Lead Architect - Enterprise Risk, Finance and Audit Technology

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About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking a hands-on Lead Architect with deep Finance experience in a major banking institution to drive architecture and solution delivery across Finance and Risk initiatives. This individual will partner with architects, data partners, technology leaders, and engineering teams to design and implement modern data, application, and AI-driven solutions. This is a hands-on practitioner role, not a pure strategy position. The ideal candidate can define architecture, solve complex data and integration challenges, develop prototypes, and lead initiatives from concept through delivery.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the architecture and implementation of complex, enterprise-scale Finance and Risk initiatives with broad organizational impact.

• Own end-to-end architecture for strategic programs, including Sub-Ledger Modernization, Corporate Accounting, CIB Capital Markets Accounting, Regulatory Reporting, and Strategic Finance capabilities.

• Define and maintain current-state, target-state, transition-state, and roadmap architectures, while establishing reusable patterns, standards, and reference architectures.

• Design secure, scalable, resilient, and highly available solutions spanning data platforms, applications, APIs, event-driven architectures, cloud/object storage, automation, and AI capabilities.

• Advance enterprise information architecture through Authoritative Data Sources (ADS), data products, governance, lineage, reconciliation, auditability, and accounting event models.

• Lead architecture assessments, solution reviews, technical design decisions, and proof-of-concepts; provide hands-on technical leadership from ideation through implementation.

• Partner across Finance, Risk, Data Management, Regulatory Reporting, Engineering, Technology Strategy, and Enterprise Architecture to align solutions and drive execution.

• Operate effectively in a multi-domain environment, bringing an understanding of both Finance and Risk architectures to support cross-functional regulatory, reporting, and data initiatives.

• Guide Architecture Review Board (ARB) engagements and governance processes, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, policies, and strategic technology direction.

• Identify architectural risks, anti-patterns, technical debt, and modernization opportunities, and drive remediation strategies.

• Evaluate and apply emerging technologies—including AI/ML and Agentic AI —to improve accounting, financial reporting, controls, reconciliations, data quality, and operational efficiency.

• Communicate architecture vision, decisions, and trade-offs effectively to senior leadership, architects, engineers, and business stakeholders.

• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, continuous learning, and engineering excellence while contributing to enterprise architecture standards and best practices.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of Architecture experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

• 5+ years of hands-on software development experience, with emphasis on scalable systems architecture.

• 5+ years of Finance domain experience in Corporate Accounting, Regulatory Reporting, Investment Portfolio, or a closely related area.

Desired Qualifications:

• Demonstrated hands-on capability in solution architecture, data design, integration patterns, architecture modeling, and rapid prototyping.

• Strong communication, presentation, stakeholder management, analytical problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Proven hands-on experience designing and delivering complex enterprise solutions spanning data, applications, integrations, cloud platforms, APIs, event-driven architectures, and AI-enabled capabilities.

• Understanding of Finance Domain functions such as:

  • Corporate Accounting

  • General Ledger and Sub-Ledger Processing

  • Regulatory Reporting (FR Y-9C, CCAR, FFIEC, Broker Dealer)

  • Product Control and Capital Markets Accounting

  • Legal Entity and Financial Reporting

  • Technology Financial Management and Strategic Finance initiatives

• Extensive experience with modern data architecture concepts.

• Strong architecture and technical delivery skills with the ability to:

• Experience modernizing finance platforms through API-led, event-driven, cloud-native, and data-centric architectural patterns.

• Hands-on experience leveraging modern AI technologies

• Demonstrated ability to identify practical applications of AI to improve finance processes, regulatory reporting, accounting controls, reconciliations, data quality, and operational efficiency.

• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex business requirements into scalable technology solutions while balancing risk, control, and delivery considerations.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with experience presenting architecture recommendations and design decisions to senior technology leaders, business executives, and Architecture Review Boards (ARB).

• Self-starter with a high degree of ownership, intellectual curiosity, and execution focus; capable of navigating ambiguity, driving alignment, and delivering results with minimal oversight.

Job Expectations:

• This position offers a hybrid work schedule - ability to work in office is required

• Relocation assistance is not available for this position

Iselin, NJ Pay Range: $143,000 - $183,500 - $224,000

Pay Range

Reflected is the base pay range offered for this position. Pay may vary depending on factors including but not limited to demonstrated examples of prior performance, skills, experience, or work location. Employees may also be eligible for incentive opportunities.

Benefits

Wells Fargo provides eligible employees with a comprehensive set of benefits, many of which are listed below. Visit Benefits - Wells Fargo Jobs for an overview of the following benefit plans and programs offered to employees.

• Health benefits
• 401(k) Plan
• Paid time off
• Disability benefits
• Life insurance, critical illness insurance, and accident insurance
• Parental leave
• Critical caregiving leave
• Discounts and savings
• Commuter benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• Scholarships for dependent children
• Adoption reimbursement

Posting End Date:

* Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

We Value Equal Opportunity

Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.

Applicants with Disabilities

To request a medical accommodation during the application or interview process, visit Disability Inclusion at Wells Fargo.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace. Please see our Drug and Alcohol Policy to learn more.

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

a. Third-Party recordings are prohibited unless authorized by Wells Fargo.

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.