Director, Platform Architecture – Financial Services

ServiceNow•Santa Clara, CA

1h•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Platform Architecture for Financial Services Industry (FSI) is a strategic leader who defines the architectural vision for banking, insurance, and capital markets clients navigating complex regulatory landscapes and digital transformation imperatives. This role manages multiple teams of Platform Architects, cultivates C-suite relationships with CIOs, CFOs, CROs, and compliance leaders, and drives AI-powered modernization initiatives for Very Large Enterprise (VLE) and Large Enterprise (LE) financial institutions. The Director partners closely with FSI Major Area leadership, Customer Experience Group (CEG), and Go-To-Market (GTM) teams to accelerate platform adoption, deliver measurable business value, and enable mission-critical enterprise transformation while ensuring regulatory compliance and operational resilience.What You Get to Do in This RoleMaintain FSI Industry Alignment and Scale Across Portfolio· Develop and maintain deep expertise in financial services industry dynamics including banking operations (retail, commercial, wealth management), insurance (P&C, life, health), capital markets, and payment systems, with fluency in regulatory frameworks (Basel III/IV, Dodd-Frank, SOX, PCI-DSS, GDPR, state insurance regulations).· Partner strategically with FSI Major Area leaders and Segment leads to align architectural strategies, resourcing models, and talent deployment with evolving market demands, regulatory shifts, and organizational priorities across banking, insurance, and capital markets verticals.· Enable high-performing Platform Architects and Senior Managers to navigate industry-specific challenges including legacy system modernization, core banking/insurance platform transformation, regulatory compliance automation, fraud detection, risk management, and customer experience optimization.· Maintain active engagement with major FSI industry organizations to ensure architectural approaches remain aligned with emerging trends in digital banking, insurtech innovation, open banking/API ecosystems, and regulatory technology (RegTech).Lead & Develop a High-Performing Organization· Drive AI tooling adoption to increase team productivity, enhance FSI-specific workflow automation, and improve cross-functional collaboration between architecture, delivery, and client success teams.· Proactively manage pipeline of FSI engagements, ensuring visibility into regulatory-driven projects, digital transformation initiatives, and critical resource needs to support strategic business growth in highly regulated environments.· Collaborate with business development, FSI account teams, and Major Area leadership to forecast demand across banking, insurance, and capital markets segments, aligning staffing plans with client requirements and organizational priorities.· Ensure proper engagement staffing by matching FSI domain expertise, regulatory knowledge, technical skills, and certifications to project needs, optimizing team performance and delivering exceptional customer outcomes.· Attract, recruit, and hire top-tier talent for Platform Architect and Senior Manager roles, leveraging FSI industry networks including professional associations (e.g., Risk Management Association, American Bankers Association, Insurance Information Institute) and ecosystem partnerships.· Monitor and adjust staffing plans and skill development to maintain alignment with FSI Major Area priorities, emerging regulatory requirements, and evolving FSI technology landscapes (e.g., core banking modernization, policy administration system transformations).· Manage team of Platform Architects and Senior Managers with accountability for coaching, performance management, development planning, and quality oversight, fostering technical excellence and FSI domain mastery.· Drive delivery excellence, achievement of customer satisfaction KPIs, and consistent experience across all FSI engagements while maintaining adherence to regulatory compliance standards and audit requirements.· Embed customer-first mindset and foster continuous learning culture, particularly in AI/automation for financial services, regulatory compliance technology, and platform innovation trends affecting FSI sector.· Foster inclusive culture that embraces and models ServiceNow's core values while supporting diverse perspectives that drive innovation in financial services.Shape the Future of Platform Architecture for FSI Customer OutcomesDrive strategic customer outcomes through coaching and enablement of Platform Architects to:· Influence Impact product roadmap by identifying and communicating FSI customer insights, emerging architecture patterns for banking/insurance operations, and opportunities for innovation leveraging AI, automation, and regulatory compliance capabilities specific to financial services.· Serve as executive sponsor for major FSI modernization initiatives including core system transformations, regulatory compliance programs, risk management platform implementations, and strategic co-delivery programs with Global System Integrators (GSIs) and Big Four partners.· Drive FSI thought leadership through development of AI/automation frameworks for financial operations, reference architectures for banking/insurance modernization, regulatory compliance playbooks, and industry-specific solution accelerators addressing common FSI challenges (e.g., KYC/AML automation, loan origination optimization, claims processing transformation).· Foster culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence, empowering teams to experiment with emerging FSI technologies, adopt industry best practices for secure-by-design architectures, and advance organizational capabilities in regulated environments.· Build strategic partnerships across Customer Outcomes, FSI Sales teams, Product management, and Partner ecosystems (including financial services-focused GSIs, regional integrators, and specialized FSI technology vendors) to drive adoption, value realization, and enterprise digital transformation at scale.Engage in Pre-Sales Support· Collaborate with FSI GTM Teams and Major Area leadership to define strategies for leveraging platform architecture within FSI-specific pre-sales motions, addressing unique regulatory, security, and operational requirements of financial institutions.· Partner with CEG GTM to support Impact pre-sales engagements in FSI accounts, articulating value propositions that resonate with banking, insurance, and capital markets executives focused on regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and customer experience transformation.· Advocate ServiceNow best practices, AI-powered capabilities for financial services operations, emerging FSI use cases (e.g., intelligent document processing for loan applications, automated compliance monitoring, fraud detection workflows), and industry-aligned accelerators that address specific banking and insurance challenges.· Support pre-sales motions with strategic guidance on customer product adoption readiness, technical fit assessments for FSI environments, regulatory compliance considerations, and integration approaches for core banking/insurance systems.

Requirements

10+ years in consulting, digital transformation, or enterprise architecture leadership with significant experience in financial services industry (banking, insurance, capital markets, or payments)
Proven track record coaching senior talent and managing multi-level architecture teams delivering complex FSI transformation programs in highly regulated environments
Strong ability to engage with and influence C-suite executives (CIO, CFO, CRO, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Risk Officer) and enterprise strategy teams at major financial institutions
Deep understanding of FSI regulatory landscape including Basel III/IV capital requirements, Dodd-Frank stress testing, SOX compliance, PCI-DSS payment security, GDPR/CCPA data privacy, and state insurance regulations
Demonstrated expertise in AI/automation applications for financial services including intelligent document processing, fraud detection, AML/KYC automation, regulatory reporting, and customer service optimization
Experience shaping FSI enterprise operating models, leading core banking/insurance platform transformations, and architecting solutions that balance innovation with regulatory compliance and operational resilience requirements
Strong FSI ecosystem leadership experience with Global System Integrators (Accenture, Deloitte, EY, PwC, KPMG), regional banking/insurance integrators, and strategic technology partners serving financial institutions
Expertise across multiple ServiceNow product suites with specific experience in Financial Services Operations (FSO), platform strategy, workflow automation, and integration patterns for core banking/insurance systems
Understanding of FSI technology trends including open banking APIs, cloud-native architectures for regulated workloads, microservices adoption in financial services, and emerging technologies (blockchain, embedded finance, real-time payments)
Experience navigating complex FSI stakeholder environments including lines of business (retail banking, commercial banking, wealth management, P&C insurance, life insurance), technology organizations, risk/compliance teams, and regulatory affairs

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain deep expertise in financial services industry dynamics including banking operations (retail, commercial, wealth management), insurance (P&C, life, health), capital markets, and payment systems, with fluency in regulatory frameworks (Basel III/IV, Dodd-Frank, SOX, PCI-DSS, GDPR, state insurance regulations).
Partner strategically with FSI Major Area leaders and Segment leads to align architectural strategies, resourcing models, and talent deployment with evolving market demands, regulatory shifts, and organizational priorities across banking, insurance, and capital markets verticals.
Enable high-performing Platform Architects and Senior Managers to navigate industry-specific challenges including legacy system modernization, core banking/insurance platform transformation, regulatory compliance automation, fraud detection, risk management, and customer experience optimization.
Maintain active engagement with major FSI industry organizations to ensure architectural approaches remain aligned with emerging trends in digital banking, insurtech innovation, open banking/API ecosystems, and regulatory technology (RegTech).
Drive AI tooling adoption to increase team productivity, enhance FSI-specific workflow automation, and improve cross-functional collaboration between architecture, delivery, and client success teams.
Proactively manage pipeline of FSI engagements, ensuring visibility into regulatory-driven projects, digital transformation initiatives, and critical resource needs to support strategic business growth in highly regulated environments.
Collaborate with business development, FSI account teams, and Major Area leadership to forecast demand across banking, insurance, and capital markets segments, aligning staffing plans with client requirements and organizational priorities.
Ensure proper engagement staffing by matching FSI domain expertise, regulatory knowledge, technical skills, and certifications to project needs, optimizing team performance and delivering exceptional customer outcomes.
Attract, recruit, and hire top-tier talent for Platform Architect and Senior Manager roles, leveraging FSI industry networks including professional associations (e.g., Risk Management Association, American Bankers Association, Insurance Information Institute) and ecosystem partnerships.
Monitor and adjust staffing plans and skill development to maintain alignment with FSI Major Area priorities, emerging regulatory requirements, and evolving FSI technology landscapes (e.g., core banking modernization, policy administration system transformations).
Manage team of Platform Architects and Senior Managers with accountability for coaching, performance management, development planning, and quality oversight, fostering technical excellence and FSI domain mastery.
Drive delivery excellence, achievement of customer satisfaction KPIs, and consistent experience across all FSI engagements while maintaining adherence to regulatory compliance standards and audit requirements.
Embed customer-first mindset and foster continuous learning culture, particularly in AI/automation for financial services, regulatory compliance technology, and platform innovation trends affecting FSI sector.
Foster inclusive culture that embraces and models ServiceNow's core values while supporting diverse perspectives that drive innovation in financial services.
Influence Impact product roadmap by identifying and communicating FSI customer insights, emerging architecture patterns for banking/insurance operations, and opportunities for innovation leveraging AI, automation, and regulatory compliance capabilities specific to financial services.
Serve as executive sponsor for major FSI modernization initiatives including core system transformations, regulatory compliance programs, risk management platform implementations, and strategic co-delivery programs with Global System Integrators (GSIs) and Big Four partners.
Drive FSI thought leadership through development of AI/automation frameworks for financial operations, reference architectures for banking/insurance modernization, regulatory compliance playbooks, and industry-specific solution accelerators addressing common FSI challenges (e.g., KYC/AML automation, loan origination optimization, claims processing transformation).
Foster culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence, empowering teams to experiment with emerging FSI technologies, adopt industry best practices for secure-by-design architectures, and advance organizational capabilities in regulated environments.
Build strategic partnerships across Customer Outcomes, FSI Sales teams, Product management, and Partner ecosystems (including financial services-focused GSIs, regional integrators, and specialized FSI technology vendors) to drive adoption, value realization, and enterprise digital transformation at scale.
Collaborate with FSI GTM Teams and Major Area leadership to define strategies for leveraging platform architecture within FSI-specific pre-sales motions, addressing unique regulatory, security, and operational requirements of financial institutions.
Partner with CEG GTM to support Impact pre-sales engagements in FSI accounts, articulating value propositions that resonate with banking, insurance, and capital markets executives focused on regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and customer experience transformation.
Advocate ServiceNow best practices, AI-powered capabilities for financial services operations, emerging FSI use cases (e.g., intelligent document processing for loan applications, automated compliance monitoring, fraud detection workflows), and industry-aligned accelerators that address specific banking and insurance challenges.
Support pre-sales motions with strategic guidance on customer product adoption readiness, technical fit assessments for FSI environments, regulatory compliance considerations, and integration approaches for core banking/insurance systems.