VP, Enterprise Architecture

AgWest Farm Credit•Spokane, WA

7h•$133,600 - $236,700•Hybrid

About The Position

AgWest Farm Credit is a member-owned financial cooperative that provides financing and related services to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commercial fishermen, timber producers, rural homeowners and crop insurance customers in a seven-state territory in the Western United States. AgWest is part of the 100+ year-old Farm Credit System – the leading provider of credit to American agriculture. AgWest champions the growth and advancement of agriculture, the value of rural communities, and the vital contribution our customers make to the economy and society. We serve customers in 59 locations throughout the West. We are in search of a VP, Enterprise Architecture to join our Application Services department in Spokane, Washington (Headquarters). This full-time position reports to the Chief Information Officer and owns the enterprise architecture function and sets the technology direction, principles, standards, patterns, and target-state architecture for the organization. The role enables executive, business, and IT leaders to make multi-year investment decisions that balance and prioritize current operational demands, disruptions, and opportunities against the organization's longer-term strategic vision. The role is accountable for the conceptual integrity and strategic alignment of the enterprise technology landscape.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science, business or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
Generally, requires ten to fifteen years' experience in enterprise architecture design and deployment, systems lifecycle management, and architecture across multiple specialized domains
Knowledge of all components of holistic enterprise architecture, business re-engineering principles and processes, and basic knowledge of financial models and budgeting
At least five years in a formal or informal leadership role
Demonstrated interpersonal, verbal, and executive communication skills, including the ability to operate across business strategy, product strategy, technical design, and implementation

Nice To Haves

Experience building technology roadmaps and aligning with business strategy
Experience working with managed service providers and vendor partners
Financial institution operations experience
Leadership experience in managing multiple, large, cross-functional teams or projects, and influencing senior-level management and key stakeholders

Responsibilities

Provide overall direction, guidance, and definition of IT architecture to effectively support the corporate business strategy.
Support all architectural disciplines and champions architectural initiatives.
Establish and oversee the architecture team, including the full talent lifecycle of hiring, skill development, and performance management, along with associated administrative and compliance responsibilities.
Lead programs to develop, maintain, and govern the enterprise architecture across the organization.
Work on highly complex projects that require in-depth knowledge across multiple specialized architecture domains.
Own and chairs enterprise architecture governance and ensures that solutions are compliant with target-state architecture models.
Align architecture strategy with business goals.
Develop and communicate architectural policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures.
Lead and facilitate the creation of governing principles to guide enterprise architecture decision making.
Provide technical direction and architectural guidance to leaders across engineering, security, infrastructure, and product functions, aligning enterprise technology decisions across organizational boundaries.
Drive and document exceptions to architectural standards in partnership with executive stakeholders, ensuring decisions are well-reasoned, recorded, and aligned with enterprise risk tolerance.
Ensure the conceptual completeness of the technical solutions.
Advise on options, risks, costs versus benefits, system impacts, and technology priorities to business and IT leaders.
Work with business leaders to understand business requirements and help them understand how technology tradeoffs influence strategy.
Consult with project teams to fit projects to enterprise architecture, as well as to identify when it is necessary to modify the enterprise architecture.
Collaborate with project management and IT leaders to ensure progress towards architectural alignment with project goals and requirements.
Represent AgWest's purpose and values to employees, customers, and our communities.
Demonstrate supervisory competencies and meet expectations of a people leader at AgWest.
Supervisor, coach and develop employees, including but not limited to role functions, workflow management, time tracking and attendance, establishing annual goals, providing regular feedback, and performing all required performance actions.
Communicate goals, expectations, and updates clearly and consistently; serve as the primary point of contact between staff and leadership.
Ensure new employees are effectively trained and proper onboarding processes are followed; identify learning gaps and coordinate ongoing learning opportunities for staff.
Mentor direct reports, creating development and stretch opportunities as appropriate.
Ensure employees understand and comply with all relevant AgWest procedures, policies, and processes.
Ensure compliance with employment laws and organizational policies by identifying and mitigating legal and operational risks related to pay, leave, accommodations workplace safety, discrimination, harassment, and other protected rights.
Recognize and respond to potential issues, create documentation, and collaborate with leadership and HR to promptly and appropriately address issues.