What is a Solutions Architect at AIG?

At AIG, a Solutions Architect is not merely a technical designer; you are a strategic bridge between complex business needs and cutting-edge technology. In this role, you drive the digital transformation of one of the world’s leading global insurance organizations. Whether you are focusing on Generative AI initiatives to revolutionize claims processing or optimizing enterprise systems like Workday for global HR operations, your work directly impacts how AIG manages risk and serves clients in over 190 countries.

You will be responsible for defining end-to-end architectures that are scalable, secure, and compliant. AIG is currently making significant investments in innovative teams—specifically within GenAI and cloud modernization—to explore new frontiers in insurance. As an architect, you will shape the roadmap for large-scale business applications, ensuring they align with enterprise standards while pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a highly regulated industry.

This position requires you to operate at the intersection of technical leadership and business strategy. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement best practices in cloud integration, security, and DevOps. Your contribution is critical to AIG’s vision of the future, where you will help build world-class products that transform the insurance ecosystem.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparation for the Solutions Architect role at AIG requires a shift in mindset from purely technical execution to strategic oversight. You need to demonstrate that you can design systems that are not only functional but also resilient, secure, and aligned with long-term business goals.

Key Evaluation Criteria

Architectural Strategy & Vision – You must demonstrate the ability to design complex, end-to-end solutions (functional, logical, and physical) that span multiple lines of business. Interviewers will assess your capability to integrate on-premise legacy systems with modern cloud infrastructure (AWS) and SaaS platforms.

Technical Domain Expertise – Depending on the specific track (GenAI or Enterprise Systems), you will be evaluated on your depth of knowledge in specific technologies. For GenAI roles, this means expertise in LLMs, Python, and cloud-native AI services. For enterprise roles, this involves deep knowledge of platforms like Workday, APIs, and integration patterns.

Security & Compliance Mindset – AIG operates in a heavily regulated financial environment. You will be tested on your ability to design "secure-by-default" architectures. Expect questions on data privacy, PII protection, ethical AI standards, and ITIL frameworks.

Stakeholder Management & Leadership – You will face questions about how you influence decision-making. You must show how you translate technical complexity into business value for senior leadership and how you mentor engineering teams to adopt new standards.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Solutions Architect at AIG is rigorous and structured to assess both your technical depth and your cultural fit within a transforming organization. Generally, the process begins with a recruiter screening to verify your background and interest, followed by a hiring manager interview that digs into your architectural philosophy and relevant experience.

Following the initial screens, you will move into a series of technical and behavioral rounds. These often involve a panel of peers, engineering leads, and business stakeholders. For the Principal Solutions Architect level, you should expect a "Deep Dive" session where you may be asked to whiteboard a solution, critique an existing architecture, or discuss a complex project from your past in granular detail. The focus here is on your problem-solving methodology—how you handle trade-offs between speed, cost, and security.

AIG places a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration and culture. Throughout the process, interviewers will evaluate your adaptability and your willingness to work primarily from the office (e.g., Atlanta or Jersey City hubs). They are looking for candidates who are excited about "reimagining insurance" and who can thrive in a hybrid environment that blends legacy stability with startup-style innovation.

This timeline illustrates a standard progression from initial contact to final offer. Use this to pace your preparation; ensure you have your "war stories" of past architectural challenges ready before the hiring manager screen, and reserve your deep technical review for the panel stages.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

The following areas represent the core pillars of the AIG interview for Solutions Architects. You should be prepared to discuss these in depth, providing specific examples from your career.

System Design & Hybrid Cloud Architecture

This is the cornerstone of the interview. AIG operates in a hybrid environment, integrating massive on-premise data centers with modern cloud capabilities (primarily AWS).

Be ready to go over:

• Hybrid Integration Patterns: How to securely connect legacy mainframes or on-prem databases with cloud-native applications using APIs and microservices.
• Scalability & Resilience: Designing systems that can handle global workloads without downtime.
• Cloud Services (AWS): Deep knowledge of IaaS, PaaS, and serverless components (e.g., Lambda, Fargate, S3) and when to use them.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Design a secure architecture for a claims processing application that ingests data from mobile devices and integrates with an on-premise policy engine."
• "How would you migrate a monolithic application to a microservices architecture while ensuring data consistency?"
• "Explain your strategy for managing API gateways in a hybrid cloud environment."

Generative AI & Emerging Technologies

For the GenAI track, this is a critical evaluation area. AIG is looking for leaders who can operationalize AI, moving it from proof-of-concept to enterprise scale.

Be ready to go over:

• LLM Integration: Architectures for deploying Large Language Models securely within an enterprise.
• Data Pipelines: Designing robust data ingestion and processing pipelines to feed AI models.
• Ethical AI & Governance: Controls for bias, hallucination, and data privacy in Generative AI.
• Advanced concepts: Vector databases, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), and prompt engineering strategies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How would you architect a GenAI solution to summarize complex insurance policies for customer service agents?"
• "What security controls would you implement to prevent PII leakage when using a third-party LLM?"
• "Describe the lifecycle of an ML model from training to deployment in a regulated environment."

Security, Risk, and Compliance

In the insurance industry, security is not an afterthought; it is a requirement. You must demonstrate that security is woven into the fabric of your designs.

Be ready to go over:

• DevSecOps: Integrating security testing into the CI/CD pipeline.
• Identity & Access Management: Implementing OAuth, SAML, and least-privilege access principles.
• Regulatory Standards: Familiarity with GDPR, CCPA, or SOX compliance in IT systems.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you ensure compliance with data residency laws when architecting a global solution?"
• "Walk us through how you would secure a public-facing API that handles sensitive financial transaction data."

Key Responsibilities

As a Solutions Architect at AIG, your day-to-day work involves a mix of high-level strategy and hands-on technical guidance. You will be responsible for managing the architecture and roadmap for large-scale business applications. This means you are not just building for today, but planning how these systems will evolve over the next 3–5 years to support AIG’s GenAI strategy and enterprise standards.

Collaboration is central to this role. You will work closely with cross-functional teams—including product managers, data scientists, and security engineers—to drive business transformation. You will lead the development of technical architectures covering cloud, security, and DevOps, ensuring that every solution maximizes business value.

Furthermore, you are expected to be a standard-bearer for the organization. You will guide the creation and dissemination of architecture standards, influencing engineering teams and mentoring junior members. Whether you are defining the integration strategy for a new SaaS platform or overseeing the execution of a custom AI model, your goal is to ensure alignment with EA/ITIL frameworks and position AIG at the forefront of industry innovation.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

AIG seeks candidates who combine deep technical expertise with the experience to navigate a large, global enterprise.

• Must-Have Technical Skills:

  • Extensive experience with AWS and hybrid cloud architectures.
  • Proficiency in API design, Microservices, and DevSecOps practices.
  • For GenAI roles: Experience with LLMs, Python, and AI/ML model deployment.
  • For Enterprise roles: Deep knowledge of Workday (Payroll, Compensation, Absence) or similar ERP ecosystems.

• Experience Level:

  • Typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience in IT, with a significant portion dedicated to solution architecture.
  • Proven track record of leading architecture for large-scale programs or functional technology solutions.

• Soft Skills & Leadership:

  • Strong ability to collaborate with non-technical stakeholders and translate business requirements into technical specifications.
  • Experience mentoring teams and providing strategic direction.
  • A "culture of experimentation" mindset, passionate about leveraging emerging tech.

• Nice-to-Have Skills:

  • Experience in the Insurance or Financial Services industry (highly valued).
  • Knowledge of specific insurance functions like Claims, Policy Administration, or Reinsurance.
  • Familiarity with ethical standards for AI.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what you might face in an AIG interview. They are designed to test your technical knowledge, your problem-solving approach, and your alignment with the company's values.

Architecture & System Design

• "Describe a complex cloud migration project you led. What were the biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?"
• "How do you decide between building a custom solution versus buying a SaaS product?"
• "Draw the architecture for a highly available, fault-tolerant system you have designed. Where were the single points of failure?"
• "How do you handle data consistency across distributed microservices?"
• "Explain your approach to integrating a legacy mainframe system with a modern AWS data lake."

Behavioral & Leadership

• "Tell me about a time you had to convince a skeptical stakeholder to adopt a new technology or architecture."
• "Describe a situation where you had to make a trade-off between security and speed of delivery. How did you handle it?"
• "How do you mentor junior architects or engineers to help them grow?"
• "Give an example of a project that failed or fell behind schedule. What was your role in the recovery?"

Domain Specific (GenAI / Workday)

• "What are the primary security risks associated with Generative AI, and how do you mitigate them?"
• "How do you ensure that an AI model remains unbiased and compliant with ethical standards?"
• "Walk me through the configuration of a complex compensation plan in Workday." (For Workday roles)
• "How do you manage dependencies between different Workday modules during an update?" (For Workday roles)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the work arrangement for this role? AIG values in-person collaboration. The job postings explicitly state that team members are asked to be primarily in the office. This helps foster a supportive, connected environment. You should expect to work from a hub location like Atlanta, GA, or Jersey City, NJ, depending on the specific role.

Q: How technical is the interview process? The process is quite technical, especially for the Principal Architect level. While you may not be asked to write production code on a whiteboard, you will be expected to sketch detailed system designs, explain data flows, and defend your technology choices against scrutiny regarding security and scalability.

Q: What distinguishes a top candidate at AIG? Successful candidates often have a blend of "big company" discipline and "startup" innovation. AIG wants people who understand the rigors of a regulated industry (compliance, security, process) but who also have the drive to experiment with GenAI and push for modernization.

Q: How long does the process take? The timeline can vary, but generally, you can expect a process lasting 3 to 6 weeks from the initial screen to the final offer. This includes scheduling multiple rounds with senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

Other General Tips

Understand the Insurance Business Model: Even if you are a pure technologist, take time to understand the basics of Property & Casualty insurance. Knowing terms like "Claims," "Underwriting," and "Policy Administration" will help you contextualize your architectural answers and show you care about the business.

Focus on "Secure by Design":

Highlight Your Adaptability: AIG is going through a massive transformation. Frame your experiences to show that you are comfortable with ambiguity and can lead teams through change. Show that you view legacy systems not as burdens, but as foundations to be modernized.

Prepare for "Why AIG?": Be ready to articulate why you want to work in insurance specifically. Mention the scale of the data, the complexity of the risk problems, and the opportunity to apply GenAI to real-world challenges that affect millions of people.

Summary & Next Steps

Becoming a Solutions Architect at AIG is an opportunity to lead high-impact technology initiatives at a global scale. You will be stepping into a role that demands excellence in cloud architecture, a forward-thinking approach to AI, and the leadership skills to navigate a complex enterprise. This is a position for builders who want their work to matter—safeguarding the future for businesses and families worldwide.

To succeed, focus your preparation on hybrid cloud integration, security compliance, and strategic communication. Review your past projects and be ready to explain not just what you built, but why you made those specific architectural choices. AIG is looking for visionaries who can execute; show them you are ready to drive their next generation of innovation.

The salary range for this position is typically between $130,000 and $172,000 USD, though this can vary based on location and specific role seniority (e.g., Principal level roles may command the higher end or above). Total compensation at AIG also generally includes a comprehensive benefits package and potential performance-based incentives. Use this data to benchmark your expectations, but remember that your specific experience with niche skills like GenAI or Workday can be a strong leverage point.

For more community insights and specific interview questions, continue your research on Dataford. Good luck!