Wells Fargo

Principal Architect - Compliance Risk Technology

Wells Fargo$159K — $305K *
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of architecture experience in Compliance, Regulatory, or Risk Management technology
  • 7+ years in roles such as Principal, Lead, or Enterprise Architect
  • 5+ years working with microservices and domain-driven architecture
  • 5+ years designing modern data platforms with object storage
  • 5+ years creating API-first and event-driven integration patterns
  • 3+ years developing AI/ML and NLP solutions in regulated environments

Responsibilities

  • Act as the architectural authority for Compliance Risk Technology
  • Lead modernization and transformation initiatives to ensure regulatory readiness
  • Translate regulatory requirements into architectural designs and tech roadmaps
  • Design enterprise-scale application architectures for compliance domains
  • Define integration patterns for near-real-time monitoring and alerting
  • Architect data platforms for compliance analytics and reporting
  • Guide the implementation of AI-enabled architectures with human-in-the-loop controls

Benefits

  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) Plan
  • Paid time off
  • Disability benefits
  • Life insurance and critical illness insurance
  • Parental leave
  • Critical caregiving leave
  • Discounts and savings
  • Commuter benefits
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Scholarships for dependent children
  • Adoption reimbursement
Full Job Description
About this role:

In this highly visible role, you will provide architectural leadership and technical direction for modernization initiatives across Employee Compliance, Regulatory Compliance, Surveillance, and the broader Compliance Risk landscape. These platforms are central to the firm's regulatory commitments and operational integrity, and the architectural decisions made in this role will have impact across the enterprise.

You will partner closely with senior leaders across business, risk, and technology, serving as a trusted advisor on architectural direction and long term strategy. You will translate complex regulatory and business requirements into clear, defensible technology approaches, while guiding how data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and intelligent automation are thoughtfully and responsibly integrated into Compliance Risk operations at scale.

This role is well suited for a seasoned architect with deep experience in regulated environments, a demonstrated ability to modernize complex technology ecosystems, and the judgment to balance immediate regulatory needs with long range platform evolution that delivers lasting value to the organization.

In this role, you will:
  • Act as the architectural authority for Compliance Risk Technology, defining and driving a cohesive target-state architecture across a complex landscape of legacy platforms, vendor solutions, and custom-built systems
  • Provide architectural leadership for modernization and transformation initiatives, ensuring solutions remain regulator-ready, auditable, and defensible
  • Translate regulatory requirements and business objectives into clear, actionable architectural designs and multi-year technology roadmaps
  • Design and govern enterprise-scale application and microservices architectures aligned to Compliance Risk domains, including surveillance, investigations, attestations, issues management, and regulatory change
  • Define API-first, contract-driven, and event-driven integration patterns supporting near-real-time monitoring and alerting capabilities
  • Architect modern data platforms that enable compliance analytics, reporting, lineage, and auditability, including object-storage-based data lake and lakehouse patterns
  • Integrate structured and unstructured data into unified compliance data assets that support traceability, reproducibility, and evidentiary requirements
  • Design and guide the implementation of AI-enabled architectures, including ML-based risk scoring, alert prioritization, anomaly detection, and NLP-driven regulatory and case analysis
  • Architect intelligent and agentic automation solutions with appropriate human-in-the-loop controls, aligned with Responsible AI and Model Risk Management expectations
  • Establish architecture standards, reference architectures, and guardrails across application, data, AI, integration, security, resiliency, and privacy domains
  • Engage directly with delivery teams by reviewing designs, guiding implementation decisions, and resolving complex architectural trade-offs
  • Partner with leaders across Technology, Risk, Legal, and Compliance to influence investment decisions, platform consolidation efforts, and long-term technology roadmaps
  • Maintain awareness of emerging technologies, industry best practices, and regulatory trends, recommending innovations that enhance operational effectiveness and compliance outcomes


Required Qualifications:
  • 7+ years of architecture experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
  • 7+ years of experience as a Principal, Lead, or Enterprise Architect (or equivalent senior engineering leadership role)
  • 7+ years of experience in Compliance, Regulatory, Surveillance, Employee Compliance, or Risk Management Technology architecture
  • 5+ years of experience with microservices and domain-driven architecture approaches
  • 5+ years of experience architecting modern data platforms, including object storage and open technologies
  • 5+ years of experience designing API-first and event-driven integration patterns
  • 3+ years of experience designing and delivering AI/ML and NLP-based solutions in regulated compliance, risk, or financial environments


Desired Qualifications:
  • Ability to operate with executive presence while remaining hands-on where it matters
  • Comfort navigating complex legacy environments and regulatory constraints
  • Bias toward simplification, reuse, and platform-based thinking
  • Willingness to challenge legacy patterns to drive durable, compliant, long-term outcomes
  • Proven ability to synthesize complex ecosystems into rationalized, target-state architectures
  • Demonstrated success modernizing large, fragmented technology estates into integrated platforms
  • Hands-on exposure to agentic frameworks, orchestration engines, or workflow-driven AI systems
  • Experience supporting regulatory remediation programs, consent orders, or sustained examination cycles
  • Experience architecting platforms across first-line, second-line, and audit use cases
  • Strong understanding of enterprise data governance and model risk management frameworks
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to influence engineers, risk partners, and executive stakeholders


Job Expectations:
  • Ability to work onsite at one of the posted locations
  • Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time
  • Partner with senior technical and business leaders to drive modernization, simplification, and target-state strategies, including detailed, hands-on architectures and prototypes


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.
$159,000.00 - $305,000.00

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


Posting End Date:

21 Jun 2026
*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo Careers

Joining Wells Fargo means becoming part of a distinguished financial institution that has been a cornerstone of innovation and leadership in the banking industry. At Wells Fargo, we offer a plethora of job opportunities designed to empower your career growth and development in a diverse and inclusive environment.

Work You’ll Do

At Wells Fargo, you will be part of a team that values diversity and is committed to fostering an inclusive culture. We are looking for professionals who are eager to drive innovation and lead with integrity. Our employees are our greatest asset, and we invest in their professional growth through comprehensive leadership and diversity training programs that are recognized industry-wide.

Explore a Multitude of Career Paths

Whether you're interested in a position in finance, IT, customer service, or management, Wells Fargo has career opportunities in various fields. Our team members benefit from job stability, competitive benefits, and a culture that values and rewards performance and dedication.

Internship Programs

Kickstart your career with a Wells Fargo internship. Our programs provide invaluable industry exposure, professional skills development, and networking opportunities that often lead to full-time employment offers. Interns at Wells Fargo work on real projects, solve actual challenges, and gain the mentorship of seasoned professionals.

Professional Growth and Development

We believe in nurturing the potential of our employees. Wells Fargo offers robust training programs and resources to help every team member excel in their current roles and prepare for future challenges. Growth at Wells Fargo is not just about climbing the career ladder but expanding your skills and expertise to add value to our team and customers.

Benefits and Rewards

Wells Fargo is committed to the well-being of our team members. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes health care, retirement plans, and generous paid time off. Additionally, we provide unique perks like employee discounts, adoption assistance, and tuition reimbursement.

Join Our Team

Discover the opportunities waiting for you at Wells Fargo by exploring open positions that match your skills and interests. We are continuously hiring and looking for individuals who bring creativity, passion, and a drive to serve our customers.

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Networking and Innovation

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Empower Your Career

Step into a role at Wells Fargo where your skills will be honed, your achievements recognized, and your career can flourish. We're not just filling positions; we're building leaders who are equipped to navigate the complexities of the financial world. Join Wells Fargo today and be part of a team that’s redefining the future of banking.
Learn more about Wells Fargo
Size
246,577 employees
Market Cap
$155.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
$3.3 billion
Founded
1852
5 Year Trend
-5.9%
NASDAQ

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