Head of Portfolio Architecture (x2)

Position Summary

The Head of Architecture is a senior technology and business-facing leader responsible for defining the architectural vision, strategic technology roadmap, and portfolio architecture direction for a designated business unit. This role ensures technology investments, transformation initiatives, and solution delivery activities support both business objectives and enterprise-wide architectural standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Architecture Vision & Portfolio Leadership

  • Develop and maintain the strategic architecture vision and future-state roadmap for the business unit.
  • Provide leadership across multiple products, platforms, programs, and business capabilities to ensure integrated end-to-end solution design.
  • Establish architecture priorities that support organizational growth, modernization, operational efficiency, and innovation.
  • Ensure portfolio roadmaps align with enterprise architecture principles and business strategy.
  • Guide architectural decisions that support scalable, secure, and sustainable technology ecosystems.
  • Lead and develop a team of architects supporting the business unit's delivery portfolio.

• Business Unit Strategy & Technology Alignment

  • Serve as the senior architecture advisor to business and technology leadership within the portfolio.
  • Partner with executive stakeholders to shape technology strategy, transformation initiatives, and investment priorities.
  • Translate business objectives into capability-based architecture plans and technology roadmaps.
  • Ensure alignment between business needs, customer experiences, operational processes, and technology investments.
  • Collaborate with enterprise architecture leaders to balance business unit requirements with broader organizational priorities.

• Modernization & Platform Evolution

  • Advance architecture strategies focused on cloud adoption, platform modernization, data transformation, integration capabilities, and AI enablement.
  • Promote technology approaches that improve scalability, agility, security, and operational resilience.
  • Drive architectural simplification through platform consolidation, capability reuse, and reduction of technical complexity.
  • Support adoption of modern engineering practices, API-driven architectures, data-centric solutions, and emerging technologies.
  • Encourage technology patterns that improve delivery speed, engineering productivity, and long-term maintainability.

• Investment Planning & Portfolio Roadmaps

  • Influence technology investment decisions and portfolio planning activities across the business unit.
  • Evaluate strategic initiatives to ensure alignment with long-term architecture objectives.
  • Balance short-term delivery commitments with future-state architectural goals.
  • Identify opportunities to maximize technology reuse, reduce duplication, and accelerate business value realization.
  • Support prioritization of modernization programs, digital initiatives, data strategies, and platform enhancements.
  • Contribute to enterprise-wide investment discussions involving shared capabilities and cross-functional programs.

• End-to-End Architecture Ownership

  • Maintain accountability for architecture across business processes, applications, data assets, integrations, customer experiences, and technology platforms.
  • Oversee architecture decisions that impact business operations, customer engagement, and enterprise capabilities.
  • Ensure solutions support performance, scalability, reliability, and operational excellence objectives.
  • Drive consistency across architecture domains while supporting business-specific needs.
  • Promote integrated architecture approaches that connect business capabilities, data, technology platforms, and operational processes.

• Governance, Risk & Compliance

  • Establish and enforce architecture standards, frameworks, and governance practices throughout the portfolio.
  • Lead participation in architecture review boards, investment councils, and governance forums.
  • Ensure technology decisions align with security, privacy, compliance, risk management, and resilience requirements.
  • Partner with cybersecurity, legal, audit, risk, and compliance teams to address regulatory obligations and operational controls.
  • Evaluate architecture risks and ensure mitigation strategies are incorporated into solutions and roadmaps.
  • Provide architectural leadership during significant operational incidents and business continuity events.

• Stakeholder Engagement & Executive Influence

  • Build strong relationships with business executives, product leaders, technology organizations, and enterprise architecture teams.
  • Communicate architectural direction, investment priorities, and technology trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Represent the business unit's architecture interests in enterprise planning and governance discussions.
  • Influence decisions that affect multiple portfolios, shared platforms, and enterprise technology capabilities.
  • Provide thought leadership on technology trends, modernization opportunities, and future architecture strategies.

• Team Leadership & Capability Development

  • Lead, mentor, and develop architects across the business unit architecture organization.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and architectural excellence.
  • Support the evolution of architecture practices, governance processes, and technology standards.
  • Promote knowledge sharing and cross-functional partnership across architecture and engineering communities.
  • Build organizational architecture maturity through coaching, talent development, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Required Experience

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business Technology, or a related discipline.
  • 12+ years of progressive experience in architecture, technology strategy, engineering leadership, or related roles.
  • Proven success leading architecture functions within large, highly regulated organizations.
  • Experience developing technology roadmaps, transformation strategies, and enterprise-scale architecture initiatives.
  • Deep expertise across business architecture, applications, data management, integration, cloud platforms, security, digital capabilities, and emerging technologies.
  • Demonstrated success influencing executive stakeholders on technology strategy and investment decisions.
  • Experience leading architecture teams and driving complex organizational change.

• Preferred Experience

  • Background within insurance, financial services, healthcare, or another highly regulated industry.
  • Knowledge of core business platforms supporting operations, customer engagement, finance, human resources, legal, and corporate functions.
  • Experience guiding cloud modernization, digital transformation, AI adoption, and enterprise platform strategies.
  • Familiarity with enterprise governance models, regulatory requirements, and risk-management frameworks.
  • Advanced degree and/or relevant architecture, cloud, or leadership certifications.

Core Competencies

• Strategic architecture leadership
• Portfolio and roadmap planning
• Enterprise technology strategy
• Executive stakeholder engagement
• Business and technology alignment
• Investment planning and prioritization
• Architecture governance and decision-making
• Modernization and digital transformation leadership
• Cross-functional influence and collaboration
• Team development and organizational leadership
• Risk, compliance, and operational resilience awareness
• Systems thinking and complex problem solving

Leadership Attributes

• Demonstrates an enterprise-oriented mindset while effectively supporting business unit objectives.
• Drives innovation and modernization with a pragmatic approach to risk and operational stability.
• Promotes architectural consistency without impeding speed of execution.
• Makes strategic decisions that balance business value, technology sustainability, and organizational priorities.
• Develops high-performing architecture teams and fosters continuous learning.
• Leads through influence, collaboration, and clear communication across all levels of the organization.

Compensation

Starting at $225,000 annually. Compensation is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, knowledge, skills, other job-related qualifications.