Vice President | Enterprise & Cloud Architecture

Job Description Summary

Job Description

This senior technology leader will own the architecture of where and how the firm runs its technology: the hybrid and multi-cloud target state, workload-placement standards, landing zones, the data center modernization and exit roadmap, and the resiliency architecture underneath it all. The role is accountable for speeding up cloud adoption while controlling run cost and meeting the resiliency and regulatory expectations of a financial services firm.

The role is built for an AI-forward practitioner. The leader in this seat uses AI coding agents such as Claude Code every day in their own work: portfolio and dependency analysis, infrastructure as code, migration planning and architecture documentation. They bring that speed to the firm's migration program. They also architect the platforms that let the firm run AI workloads well, including model hosting and inference, accelerated compute capacity, and data placement that keeps AI near the data it needs.

This is an individual-contributor role with no direct reports. It partners closely with Infrastructure, Cloud Engineering and Platform teams, who keep ownership of build and run. This role owns the target architecture, the standards and the placement decisions they build against. It demands strong executive presence, and the credibility to hold a deep technical conversation with senior engineers and a cost conversation with Finance in the same day.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Define and maintain the enterprise cloud and data center target architecture and the roadmap from current state to target, across AWS, Azure, private cloud and SaaS.
• Own the workload-placement framework: one published decision method for cloud, on-premises or SaaS, weighing cost, resiliency, data residency, latency, regulatory obligations and exit risk. Apply it consistently, not project by project.
• Set landing-zone and platform standards for identity, networking, guardrails, tagging and observability, in partnership with Enterprise Security Architecture, so new workloads start compliant by default.
• Own the data center modernization and exit roadmap. Sequence migrations by business value and risk, retire capacity on purpose, and make stranded cost visible.
• Architect resiliency and disaster recovery: application tiering with RTO/RPO standards, multi-region and hybrid failover patterns, and architecture evidence for BCP/DR testing and regulatory resilience expectations.
• Embed FinOps in the architecture: unit-cost models, rightsizing and commitment strategy, and run-cost transparency, in partnership with IT Finance, who keep ownership of the numbers.
• Use AI coding agents and agentic tooling hands-on to speed up architecture and migration work, including estate discovery, dependency mapping, infrastructure-as-code generation and review, and decision records. Set the pattern for how architecture teams use these tools safely.
• Architect the firm's AI infrastructure: model hosting and inference patterns, accelerated compute capacity strategy, and data placement for AI workloads.
• Partner with Developer Experience to make the infrastructure paved road (infrastructure as code, containers and Kubernetes, CI/CD) the default way teams consume cloud.
• Run architecture review for major infrastructure and platform decisions. Use published criteria, record decisions, and track exceptions to closure.
• Collaborate with senior executives on strategy, investment cases, and executive-level communications and presentations.
• Keep a strong external view of cloud provider roadmaps, infrastructure economics and emerging platform patterns.

What We're Looking For:

• A recognized subject-matter expert in cloud and infrastructure architecture, with 15+ years of hands-on depth across public cloud, data center, networking, storage and resiliency.
• Proven where the stakes are highest. Experience at a hyperscaler or large technology company running at internet scale, or at a major Wall Street or capital-markets firm running always-on, highly regulated infrastructure. Has led a large migration or data center exit end to end.
• AI-forward by habit, not by title. Uses Claude Code or similar agentic tools daily, and can show how AI changed the speed or quality of their architecture and migration work.
• Builder credibility. Writes and reviews infrastructure as code, and can defend a placement decision line by line with both engineers and Finance.

Certifications:

• TOGAF and AWS or Azure professional-level certification preferred, not required.

Education

Work Experience

Certifications

Travel

Workstyle

The total compensation for this position includes base salary or wages, and may include components such as additional compensation (cash or equity), discretionary bonuses, or commissions. This position is eligible for a benefits package that may include medical, dental, and vision; life insurance; critical illness insurance and accident insurance; disability benefits; retirement savings; paid time off (including vacation, holidays, and sick leave); and parental leave.  Eligibility for benefits and specific offerings may vary based on position and employment status. To view more details of the benefits offered, visit Myrjbenefits.com.

At Raymond James our associates use five guiding behaviors (Develop, Collaborate, Decide, Deliver, Improve) to deliver on the firm's core values of client-first, integrity, independence and a conservative, long-term view. 

We expect our associates at all levels to:
•  Grow professionally and inspire others to do the same
•  Work with and through others to achieve desired outcomes
•  Make prompt, pragmatic choices and act with the client in mind
•  Take ownership and hold themselves and others accountable for delivering results that matter
•  Contribute to the continuous evolution of the firm

At Raymond James – as part of our people-first culture, we honor, value, and respect the uniqueness, experiences, and backgrounds of all of our Associates.  When associates bring their best authentic selves, our organization, clients, and communities thrive. The Company is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs.