Executive Director, Enterprise Architecture

Job description

A leading financial services organization is seeking an Executive Director of Enterprise Architecture to define and advance architecture strategy across applications, data, networks, infrastructure, and security.

Reporting to the technology leadership team, the Executive Director will establish target-state architectures, technology standards, governance practices, and decision-making frameworks. This executive will guide major technology investments and modernization priorities while aligning architecture with business objectives, risk requirements, regulatory expectations, and long-term transformation goals.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve enterprise architecture strategy across application, data, network, infrastructure, and security domains.
• Develop target-state architectures, technology standards, approved platforms, tools, and reusable architectural patterns.
• Align technology strategy with business priorities, operational goals, risk requirements, and transformation plans.
• Establish and continuously improve the enterprise architecture governance framework.
• Ensure proposed solutions follow organizational architecture principles, security requirements, risk controls, and long-term technology direction.
• Chair the organization’s architecture review board and oversee significant decisions involving technology products, platforms, systems, and solution designs.
• Represent the organization in architecture governance discussions with affiliated enterprises and strategic partners.
• Advise executive leaders and technology teams on architectural options, modernization priorities, and technology investments.
• Evaluate existing and emerging technologies to identify opportunities to improve resilience, operational efficiency, scalability, and business value.
• Create and maintain reference architectures, enterprise standards, architecture artifacts, and design documentation.
• Partner with senior business and technology leaders to develop sustainable, cost-effective solutions.
• Sponsor continuous-improvement initiatives that strengthen delivery quality, simplify the technology landscape, and improve governance.
• Contribute to technology investment planning, budget prioritization, and strategic roadmaps.
• Connect architecture recommendations to measurable business outcomes, risk reduction, and cost efficiency.
• Lead, coach, and develop architecture team members.
• Support organizational change and strengthen architecture capabilities through performance, talent, and succession planning.

Required experience and skills

• University degree in a technology-related discipline.
• 12 or more years of progressive information technology experience across multiple systems environments and architecture domains.
• Significant experience in enterprise architecture, technology strategy, or senior architecture leadership within a complex organization.
• Broad expertise across application, data, network, infrastructure, and security architecture.
• Experience developing enterprise target-state architectures, reference architectures, standards, and governance frameworks.
• Experience leading architecture review boards or comparable technology governance functions.
• Strong understanding of business and technology operating models, with the ability to convert strategic priorities into enterprise architecture direction.
• Experience advising executives on modernization, platform selection, architecture alternatives, and technology investments.
• Strong project and organizational change leadership skills.
• Ability to influence priorities and decisions across business, technology, risk, security, and governance stakeholders.
• Proven understanding of the software development lifecycle and technology delivery disciplines.
• Strong analytical, evaluative, strategic decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning, innovation, and assessment of emerging technologies.
• Experience contributing to technology investment planning, roadmap development, and budget prioritization.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to communicate complex architecture concepts to both technical teams and executive audiences.
• Leadership experience involving employee development, performance management, change enablement, and succession planning.
• Strong service orientation when working with internal business and technology partners.