Director of Enterprise Architecture (Principal/Manager)
Versique Search and Consulting, Eau Claire, WI, United States
The Director of Enterprise Architecture works closely with business and technology leaders to ensure architecture enables enterprise strategy, strengthens the organization's ability to serve members, and supports long-term organizational success. Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, this role defines and governs the organization's target-state architecture, technology standards, and architecture roadmaps.
This role serves as a senior technical leader responsible for guiding technology decisions that improve operational efficiency, scalability, resiliency, and regulatory compliance. This role will lead the enterprise integration and platform architecture strategy across SaaS solutions, Azure cloud services, enterprise data platforms, and on-premises systems and will establish architectural patterns, standards, and governance that enable secure, scalable, and adaptable technology capabilities, while supporting future analytics, AI, and personalization initiatives.
Worksite Location:
Hybrid; 2-3 days in the office - Eau Claire, WI
Pay Range: Up to $200K salary + 15% bonus No work visa sponsorship available; no C2C, thank you
Benefits:
Health, dental, vision insurance Vacation, sick, and holiday paid time off 15% Annual bonus 401k match Education assistance
Roles & Responsibilities Enterprise Architecture Strategy & Governance
Partner with business leaders to understand strategic objectives and define architecture that enables key business capabilities and long-term organizational direction. Architect and optimize an ecosystem that includes: core banking and lending platforms, Microsoft Azure ecosystem, enterprise data platforms, and CRM/digital ecosystem. Define and communicate enterprise architecture principles, standards, and roadmaps aligned to business strategy and financial institution requirements. Establish and lead effective architecture governance (e.g., architecture review board), including standards adoption, exception management, and technical debt visibility ensuring alignment and reduced fragmentation. Educate and influence leaders and delivery teams to gain alignment on architectural direction, standards, and solutions. Educate and influence others in order to gain buy-in on proposed roadmaps, strategies, standards and solutions.
Integration and Platform Architecture Leadership
Define and lead enterprise integration and platform architecture strategy to ensure systems operate as a cohesive, scalable ecosystem. Establish clear integration patterns and guardrails across SaaS, cloud, and on-premises systems, moving toward API-led, event-driven, and reusable data integration approaches. Establish interface governance, including naming standards, schema and contract stewardship, documentation expectations, and service catalogs. Ensure integrations and platforms meet enterprise requirements for security, availability, resiliency, and operational readiness. Partner with Security, Infrastructure, Data, and Engineering teams to ensure platforms and integrations align with enterprise architecture standards and long-term strategic direction. Effectively reduce number of point-to-point integrations.
AI Capabilities & Governance
Lead the establishment of architectural patterns and governance supporting AI initiatives across the organization. Define enterprise standards and guardrails for AI-enabled solutions. Partner with business and technology leaders to evaluate AI use cases and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and risk posture. Ability to teach and coach others practical, safe, and effective prompt engineering for use with LLMs/GenAI tools.
Solution Oversight & Cross-Team Enablement
Provide architectural leadership and oversight for complex, cross-domain technology initiatives, ensuring solutions align with enterprise standards and long-term direction. Evaluate and recommend technology solutions across build vs. buy decisions, emphasizing scalability, maintainability, and architectural fit. Partner across infrastructure, applications, data, and integration domains to ensure cohesive and efficient architecture. Drive reduction in overall system complexity through thoughtful design and consolidation. Build out architectural roadmap by building consensus
Architecture Practice Development
Build and mature the enterprise architecture practice, including operating models and ways of working. Develop and maintain architecture artifacts, including system interaction diagrams, integration patterns, and reference architectures. Mentor and guide architects, engineers, and technical teams on architecture principles and best practices. Promote consistency, scalability, and long-term sustainability across technology implementations. Ensure enterprise architecture supports regulatory compliance, security requirements, and audit readiness across all technology platforms.
Required Skills & Experience
10+ years of progressive IT experience across engineering, platforms, and/or architecture 5+ years of experience in enterprise or solution architecture within complex environments Proven experience designing architecture across hybrid ecosystems (SaaS, cloud, and on-premises systems) Strong expertise in enterprise integration architecture, including API-led, event-driven, and data integration patterns Hands-on experience with modern technology stacks, including cloud platforms (Azure preferred), enterprise data platforms, and Microsoft ecosystem tools Experience with architecture domains including security, resiliency, disaster recovery, performance optimization, and monitoring Demonstrated success operating within regulated environments, with an understanding of compliance and risk considerations Prior leadership or people management experience, with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams Experience partnering with executive stakeholders and translating business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps Working knowledge of AI/GenAI capabilities and their application in enterprise environments Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills Ability to drive standardization, reduce complexity, and influence enterprise-wide technology decisions Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, MIS, or related field or equivalent experience
Preferred
Experience establishing enterprise architecture practices and governance Experience with Azure cloud services and integration capabilities Experience supporting modern data platforms and analytics environments Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF concepts) Experience supporting AI-enabled platforms and governance
Certifications (Preferred, not required)
Azure Architecture certification(s) TOGAF or equivalent architecture training Security certification or demonstrable security architecture experience
About Versique Versique: /ver-seek/adj. being both versatile and unique; n. a high-performance recruiting firm specializing in executive leadership search, direct hire, and interim hiring solutions.
Versique Executive, Professional, & Interim Recruiting is a locally owned and operated hiring and placement firm based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. With specialized practice areas across our three divisions, Versique delivers tailored expertise to a wide range of industries. What sets us apart is our team of recruiters-seasoned professionals who have worked in the very fields they now hire for, providing unmatched industry insight and connections.
We believe people are more than just resumes-they are transformative, unlocking the potential for organizational growth and success.
Versique is proud to be award-winning, earning recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal's Fast 50 list for 2023. We are also consistently recognized as a Star Tribune Top Workplace and were named a Best Place to Work in 2022 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Let's find your people, together.
Versique is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse workforce. We consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.
#LI-SF1 #LI-Hybrid
This role serves as a senior technical leader responsible for guiding technology decisions that improve operational efficiency, scalability, resiliency, and regulatory compliance. This role will lead the enterprise integration and platform architecture strategy across SaaS solutions, Azure cloud services, enterprise data platforms, and on-premises systems and will establish architectural patterns, standards, and governance that enable secure, scalable, and adaptable technology capabilities, while supporting future analytics, AI, and personalization initiatives.
Worksite Location:
Hybrid; 2-3 days in the office - Eau Claire, WI
Pay Range: Up to $200K salary + 15% bonus No work visa sponsorship available; no C2C, thank you
Benefits:
Health, dental, vision insurance Vacation, sick, and holiday paid time off 15% Annual bonus 401k match Education assistance
Roles & Responsibilities Enterprise Architecture Strategy & Governance
Partner with business leaders to understand strategic objectives and define architecture that enables key business capabilities and long-term organizational direction. Architect and optimize an ecosystem that includes: core banking and lending platforms, Microsoft Azure ecosystem, enterprise data platforms, and CRM/digital ecosystem. Define and communicate enterprise architecture principles, standards, and roadmaps aligned to business strategy and financial institution requirements. Establish and lead effective architecture governance (e.g., architecture review board), including standards adoption, exception management, and technical debt visibility ensuring alignment and reduced fragmentation. Educate and influence leaders and delivery teams to gain alignment on architectural direction, standards, and solutions. Educate and influence others in order to gain buy-in on proposed roadmaps, strategies, standards and solutions.
Integration and Platform Architecture Leadership
Define and lead enterprise integration and platform architecture strategy to ensure systems operate as a cohesive, scalable ecosystem. Establish clear integration patterns and guardrails across SaaS, cloud, and on-premises systems, moving toward API-led, event-driven, and reusable data integration approaches. Establish interface governance, including naming standards, schema and contract stewardship, documentation expectations, and service catalogs. Ensure integrations and platforms meet enterprise requirements for security, availability, resiliency, and operational readiness. Partner with Security, Infrastructure, Data, and Engineering teams to ensure platforms and integrations align with enterprise architecture standards and long-term strategic direction. Effectively reduce number of point-to-point integrations.
AI Capabilities & Governance
Lead the establishment of architectural patterns and governance supporting AI initiatives across the organization. Define enterprise standards and guardrails for AI-enabled solutions. Partner with business and technology leaders to evaluate AI use cases and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and risk posture. Ability to teach and coach others practical, safe, and effective prompt engineering for use with LLMs/GenAI tools.
Solution Oversight & Cross-Team Enablement
Provide architectural leadership and oversight for complex, cross-domain technology initiatives, ensuring solutions align with enterprise standards and long-term direction. Evaluate and recommend technology solutions across build vs. buy decisions, emphasizing scalability, maintainability, and architectural fit. Partner across infrastructure, applications, data, and integration domains to ensure cohesive and efficient architecture. Drive reduction in overall system complexity through thoughtful design and consolidation. Build out architectural roadmap by building consensus
Architecture Practice Development
Build and mature the enterprise architecture practice, including operating models and ways of working. Develop and maintain architecture artifacts, including system interaction diagrams, integration patterns, and reference architectures. Mentor and guide architects, engineers, and technical teams on architecture principles and best practices. Promote consistency, scalability, and long-term sustainability across technology implementations. Ensure enterprise architecture supports regulatory compliance, security requirements, and audit readiness across all technology platforms.
Required Skills & Experience
10+ years of progressive IT experience across engineering, platforms, and/or architecture 5+ years of experience in enterprise or solution architecture within complex environments Proven experience designing architecture across hybrid ecosystems (SaaS, cloud, and on-premises systems) Strong expertise in enterprise integration architecture, including API-led, event-driven, and data integration patterns Hands-on experience with modern technology stacks, including cloud platforms (Azure preferred), enterprise data platforms, and Microsoft ecosystem tools Experience with architecture domains including security, resiliency, disaster recovery, performance optimization, and monitoring Demonstrated success operating within regulated environments, with an understanding of compliance and risk considerations Prior leadership or people management experience, with the ability to influence and align cross-functional teams Experience partnering with executive stakeholders and translating business strategy into actionable technology roadmaps Working knowledge of AI/GenAI capabilities and their application in enterprise environments Strong communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills Ability to drive standardization, reduce complexity, and influence enterprise-wide technology decisions Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, MIS, or related field or equivalent experience
Preferred
Experience establishing enterprise architecture practices and governance Experience with Azure cloud services and integration capabilities Experience supporting modern data platforms and analytics environments Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF concepts) Experience supporting AI-enabled platforms and governance
Certifications (Preferred, not required)
Azure Architecture certification(s) TOGAF or equivalent architecture training Security certification or demonstrable security architecture experience
About Versique Versique: /ver-seek/adj. being both versatile and unique; n. a high-performance recruiting firm specializing in executive leadership search, direct hire, and interim hiring solutions.
Versique Executive, Professional, & Interim Recruiting is a locally owned and operated hiring and placement firm based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. With specialized practice areas across our three divisions, Versique delivers tailored expertise to a wide range of industries. What sets us apart is our team of recruiters-seasoned professionals who have worked in the very fields they now hire for, providing unmatched industry insight and connections.
We believe people are more than just resumes-they are transformative, unlocking the potential for organizational growth and success.
Versique is proud to be award-winning, earning recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal's Fast 50 list for 2023. We are also consistently recognized as a Star Tribune Top Workplace and were named a Best Place to Work in 2022 by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Let's find your people, together.
Versique is an equal-opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse workforce. We consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.
#LI-SF1 #LI-Hybrid