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Principal Performance Architect Jobs in Minnesota

Principal, Architecture

Wayzata, MN · On-site

$140K - $200K/yr

... an architect who enjoys connecting people, ideas, and execution. Key Accountabilities ... and performance targets. * COST EVALUATION: Evaluates total cost of ownership and return on ...

... an architect who enjoys connecting people, ideas, and execution. Key Accountabilities ... and performance targets. * COST EVALUATION: Evaluates total cost of ownership and return on ...

... an architect who enjoys connecting people, ideas, and execution. Key Accountabilities ... performance targets. * COST EVALUATION: Evaluates total cost of ownership and return on investment ...

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Principal Performance Architect information

See Minnesota salary details

$78.8K

$167.9K

$226.2K

How much do principal performance architect jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for principal performance architect in Minnesota is $167,854.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $142,000.00 and $190,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a principal performance architect, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Principal Performance Architect, you need deep expertise in systems architecture, performance engineering, and scalability, often backed by a degree in computer science or related fields. Familiarity with performance analysis tools (e.g., JMeter, Dynatrace), cloud platforms, and scripting languages, along with relevant certifications, is typically expected. Exceptional problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills help you collaborate with cross-functional teams and drive best practices. These skills ensure that large-scale systems operate efficiently, meet business requirements, and deliver optimal user experiences.

What are the typical challenges a principal performance architect faces when optimizing large-scale enterprise systems?

Principal Performance Architects often encounter challenges such as balancing system scalability with cost efficiency, identifying performance bottlenecks in complex architectures, and aligning optimization strategies with evolving business goals. They must work closely with cross-functional teams—including developers, infrastructure engineers, and product managers—to ensure that solutions are both technically robust and aligned with user needs. Navigating legacy systems and integrating new technologies can also present unique hurdles, requiring strong analytical skills and deep experience with performance testing tools.

What is a principal performance architect?

Principal Performance Architects are senior-level professionals responsible for designing, analyzing, and optimizing the performance of software systems or IT infrastructure. They work to ensure that applications and services run efficiently, reliably, and can scale effectively with increased usage. Their role often involves identifying bottlenecks, recommending improvements, and establishing best practices for performance across development teams. With extensive experience, they also mentor other engineers and collaborate with stakeholders to meet organizational performance goals.

What is the difference between Principal Performance Architect vs Performance Engineer?

AspectPrincipal Performance ArchitectPerformance Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires advanced degrees and extensive experience in performance architectureUsually requires a bachelor's or master's in computer science or related field, with relevant performance testing certifications
Work EnvironmentFocuses on designing and overseeing performance strategies across large systems and enterprise environmentsConducts performance testing, analysis, and tuning on specific applications or components
Employer & Industry UsageCommon in large tech firms, financial institutions, and enterprise software companiesUsed across various industries including IT, software development, and consulting firms

The Principal Performance Architect typically leads performance strategy and architecture at an enterprise level, requiring more experience and strategic oversight. Performance Engineers focus on testing and optimizing specific applications or systems. Both roles are essential but differ mainly in scope and seniority.

What are popular job titles related to Principal Performance Architect jobs in Minnesota?

For Principal Performance Architect jobs in Minnesota, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Principal Performance Architect jobs in Minnesota look for?

The top searched job categories for Principal Performance Architect jobs in Minnesota are:

What cities in Minnesota are hiring for Principal Performance Architect jobs?

Cities in Minnesota with the most Principal Performance Architect job openings:

Infographic showing various Principal Performance Architect job openings in Minnesota as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 85% In-person, 2% Hybrid, and 13% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $167,854 per year, or $80.7 per hour.

Principal Solutions Architect

Vizient

Minneapolis, MN

Full-time

Re-posted 26 days ago


Job description

When you're the best, we're the best. We instill an environment where employees feel engaged, satisfied and able to contribute their unique skills and talents while living and working as their authentic selves. We provide extensive opportunities for personal and professional development, building both employee competence and organizational capability to fuel exceptional performance through an inclusive environment both now and in the future.

Summary:

In this role, you will serve as a Principal Enterprise Solutions Architect, driving the architecture and development of large-scale digital platforms that support Vizient's data and analytics needs. You will champion platform thinking, design thinking, and innovative architectural practices while partnering closely with Product, Engineering, Data Science, and Business leaders. This role blends deep technical expertise with strategic influence, enabling scalable, secure, and AI-driven solutions that deliver long-term value for Vizient and its members.

Responsibilities:

  • Lead end-to-end solution architecture for complex, cross-domain analytical products spanning clinical, spend, and operational data.
  • Define and drive technical strategy for enterprise data and analytics platforms, aligning architectural decisions with business and organizational goals.
  • Develop high-level architectural blueprints and provide guidance on modern data stacks, including cloud data warehouses and AI/ML systems, with a strong focus on Databricks (Lakehouse, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog).
  • Analyze complex business problems by conducting research and assessments to identify opportunities and recommend actionable, scalable solutions.
  • Design robust data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes, and conceptual, logical, and physical data models to support analytical products.
  • Lead proofs of concept (POCs), evaluate technology vendors, and oversee implementation of complex, scalable data solutions.
  • Establish architectural patterns for data products, semantic layers, domain models, and cross-domain analytics.
  • Ensure architectures meet enterprise standards for scalability, performance, reliability, security, governance, data quality, and observability.
  • Drive adoption of AI/ML and Generative AI capabilities, including architectures leveraging RAG, embeddings, agents, and LLM orchestration.
  • Partner with Data Science and Engineering teams to operationalize ML and GenAI solutions using production-grade patterns.
  • Act as a trusted architectural advisor to Product, Engineering, Platform, and Business leaders, influencing roadmaps and investment decisions.
  • Balance strategic architecture with delivery-focused execution, enabling teams to move quickly without compromising long-term sustainability.
  • Produce clear architecture diagrams and technical documentation to communicate complex concepts to technical and executive stakeholders.
  • Support enterprise decision-making by articulating architectural trade-offs, risks, and long-term implications.

Qualifications:

  • High School diploma required; Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field preferred (Master's degree preferred).
  • 10 or more years of experience in architecture roles such as Enterprise Architect, Principal Solutions Architect, or equivalent.
  • Broad experience with large-scale database and data warehousing technologies such as Databricks or Snowflake, along with ETL, analytics, and cloud platforms.
  • Deep, hands-on experience with Databricks and Lakehouse architectures, including Delta Lake, Spark, and Unity Catalog.
  • Strong background in data engineering and analytics architecture, including medallion patterns and batch and streaming pipelines.
  • Experience integrating multiple data domains into cohesive, governed data products.
  • Expertise with cloud-native data platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure (AWS or GCP acceptable).
  • Strong understanding of data governance, security, lineage, and data quality, particularly in regulated environments.
  • Proven ability to influence across teams without direct authority and translate business needs into scalable architectural solutions.
  • Experience in healthcare or adjacent regulated domains such as clinical, claims, supply chain, or operations.
  • Hands-on experience designing semantic layers, metrics stores, or data product operating models.
  • Experience defining cross-domain KPIs, performance frameworks, or outcome-based analytics.
  • Strong background designing and implementing Generative AI and ML platforms at scale.
  • Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF (certification preferred).
  • Exceptional visualization and storytelling skills for both technical and executive audiences.

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Estimated Hiring Range:

At Vizient, we consider skills, experience, and organizational needs in our compensation approach. Geographic factors may adjust the range estimate and hires typically fall below the top range. Compensation decisions are tailored to individual circumstances. The current salary range for this role is $156,500.00 to $290,100.00.

This position is also incentive eligible.

Vizient has a comprehensive benefits plan! Please view our benefits here:

http://www.vizientinc.com/about-us/careers

Equal Opportunity Employer: Females/Minorities/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The Company is committed to equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, gender identity, ethnicity, age, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status or any other category protected by applicable law.