Chief Architect – Banking

The Company

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant has over 350,000 employees globally. Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 1000, and the Fortune 500, and is recognized among the fastest growing companies worldwide.

Banking & Financial Services Consulting

Cognizant’s Banking & Financial Services (BFS) Consulting practice partners with global banks, financial institutions, fintech organizations, and capital markets firms to drive large-scale business and technology transformation. Our teams help clients modernize business platforms, accelerate cloud adoption, optimize enterprise architecture landscapes, and leverage emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Agentic AI, and intelligent automation.

This role offers an opportunity to shape strategic technology visions for leading financial institutions, helping clients build resilient, scalable, and future‑ready digital ecosystems while accelerating innovation and business growth.

About The Role

As a Chief Architect – Banking & Financial Services, Enterprise Platforms & AI, you will provide strategic technology leadership across client engagements, driving enterprise architecture transformation and shaping next-generation business platforms. You will serve as a trusted advisor to CIOs, CTOs, and business executives, establishing architecture vision, technology strategy, and transformation roadmaps that align business objectives with long-term technology investments.

You will lead architecture teams across cloud, data, AI, platform modernization, and digital transformation initiatives while helping clients adopt innovative technologies that improve operational efficiency, customer experience, and competitive advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Architecture Leadership

• Define and drive enterprise architecture strategies that support business transformation within Banking and Financial Services organizations
• Establish architectural frameworks, governance models, reference architectures, and technology standards aligned with business priorities
• Provide executive-level architecture leadership across large-scale transformation programs
• Drive architecture alignment across business, application, data, technology, security, and operational domains
• Promote modern architecture practices and scalable operating models across complex enterprise environments

Business Platform Transformation

• Define and oversee architecture strategies for modern business platforms supporting front-to-back banking operations
• Guide transformation initiatives across domains including Core Banking, Payments, Lending, Cards, Wealth Management, Treasury, Finance, and Customer Engagement platforms
• Drive platform modernization initiatives that improve agility, operational efficiency, customer experience, and business scalability
• Identify opportunities to simplify technology landscapes while enabling innovation and growth
• Establish platform architecture principles that support composable, API-driven, and ecosystem-based business models

Cloud Strategy & Modernization

• Lead cloud transformation strategies across hybrid, multi-cloud, and cloud-native environments
• Define cloud architecture blueprints that ensure scalability, security, resilience, compliance, and cost optimization
• Advise clients on cloud adoption models, migration approaches, platform operating models, and cloud governance frameworks
• Collaborate with engineering and infrastructure teams to modernize legacy technology estates and accelerate cloud delivery
• Drive adoption of industry-leading cloud technologies and emerging platform capabilities

Generative AI & Agentic AI Leadership

• Define enterprise AI strategies that leverage Generative AI, Agentic AI, machine learning, and intelligent automation capabilities
• Identify opportunities to embed AI-led innovation across customer, operational, risk, compliance, and enterprise functions
• Establish architectural standards, governance models, and operating frameworks for responsible AI adoption
• Guide AI platform architecture, model integration, automation ecosystems, and AI-enabled business capabilities
• Partner with client executives to accelerate AI transformation and create measurable business value

Technology Strategy & Executive Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor to CIOs, CTOs, Chief Architects, and senior business stakeholders
• Develop strategic t