Director, Solutions Architect - Legal, Risk & Compliance at TIAA in Charlotte, NC

Job description

Director, LRC Solutions Architect This Architect role is focused on driving architecture strategy, roadmap development, and continuous evolution of TIAA's Legal, Risk & Compliance technology portfolio. The position involves defining capability maps, establishing reference architectures, and leading governance processes — partnering closely with Enterprise Architecture and business stakeholders to ensure all solutions align with company-wide standards and strategic objectives. A pivotal aspect of this role includes translating complex business requirements into scalable technical solutions, evaluating AI and automation opportunities — including GenAI and Agentic approaches — and guiding Build vs. Buy decisions to optimize cost, functionality, and time to value. Key Responsibilities and Duties Architecture Strategy & Roadmap Drive the development and continuous evolution of the spanning Legal, Risk & Compliance, architecture roadmaps. Define capability maps that articulate current state, target state, and transformation pathways, while establishing reference architectures and design patterns that promote consistency, reusability, and scalability across the portfolio. Enterprise Alignment & Governance Partner with the Enterprise Architecture team to ensure Legal, Risk & Compliance Technology solutions align with company-wide architectural principles and standards. Lead architectural governance processes, represent the Legal, Risk & Compliance Functions Technology team in Technical Architecture Governance forums and the AI Center of Excellence, and ensure all solutions meet enterprise standards and strategic objectives. Stakeholder Collaboration & Business Translation Collaborate with business stakeholders across Legal, Risk & Compliance to translate business requirements into sound technical and architectural solutions. Influence without formal authority to drive best practices and standards adoption across diverse stakeholder groups in a fast-paced environment. Process Optimization & Capability Development Lead business process modeling and value stream analysis to identify optimization opportunities and support continuous improvement. Develop and maintain business capability models and maturity assessments to surface gaps, inform investment decisions, and support TIAA's evolution toward a product-centric operating model. Technology Selection & AI Enablement Define Build vs. Buy decision principles and technology selection criteria tailored to Corporate Technology needs. Prioritize evaluation of vendor AI solutions before committing to custom builds to optimize cost, functionality, and time to value. Recommend AI and automation solutions — including GenAI and Agentic approaches — to close identified automation gaps and advance the multiyear technology roadmap. Delivery Support & Documentation Provide architectural guidance, oversight, and governance throughout the project delivery lifecycle. Establish and maintain architectural documentation, standards, and guidelines that support consistent, scalable solution delivery. Educational Requirements University (Degree) Preferred Work Experience 8+ Years Required; 10+ Years Preferred Career Level 10IC Required Skills: 8+ years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or related technical leadership roles. Experience in financial services Experience with cloud technologies, modern architecture patterns, and/or enterprise integration approaches. Preferred Qualifications: 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or related technical leadership roles. Preference for experience in Legal, Risk & Compliance, Finance, or HR technology domains. Proven track record of leading architectural initiatives in complex, regulated environments. Experience with enterprise architecture tenants including Technical Debt Management, Application Lifecycle Management, Products Portfolio Management. Ability to influence without a