Principal Enterprise Architect Digital Architecture

Overview

This is a remote role that may only be hired in the following locations: NC and AZ.

First Citizens Bank seeks an accomplished Principal Enterprise Architect Digital Architecture to drive enterprise-wide architectural initiatives that balance strategic vision with pragmatic execution. This role requires a seasoned practitioner with deep engineering roots who can translate complex business requirements into scalable technical solutions while representing technology perspectives to business stakeholders and business needs to technical teams.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Architecture Leadership

• Define and evolve enterprise architecture strategies that align with business objectives and market dynamics across banking operations including Payments, Digital Banking, Lending, and Core Banking platforms.
• Establish and maintain enterprise patterns, reference architectures, and architectural principles that guide technology investments and solution design.
• Lead the development of target state architectures and multi-year transformation roadmaps that balance innovation with risk management.

Business Capability Alignment

• Partner with business leaders to understand market trends, competitive pressures, and strategic priorities, translating these into actionable architecture blueprints.
• Design and maintain business capability models that connect strategic objectives to technology enablement across the enterprise.
• Drive architecture decisions that optimize cost, agility, and time-to-market while managing technical debt and regulatory compliance.

Hands-On Technical Leadership

• Lead the architecture and design of complex, mission-critical initiatives from conception through implementation.
• Provide technical guidance on application architecture, integration patterns, data architecture, and cloud platforms.
• Conduct architecture reviews and governance activities, ensuring solutions adhere to enterprise standards while meeting business requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the bridge between business stakeholders and technology teams, effectively communicating technical concepts to non-technical audiences and business requirements to engineering teams.
• Facilitate architecture decision-making processes, building consensus across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Mentor solution architects and engineering teams, elevating architecture maturity across the organization.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and 10 years of experience in Application Development, Systems Engineering, or Information Technology management OR High School Diploma or GED and 14 years of experience in Application Development, Systems Engineering, or Information Technology management.

Experience

Preferred Qualifications

• 15+ years in technology roles with at least 8 years in enterprise architecture positions.
• Proven track record in financial services, with deep understanding of banking operations, regulatory requirements, and market dynamics.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale transformation initiatives ($10M+) from architecture definition through production deployment.
• Experience working in complex, federated architecture operating models across multiple business domains.

Technical Expertise

• Strong engineering background with hands-on experience in application development, system design, and solution delivery.
• Deep knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF, Zachman) and modern architecture patterns (microservices, event-driven, API-first).
• Expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), modern integration approaches, and data architecture.
• Understanding of emerging technologies including AI/ML, distributed ledger, and real-time processing.

Business Acumen

• Ability to understand and articulate business capabilities, value streams, and operating models in financial services context.
• Experience translating market trends and competitive intelligence into technology strategy.
• Proven capability to build business cases and ROI models for technology investments.

Leadership & Communication

• Exceptional communication skills with ability to influence senior executives and technical teams alike.
• Track record of driving decision-making in ambiguous, complex situations with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience leading through influence in matrixed organizations without direct reporting authority.

Nice To Have

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field; MBA a plus.
• TOGAF, AWS/Azure/GCP certifications.
• Experience with post-merger integration and application rationalization.
• Background in Agile/DevOps transformation and platform engineering.

What Sets You Apart

You're a builder at heart who has progressed from hands-on engineering to strategic architecture without losing your connection to technical reality. You thrive in the space between strategy and execution, equally comfortable presenting to the C-suite and reviewing code with engineers. You understand that great architecture emerges from deep business understanding combined with technical pragmatism, and you have the battle scars from leading initiatives that prove it.

Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.

Key skills/competency

• Enterprise Architecture
• Strategic Planning
• Digital Banking
• Cloud Platforms
• Microservices
• API-First
• Data Architecture
• Financial Services
• Transformation Initiatives
• Technical Leadership