Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture
Join a Challenger
Being a traditional bank just isn’t our thing, so we challenge ourselves to get creative in providing innovative banking solutions for Canadians.
How do we get there? With a talented team of inquisitive and agile challengers that break through the status quo. So, if you’re passionate about redefining the future of banking—while having fun—this could be your next big opportunity.
Our company continues to grow, and today we serve more than 670,000 people across Canada through Equitable Bank, Canada's Challenger Bank™, and have been around for more than 50 years. Equitable Bank's wholly-owned subsidiary, Concentra Bank, supports credit unions across Canada that serve more than six million members. Together we have over $125 billion in combined assets under management and administration, with a clear mandate to drive change in Canadian banking to enrich people's lives. Our customers have named our EQ Bank digital platform (eqbank.ca) one of the top banks in Canada on the Forbes World's Best Banks list since 2021.
The Work
The Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture (EA) is responsible for establishing and leading a centralized EA function that aligns with the bank’s strategic goals. Reporting to the VP, Technology, this role will provide strategic oversight and coordination across a federated architecture model, ensuring consistency, resilience, and value delivery across all domains. The incumbent will define the EA vision, frameworks, and governance structures while fostering collaboration among domain architects.
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Define and champion the Enterprise Architecture (EA) vision and mission in alignment with the bank’s strategic goals.
- Establish and evolve the EA function, including its operating model, governance, and engagement approach within a federated architecture environment.
- Lead the development of EA roadmaps that guide technology investments and transformation initiatives.
Governance & Standards
- Develop and enforce enterprise-wide architecture principles, policies, and standards to ensure consistency and alignment across domains.
- Establish and lead governance forums and decision-making processes to evaluate architectural compliance and guide solution design.
Business Architecture
- Lead business capability mapping initiatives to provide a clear view of organizational functions and enable strategic planning.
- Collaborate with business leaders to identify opportunities for process optimization and digital transformation.
- Ensure EA initiatives are aligned with business needs and deliver measurable value.
Technology Architecture
- Oversee the development and maintenance of current and target state architectures across application, data, infrastructure, and integration layers.
- Manage the application portfolio, including inventorying SaaS and on-premise systems, and defining lifecycle states (e.g., Target, Maintain, Retire).
- Define integration strategies that support interoperability, scalability, and agility
Resilience & Risk Management
- Identify architectural risks and develop mitigation strategies to enhance organizational resilience.
- Lead the development of business continuity and disaster recovery architectures.
- Promote adaptive architecture practices that support rapid recovery and responsiveness to change.
Collaboration with Domain Architects
- Coordinate with federated domain architects (application, cyber, data, & infrastructure) through a dotted-line reporting model to ensure alignment with enterprise-wide architecture standards.
- Facilitate and foster cross-domain collaboration, knowledge sharing, and best practice dissemination.
- Conduct regular architecture reviews to assess cross-domain impacts and maintain architectural coherence.
Tools, Frameworks & Methodologies
- Select, implement, and manage EA tools and modeling platforms to support architecture documentation and analysis.
- Customize and apply EA frameworks to fit organizational needs.
- Promote continuous improvement in EA practices through feedback loops and innovation.
- Stay ahead of emerging technologies and promote the use of best practices and solutions with the Challenger mindset for the betterment of the bank
Performance Measurement & Communication
- Define and track KPIs and metrics to assess the effectiveness and maturity of the EA function.
- Conduct regular reviews of EA initiatives to ensure alignment with business outcomes.
- Develop and execute communication plans to keep stakeholders informed and engaged with EA activities.
Change Management & Capability Building
- Lead change management efforts to drive adoption of EA practices across the organization.
- Provide training, mentoring, and development opportunities for EA team members and domain architects.
- Foster a culture of architectural thinking and strategic alignment across business and technology teams.
The Core Responsibilities!
- 15+ years’ work experience in Technology with at least 10+ year’s experience in one or more Architecture roles including Enterprise Architecture, Business Architecture, Solutions Architecture, or Infrastructure Architecture
- Experience at the Director level or above, with responsibility in liaising with other business unit heads, in a financial services company is a definite asset
- Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of enterprise-level architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman) and technologies, including cloud platforms, microservices, APIs, and data architecture.
- Leadership: Proven ability to lead and inspire teams in a federated environment, fostering collaboration and consensus across diverse groups.
- Strategic Thinking: Strong analytical and strategic planning skills to align technology strategies with business objectives.
- Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence effectively with executive leadership, technical teams, and non-technical stakeholders.
- Change Management: Experience in driving organizational change and championing new initiatives in complex environments, demonstrating excellence in stakeholder engagement, communication, and leadership skills.
- Business Acumen: Comprehensive understanding of business processes, organizational structures, and financial implications of technology decisions.
- Strong understanding of business architecture, technology standards, and integration strategies.
- Experience with application portfolio management and cloud/SaaS environments.
- Expertise in risk management, business continuity, and resilience planning.
- Ability to influence and align cross-functional teams without direct authority.
What we offer [For full-time permanent roles]
💰 Competitive discretionary bonus
✨ Market leading RRSP match program
🩺 Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits
📝 Employee Share Purchase Plan
👶🏽 Maternity/Parental top-up while you care for your little one
🏝 Generous vacation policy and personal days
🖥 Virtual events to connect with your fellow colleagues
🎓 Annual professional development allowance and a comprehensive Career Development program
💛 A fulfilling opportunity to join one of the top FinTechs and help create a new kind of banking experience
The incumbent will be working hybrid and in office time will be spent working from Equitable Bank’s additional office space located at 2200-25 Ontario Street, Toronto, ON.
Equitable Bank is deeply committed to inclusion. Our organization is stronger and our employees thrive when we honour and celebrate everyone’s diverse experiences and perspectives. In tandem with that commitment, we support and encourage our staff to grow not just in their career path, but personally as well.
We commit to providing a barrier-free recruitment process and work environment for all applicants. Please let us know of any accommodations needed so that you can bring your best self to the application process and beyond. All candidates considered for hire must successfully pass a criminal background check and credit check to qualify for hire. While we appreciate your interest in applying, an Equitable recruiter will only contact leading candidates whose skills and qualifications closely match the requirements of the position.
We can’t wait to get to know you!
