes.

• Define patterns for validation, session and state management, transaction integrity, concurrency, idempotency, error recovery, auditability, and long-running workflows.

• Ensure transactional applications meet requirements for performance, scalability, resiliency, data protection, and operational support.

Application Integration & API Architecture

• Design backend services and integration patterns that support modern web applications and user experiences.

• Define API-first and Backend-for-Frontend patterns for efficient, secure, and experience-specific access to enterprise services.

• Architect integrations with third-party applications, carrier and vendor platforms, embedded user interfaces, hosted experiences, widgets, iframes, software development kits, and external APIs.

• Define patterns for REST APIs, GraphQL where appropriate, webhooks, event-driven integration, messaging, workflow orchestration, and asynchronous processing.

• Address identity propagation, authorization, data transformation, error handling, observability, versioning, rate limits, availability, and failure isolation across external integrations.

• Collaborate with integration and platform teams on Azure API Management, messaging, and shared service patterns.

Cloud-Native Application Design & Security

• Architect secure and scalable web applications deployed on approved cloud platforms, with Microsoft Azure as the primary platform and AWS experience considered beneficial.

• Define patterns for static web hosting, content delivery networks, edge routing, web application firewalls, application services, containers, serverless services, and caching.

• Guide performance engineering for page load time, rendering, API latency, payload optimization, caching, scalability, and availability.

• Ensure applications include appropriate telemetry, distributed tracing, logging, alerting, and user-experience monitoring.

• Apply secure-by-design principles across browser, application, API, and integration layers.

• Define authentication, authorization, session management, single sign-on, OAuth 2.0, and OpenID Connect patterns.

• Partner with Security teams to address OWASP risks, dependency vulnerabilities, secrets management, secure coding, privacy, and regulatory requirements.

• Ensure sensitive information is protected throughout user interactions, backend processing, and third-party integrations.

Delivery Enablement & Technical Leadership

• Work directly with UX/UI, front-end, backend, integration, quality assurance, and DevOps teams to guide solution design and resolve architectural challenges.

• Review user experience designs, architecture diagrams, technical designs, API contracts, prototypes, and implementation approaches for quality and alignment.

• Mentor architects, technical leads, engineers, and designers in modern web applications, UI/UX, security, integration, and performance practices.

• Facilitate clear communication between technical teams, product teams, business stakeholders, and third-party partners.

• Serve as the web application architecture subject matter expert for strategic digital initiatives.

Continuous Learning & Innovation

• Stay informed on emerging trends in web architecture, front-end engineering, UI/UX, accessibility, cloud platforms, digital experience, and integration technologies.

• Evaluate frameworks, tools, design practices, and platform capabilities based on business value, technical fit, security, maintainability, and total cost of ownership.

• Champion innovation and continuous improvement in digital application design and delivery.

• Actively contribute to architecture and engineering communities of practice within Brown & Brown.

• Additional responsibilities consistent with the role objectives may be added as needed to support the profit center.

Skills & Experience to Be Successful:
Required

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience.

• [8] + years of progressive experience in software engineering, including [4] + years in web application architecture, solution architecture, or senior full-stack engineering roles.

• Strong experience designing highly interactive, responsive, accessible, and transactional web applications.

• Deep knowledge of modern front-end architecture using JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, and frameworks such as React or Angular.

• Experience defining component libraries, design systems, state management patterns, automated testing approaches, and front-end engineering standards.

• Strong understanding of UI/UX design principles, user-centered design, interaction design, responsive design, usability, and accessibility.

• Experience designing backend services, REST APIs, microservices, and Backend-for-Frontend solutions.

• Experience integrating web applications with third-party platforms, embedded experiences, SaaS products, vendor APIs, webhooks, and external identity providers.

• Strong understanding of OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, single sign-on, browser security, API security, and OWASP risks.

• Experience designing for application performance, scalability, reliability, observability, transaction integrity, and failure recovery.

• Strong technical leadership, mentoring, stakeholder management, and communication skills.

Preferred

• Master's degree in computer science, Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction, or related discipline.

• Experience in the insurance or financial services industry.

• Experience designing customer, broker, agent, partner, or employee self-service portals.

• Hands-on familiarity with Figma, design systems, prototyping tools, Storybook, or comparable UI/UX platforms.

• Experience with Microsoft Azure services such as Azure App Service, Static Web Apps, Azure Front Door, Azure API Management, Azure Functions, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, and Application Insights.

• Exposure to AWS services supporting web and transactional applications.

• Experience with content delivery networks, web application firewalls, caching, real-user monitoring, and digital analytics.

• Experience integrating acquired businesses, third-party applications, carrier platforms, or vendor-hosted user experiences.

• Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks, governance models, and Agile product delivery.

About Us:

Bridge Specialty Group creates a seamless way to connect the varying needs of our retail partners with the market clout and talents of our wholesale entities. Our more than 25 niche-focused brands reflect our deep experience and specialization in construction, general casualty, environmental liability, professional liability, health care, public entity, workers’ comp, property and personal lines.

With more than 50 locations and more than 2,000 team members throughout the United States and Europe, Bridge has access to more than 200 standard and excess & surplus lines carriers that support our $7+ billion premium book.

Our focus is on bringing the power of collective size and specialty to the wholesale brokerage marketplace. Bridge Specialty Group – aligning risk with greater reach.