Position Summary
As part of our Technology Leadership Team, the Chief Architect shapes the firm’s technology future—designing and governing an enterprise architecture that supports innovation, scale, and operational excellence. This role ensures that platforms, data, and applications strengthen investment and portfolio management capabilities while elevating the advisor and client experience.
The ideal candidate pairs strategic vision with hands-on technical depth: not only defining architectural standards, but actively working with engineering teams to drive adoption, validate patterns, and lead modernization efforts. With deep expertise across the wealth and investment technology ecosystem, this leader accelerates integration, cloud transformation, and data-driven capabilities that enhance the firm’s competitive position and long-term growth.
This role can be located in St. Louis, MO; Boston, MA; New York, NY; or Remote.
Primary Responsibilities
Enterprise Architecture Leadership
- Develop a multi-year enterprise architecture roadmap across applications, data, cloud, integrations, security, and infrastructure
- Establish architectural standards, governance models, and best practices that align technology investments with business strategy
- Be hands-on in defining and validating architecture patterns and reference implementations to ensure alignment with standards
- Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption strategies that drive innovation and efficiency
Investment & Wealth Platform Strategy
- Lead architecture for investment and portfolio management systems, as well as advisor and client platforms (CRM, planning, portals, onboarding), including:
- Portfolio accounting platforms (e.g., Advent, Orion, Tamarac, Addepar)
- Trading and rebalancing systems
- Performance measurement, attribution, and reporting tools
- Data aggregation and reconciliation workflows
- Guide modernization initiatives including cloud migration, API-first patterns, and legacy system rationalization
- Partner closely with engineering teams to help implement modern design patterns and architecture standards across platforms
- Ensure seamless data and system integrations across OMS/PMS, custodians, market data providers, and enterprise data platforms
Cross-Functional Influence & Governance
- Partner with product, data, security, and engineering teams to ensure alignment on technical decisions and enterprise priorities
- Chair architectural governance forums and provide direction on major designs, integrations, and vendor choices
- Drive data governance, security, and compliance considerations across platforms
- Influence technical outcomes not only through governance, but through hands-on engagement in solution design and technical decisions
Vendor & Risk Management
- Assess and manage strategic technology partners within the wealth management ecosystem
- Inform build-vs-buy decisions to ensure architectural cohesion and long-term scalability
- Embed resiliency, compliance, and secure-by-design principles into enterprise solutions
Qualifications
- 12+ years of architecture leadership in wealth management, RIA platforms, asset management, or investment technology
- Expertise with portfolio management, trading, and investment data workflows
- Proven track record designing enterprise architectures in complex, distributed environments
- Strong command of integration patterns (APIs, microservices, event-driven, ETL/ELT)
- Solid understanding of cloud platforms (Azure preferred)
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage business and executive stakeholders
- Modernizing legacy financial systems (preferred)
- Leading architecture governance (preferred)
- Experience with data platforms (Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift) (preferred)
- Integrating custodial data, market data, and analytics platforms (preferred)
About Focus Partners
Focus Partners, a business division of Focus Financial Partners, brings together businesses across Wealth, Business Management, Family Office, and International. Collectively, these firms—spanning the U.S., Canada, and Australia—deliver a broad spectrum of financial advice solutions to individuals, families, and institutions.
Our vision is clear: to be the leading fiduciary advice company in the world. For clients, that means an experience built around their needs. For advisors, it means access to the resources, tools, and capabilities typically available only at the largest global institutions.
We believe talent is the key to realizing this vision. That’s why we invest in our people, support their growth, and create meaningful opportunities for development at every stage of their careers.
The annualized base pay range for this role is expected to be between $250,000- $325,000 Base Salary Compensation Range. Actual base pay could vary based on factors including but not limited to experience, subject matter expertise, geographic location where work will be performed, and the applicant's skill set. The base pay is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include an annual cash bonus and a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, life and 401(k). Please note that the job title is subject to change based on the selected candidate’s experience and education.
#LI-SF1
Focus is a leading partnership of fiduciary wealth management and related financial services firms. Focus provides access to best practices, greater resources, and continuity planning for its affiliated advisory firms, which serve individuals, families, employers, and institutions with comprehensive financial services. Focus firms and their clients benefit from the solutions, synergies, scale, economics, and best practices offered by Focus to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.
The following language is for US based roles only
For California Applicants: Information on your California privacy rights can be found here
For Indiana Applicants: It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a prospective employee on the basis of status as a veteran by refusing to employ an applicant on the basis that they are a veteran of the armed forces of the United States, a member of the Indiana National Guard or a member of a reserve component.
For Maryland Applicants: I UNDERSTAND THAT UNDER MARYLAND LAW, AN EMPLOYER MAY NOT REQUIRE OR DEMAND, AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT, PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYMENT OR CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT, THAT ANY INDIVIDUAL SUBMIT TO OR TAKE A POLYGRAP OR SIMILAR TEST. AN EMPLOYER WHO VIOLATES THIS LAW IS GUILTY OF A MISDEMEANOR AND SUBJECT TO A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $100.
For Massachusetts Applicants: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
For Montana Applicants: If hired, the employment relationship is governed by the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act. Mont. Code Ann. Section 39-2-901.
For Rhode Island Applicants: Focus is subject to Chapters 29-38 of Title 28 of the General Laws of Rhode Island and is therefore covered by the state’s workers’ compensation law. If you willfully provide false information about your ability to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations, you may be barred from filing a claim under the provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act of the State of Rhode Island if the false information is directly related to the personal injury that is the basis for the new claim for compensation. The Company complies fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Top Skills
What We Do
Focus Financial Partners is a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides unrivaled access to best practices, resources, and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with wealth management, benefit and investment consulting services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational independence, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices of the market leader to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus Financial Partners, please visit www.focusfinancialpartners.com.
