AVP, Enterprise Chief Architect

Sammons Financial Group • West Des Moines, IA

8d

About The Position

The AVP, Enterprise Chief Architect leads the evolution of Sammons Financial Group Companies’ enterprise target-state technology architecture. The role translates business and technology strategies into architecture principles, target-state designs, technology standards, and multi-year roadmaps that guide modernization, simplification, interoperability, and investment decisions. It oversees the Enterprise Architecture practice and partners with business-unit technology teams and enterprise functions to promote consistency, reuse, resilience, and modernization while preserving appropriate business-unit flexibility.

The position establishes architecture governance, decision frameworks, standards, and review processes for major technology investments and emerging capabilities, including cloud, data, AI, integration, security, and enterprise platforms. It develops the architecture organization and community of practice by defining accountabilities, methods, standards, and effectiveness measures, and provides strategic architectural guidance to senior technology and business leaders.

The role requires regular attendance and may require travel to another company office or location for training, meetings, conferences, or business needs. A credit and criminal background check is required. Candidates must not require immigration sponsorship or work authorization for this role, now or in the future.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive technology experience, including significant enterprise architecture leadership (preferred).
• 8–10 years leading architecture teams or directly leading technical teams (preferred).
• Full lifecycle experience as a senior-level architect on multiple complex enterprise or strategic solutions (preferred).
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and ability to communicate with and influence business and technology partners.
• Problem-solving skills sufficient to research issues and recommend solutions.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks and meet established deadlines.
• Ability to influence matrixed team members across the organization.
• Knowledge of computer programming languages as required for the system.
• Established leadership track record in human capital management and succession principles, practices, and procedures.
• Effective negotiating and influence leadership skills.
• Ability to present and adapt ideas in business- and user-friendly language.
• May be required to travel to another company office or location for training, meetings, conferences, or business needs.
• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to the role preferred.
• Master’s degree in a field relevant to the role or equivalent work experience preferred.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to the role.
• Master’s degree in a field relevant to the role or equivalent work experience.
• 15+ years of progressive technology experience, including significant enterprise architecture leadership.
• 8–10 years leading architecture teams or directly leading technical teams.
• Full lifecycle experience as a senior-level architect on multiple complex enterprise or strategic solutions.
• Enterprise Architecture or Cloud Architecture certifications.

Responsibilities

• Define, maintain, and evolve the enterprise target-state technology architecture in alignment with business strategies, enterprise technology priorities, and long-term transformation objectives.
• Develop and govern integrated enterprise architecture roadmaps spanning applications, integration, data, AI, cloud, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and enterprise platforms.
• Establish enterprise architecture principles, reference architectures, standards, and reusable design patterns.
• Establish and lead a federated enterprise architecture governance framework, including review processes, decision rights, design standards, exceptions, and escalation procedures.
• Chair the Enterprise Architecture Review Board and lead architectural evaluations in technology acquisition reviews.
• Partner with business-unit technology and enterprise platform leaders to guide solution designs, evaluate tradeoffs, and balance enterprise consistency with appropriate business-unit flexibility.
• Provide architecture guidance for major investments, acquisitions, business integrations, and transformation initiatives; identify opportunities for reuse, consolidation, and scalability.
• Establish an enterprise technology lifecycle and technical debt framework, and identify and prioritize modernization, consolidation, rationalization, and retirement opportunities.
• Guide architectural evaluation of emerging technologies, including AI, agentic capabilities, cloud-native solutions, integration platforms, and advanced data technologies.
• Establish architectural frameworks and reference patterns for secure, scalable, interoperable adoption of emerging capabilities in partnership with Cybersecurity, Data, AI, and Enterprise Platform leaders.
• Lead and develop the Enterprise Architecture practice, including direct leadership of assigned architects and matrixed collaboration with business-unit architects.
• Establish architecture methods, competency expectations, documentation standards, tools, and a community of practice.
• Maintain architecture visibility through capability maps, current- and target-state architectures, technology portfolio information, and architectural decision records.
• Define and report architecture effectiveness measures, including standards adoption, technology reuse, rationalization progress, technical debt trends, and governance effectiveness.
• Advise senior technology leaders, business-unit technology teams, and executive leadership on architectural direction, tradeoffs, risks, and implications of major decisions.
• Build partnerships across enterprise and business-unit technology organizations, influencing alignment and collaborative decision-making while respecting business-unit accountability.
• Develop architecture talent, succession capabilities, and organizational maturity while promoting continuous improvement, innovation, and the company’s shared values.
• Drive and reinforce commitment to internal controls processes, including those under Model Audit Rule and Record Information Management.
• Embrace Sammons Financial Group Companies’ shared values of Accountability, Connection, Openness, Respect, and Integrity.
• Maintain regular attendance as required by the Company Attendance and Punctuality policy.
• Participate in other initiatives and projects as necessary.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, HSA and FSA options, and term life insurance.
• Competitive compensation with a performance-based incentive program tied to goals and individual and/or company success.
• 100% company-funded Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and automatic enrollment in a 401(k).
• Friday afternoons off year-round, generous paid time off, and paid holidays.
• Paid development time, tuition reimbursement, and professional development opportunities across industry, individual, and leadership programs.
• Volunteer time off and a company nonprofit matching gift program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior