Wells Fargo is seeking a Lead Systems Architect (Portfolio & Capability Optimization) to join the Technology Chief Operating Office (TCOO) Central Architecture team-a strategic, enterprise-facing group responsible for shaping and advancing technology strategy across the COO organization.
The Central Architecture team serves as a unifying force, bringing a centralized, cross-domain perspective to technology decision-making. By establishing strong architectural alignment and portfolio discipline, the team ensures that technology investments are intentional, scalable, and aligned with enterprise standards.
In this role, you will lead efforts to optimize technology portfolios and capabilities, drive application rationalization, and enable reusable AI and GenAI patterns that accelerate value across the organization. You will play a critical role in evaluating and shaping COO Technology investments-ensuring they are defensible, strategically aligned, and positioned to deliver long-term impact.
If you are passionate about enterprise architecture, technology optimization, and influencing strategy at scale, this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of COO Technology.
In this role, you will:
Portfolio & Capability Optimization
- Act as the central portfolio and capability optimization architect for COO Technology, providing cross-domain architectural insight and decision support.
- Lead application portfolio assessment, rationalization, and lifecycle optimization, identifying opportunities to reduce redundancy, technical debt, and cost.
- Assess and guide technology investment alignment, including build-versus-buy decisions and portfolio trade-offs, to ensure consistency with enterprise architecture standards and COO strategy.
- Define and track architecture health, risk, and portfolio performance metrics to enable data-driven decision-making and executive transparency.
- Define and maintain a reusable capability view for AI-enabled services, guiding reuse versus bespoke build decisions across COO portfolios.
- Establish and socialize reference architectures and patterns for AI-enabled solutions, such as knowledge-assisted workflows and agentic patterns.
- Partner with Cyber, Model Risk, and platform teams to ensure AI capabilities adopt enterprise guardrails, including data protection, resiliency, and policy-aligned controls.
- Align domain roadmaps to enterprise AI platforms and shared services that enable governed experimentation, reuse, and standardized delivery.
- 5+ years of Architecture experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
- 5+ years leading medium to large-scale architecture or portfolio optimization programs
- 3+ years of experience working with enterprise-scale application portfolios, including assessment, rationalization, modernization, or migration initiatives
- 1+ years of experience integrating AI-enabled capabilities into enterprise portfolios in a governed, scalable manner
- Strong communication and stakeholder influence skills, including engagement with senior technology leadership
- Deep understanding of enterprise architecture principles, portfolio governance, and modernization strategies
- Proven ability to lead through ambiguity and drive alignment in complex, federated environments
- Experience with architecture modeling and portfolio tools (e.g., Bizzdesign, ArchiMate, ServiceNow, or similar)
- Demonstrated ability to assess platform health, risk, and readiness through structured portfolio evaluations
- Experience integrating emerging technologies, including AI-enabled capabilities, into enterprise portfolios in a governed, scalable manner
- Experience shaping AI/GenAI reference architectures and reusable patterns in regulated enterprise environments
- Familiarity with AI safety and control concepts and how to embed them into architecture standards
- Ability to translate AI risk and control requirements into actionable architecture artifacts consumable by delivery and governance teams
- This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship
- This position offers a hybrid work schedule
- Relocation assistance is not available for this position
- Ability to travel up to 5% of the time
300 S Brevard St., CHARLOTTE, North Carolina 28202
401 Las Colinas Blvd W Bldg A, Irving, Texas 75039
194 S Wood Ave, Iselin, New Jersey 08830
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.
$119,000.00 - $224,000.00
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
10 May 2026
* 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.
Wells Fargo Compensation & Benefits Highlights
How does Wells Fargo ensure its pay and bonus plans are competitive?
Wells Fargo ensures its pay and bonus plans remain competitive through a structured, performance-driven compensation philosophy combined with regular market benchmarking. The company’s approach is centered on “pay for performance,” meaning compensation is directly linked to individual contributions, business results, and overall company performance. This includes evaluating how employees meet regulatory expectations, manage risk responsibly, and contribute to long-term value creation.
To maintain market competitiveness, Wells Fargo conducts global compensation reviews using third-party consultants. These reviews assess both base salary and total compensation across the organization, factoring in role, level, tenure, and geographic differences. The company also evaluates pay equity and has reported no significant unexplained pay gaps following its most recent review. This process ensures that compensation remains aligned with industry standards while reinforcing fairness and transparency.
Bonuses and incentives are designed to reward strong performance and support retention of top talent. Compensation programs are structured not only to motivate employees but also to promote prudent risk management and discourage excessive risk-taking—an important consideration in financial services. In addition to performance-based pay, employees benefit from a comprehensive rewards package that includes a 401(k) match (up to 6%), stock purchase opportunities, and other financial wellness resources.
Together, these practices create a compensation framework that balances competitiveness, fairness, and long-term sustainability—helping Wells Fargo attract, retain, and reward talent across its global workforce.
Employee Perspective
“Wells Fargo has given me the opportunity to pursue my master’s degree. With the tuition reimbursement and the support of my managers, I’ve been able to gain some really valuable skills.”
— Destinee Richey, Business Intelligence Consultant
At-a-Glance
- Compensation philosophy: Pay for performance tied to individual, business, and company outcomes
- Market alignment: Global benchmarking with third-party consultants; no significant unexplained pay gaps
- Bonus structure: Performance-based incentives aligned with results and risk management
- Total rewards: 401(k) match up to 6%, stock purchase plan, financial wellness resources
External Signals
- Comprehensive Benefits: Employees give the company high marks for its benefits package, giving it an ‘A-’ rating and a 73% satisfaction score on external review sites (Comparably).
- LinkedIn Top Companies 2025: #3 overall, #1 in financial services
- Disability Equality Index: 100% score (multiple years)
- CAREERS & the disABLED Top Employers 2024: #3 ranking
- Military Friendly Employer (2025): Top 10 Gold Seal
Wells Fargo Insights
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What We Do
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $2.1 trillion in assets. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 33 on Fortune’s 2025 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Our technology professionals drive innovation, information security, and big data analytics while maintaining a network that handles more than 12 billion customer interactions a year. Join us! Are you looking for more? Find it here. At Wells Fargo, we're more than a financial services leader – we’re a global trailblazer committed to driving innovation, empowering communities, and helping our customers succeed. We believe that a meaningful career is much more than just a job – it’s about finding all of the elements to help you thrive, in one place. Living the Well Life means you’re supported in life, not just work. It means having robust benefits, competitive compensation, and programs designed to help you find work-life balance and well-being. You’ll be rewarded for investing in your community, celebrated for being your authentic self, and empowered to grow. And we’re recognized for it – Wells Fargo once again ranked in the top three – making us the #1 financial services employer – on the 2025 LinkedIn Top Companies list of best workplaces “to grow your career” in the U.S. 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. © 2026 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC.
Why Work With Us
We're known for our “Well Life” approach to supporting employees’ career aspirations, work-life balance, and mental and physical health. We ranked in the top 3 on the 2025 LinkedIn Top Companies list – and #1 among financial services companies – as the best workplace “to grow your career” in the U.S.
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