Principal Architect - Chief Administrative Office

Why Wells Fargo

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. Join us!

About this role:

The Chief Administration Office (CAO) Technology organization is seeking a Principal Architect to join our Architecture team and drive strategic technology transformation across the enterprise. In this role, you will provide architectural leadership and technical vision to support modernization initiatives, advance the build‑out of key capabilities, and influence long‑term technology strategies for high‑impact administrative domains. You will partner with senior leaders to guide architectural direction, develop innovative AI‑driven and enterprise‑scale solutions, and ensure alignment with business and technology objectives. This role is ideal for a seasoned technologist with a strong track record of solving complex challenges, collaborating across diverse groups, and shaping the evolution of large, distributed technology ecosystems.

In this role, you will:

• Act as an advisor to leadership to develop or influence applications, network, information security, database, operating systems, or web technologies for highly complex business and technical needs across multiple groups

• Lead the strategy and resolution of highly complex and unique challenges requiring in‑depth evaluation across multiple areas or the enterprise, delivering long‑term, large‑scale solutions that require vision, creativity, innovation, advanced analytical and inductive thinking

• Translate advanced technology experience, deep knowledge of organizational business objectives, and understanding of the enterprise technology landscape into actionable engineering solutions

• Provide vision, direction, and expertise to leadership on implementing innovative and significant business solutions

• Design and drive implementation of AI‑driven solutions to optimize business operations in administrative functions

• Maintain knowledge of industry best practices and emerging technologies, recommending innovations that enhance operations and provide competitive advantage

• Engage strategically with professionals and managers across the enterprise and serve as an expert advisor to senior leadership

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of architecture experience in one or more of the following: enterprise, solution, data, application, infrastructure, or security architecture in a large‑scale environment

• 7+ years of engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through work experience, training, military experience, or education

• 5+ years of information technology design experience including systems, applications, or architecture

• 3+ years of workflow and/or automation experience

• 2+ years of experience leveraging AI and/or generative AI frameworks (e.g., GPT‑4, LangChain) for operational optimization

• 1+ years of experience architecting and implementing conversational AI or agentic systems

Desired Qualifications:

• Extensive experience using industry standards such as BAG, BIAN, TOGAF, and architecture modeling languages such as ArchiMate, UML, BPMN, etc., with experience leveraging Bizz Design Horizon

• 5+ years of experience in the financial services or banking domain

• Ability to influence across all organizational levels, particularly senior management

• Strong negotiation, influencing, and collaboration skills to build successful relationships

• Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in computer science, information syst