Director of Architecture -ST

Desert Financial Credit Union; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SwitchThink Solutions, supporting Desert Financial Credit Union and over 175 credit unions, seeks a Director of Architecture & Engineering. You will guide architecture direction, oversee engineering execution, and ensure solutions meet standards before transitioning to operations.

You will partner with the CTO and other leaders to balance innovation, risk, scalability, and security across shared platforms and client environments in a fast-paced MSP setting.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8+ years in technology or architecture roles across infrastructure, cloud, application, and integration.
• Minimum 5+ years of leadership guiding senior technical professionals or architecture teams.
• Experience leading architecture in complex, multi-platform or multi-client environments.
• Strong understanding of resiliency, security, disaster recovery, and regulatory requirements in financial services.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise architecture roadmaps aligned to business strategy and client needs.
• Lead end-to-end Plan and Build delivery for new technologies and major initiatives.
• Establish and enforce architectural standards, patterns, and guidelines; approve designs.

Skills

Leadership

Architecture

Regulatory compliance

Executive communication

Strategic planning

Cloud & infrastructure

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IT/CS/IS or related field

Job description

Who We Are

SwitchThink Solutions is a fast-growing technology company supporting our parent organization, Desert Financial Credit Union, and more than 175 external credit unions nationwide. Our solutions are built on the Correlation Keystone Platform and complemented by managed services, cloud hosting, disaster recovery, business intelligence, and AI offerings.

Who We Are

SwitchThink Solutions is a fast-growing technology company supporting our parent organization, Desert Financial Credit Union, and more than 175 external credit unions nationwide. Our solutions are built on the Correlation Keystone Platform and complemented by managed services, cloud hosting, disaster recovery, business intelligence, and AI offerings.

Our clients trust us. We have maintained zero customer churn for eight years and consistently earn strong client advocacy, with an NPS of 84. Our employees are equally committed, bringing a collaborative, team-oriented mindset and a shared passion for excellence.

Backed by the financial strength of Desert Financial Credit Union, we offer stability alongside meaningful growth opportunities.

What You Will Do Here

The Director of Architecture & Engineering provides leadership and direction for technology architecture and engineering across SwitchThink Solutions, ensuring technology platforms and solutions are intentionally designed, engineered, standardized, and delivered in alignment with business objectives and client needs. This role is responsible for establishing architectural direction, guiding solution design, overseeing engineering execution, and ensuring solutions are fully built and aligned with approved architectural and engineering standards prior to transition into operational support models.

Operating within a managed services provider environment serving regulated credit union clients, the Director of Architecture & Engineering partners closely with the Chief Technology Officer and peer technology leaders to balance innovation, risk management, scalability, security, and operational sustainability across shared platforms and client environments.

Architecture & Engineering Strategy and Direction

• Define and maintain enterprise and domain architecture and engineering roadmaps aligned to business strategy, client requirements, and regulatory considerations.
• Translate technology strategy into architectural principles, engineering standards, and target state designs.
• Provide architectural input into long-term technology planning, platform modernization, and new service offerings.

Plan and Build Delivery Leadership

• Own the end-to-end Plan and Build lifecycle for new technologies, platforms, and major initiatives.
• Provide architectural leadership and engineering execution to ensure solutions are designed, built, tested, and production ready.
• Review and approve solution designs and engineering approaches across infrastructure, cloud, application, data, and integration domains.
• Partner with delivery teams to address architectural risks, design gaps, implementation challenges, and technical tradeoffs prior to operational transition. Teams to address architectural risks, design gaps, and tradeoffs.

Architecture & Engineering Governance and Standards

• Establish, maintain, and enforce architectural & engineering standards, patterns, and design guidelines.
• Provide final approval for solution designs, engineering approaches and platform changes.
• Partner with security and risk teams to ensure architectural designs align with regulatory, audit, and compliance expectations while supporting secure and resilient service delivery for our clients.
• Ensure architecture governance enables efficient delivery while managing technical risk and complexity.

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead and develop the Architecture & Engineering team through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Set clear priorities and expectations across planning, design, and delivery functions.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Advisory

• Partner with Infrastructure, IT Service Operations, Engineering, Security, Product, and Account Management leaders to ensure architectural alignment.
• Ensure clean handoff of fully aligned engineered solutions into Operations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and support client-facing architectural needs as required.

What you will need:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field (preferred) OR equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• 8+ years progressive experience in technology or architecture roles across infrastructure, cloud, application, and integration domains required.
• 5+ years leadership experience guiding senior technical professionals or architecture teams required.
• Experience leading architecture within complex, multi-platform or multi-client environments required.
• Enterprise and solution architecture expertise across infrastructure, cloud, platform, application, and integration domains required.
• Strong understanding of resiliency, security, disaster recovery, and regulatory requirements in financial services required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and make sound architectural decisions required.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level communication required.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, client-focused MSP environment required.
• Experience in financial services, credit union, or other regulated industries preferred.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For additional information about our organization, careers, and benefits visit: http://www.switchthink.com/careers.

Work Location: Phoenix AZ
Work Type: Hybrid (In office 2 days per week).