RPW Solution Architect

Retirement and Private Wealth Advisory depends upon a dense web of systems - CRM, trading platforms, data aggregators (e.g., Orion), record keeper and custodial platforms, account onboarding tools, portfolio planning tools, core accounting and finance stack, and the data pipelines.

The RPW Solution Architect is the hands-on technical designer who makes that web work: translating strategic direction into concrete, buildable solutions, and owning the detailed design of how these systems integrate, where automation replaces manual handoffs, and how new platforms are woven into the existing ecosystem without adding fragility or technical debt. The ideal candidate is a builder at heart - someone who has been in the weeds of enterprise projects, understands the practical tradeoffs of different automation and connectivity approaches, and can make sound technical judgment calls. Beyond technical competency, the candidate must be a strong collaborator, who values trusting, long-term relationships with both business and technology colleagues.

Working closely with the VP of Technology Strategy Planning, product owners, and delivery teams, the Solution Architect turns future-state vision into buildable technical design. Responsibilities include:

• Design end-to-end technical solutions for RPW initiatives, translating business and functional requirements into detailed architecture: app integrations, data flows, sequencing, component design.
• Collaborate with other architects to define and apply appropriate architectural patterns to support business processes and deliver solutions that fit within budget and other constraints.
• Identify, design, and implement automation of business processes across systems - replacing manual and semi-manual workflows with reliable, monitored, system-to-system automation.
• Architect integrations across the RPW ecosystem – whether API-based, event-driven, batch/ETL, message queues, file-based, etc. – weighing tradeoffs in latency, reliability, and maintainability.
• Recommend, design, and build what is needed; respectfully push back on inappropriate solutions; lead and guide business and technology colleagues alike toward the right solution for the problem.
• Build and maintain trusted working relationships with business subject matter experts and business leaders across RPW, ground technical designs in how the business actually operates.
• Participate in the technology strategy planning process; develop understanding of business strategy; collaborate on future-state designs that inform the multi-year IT roadmap.
• Present solution designs and technical recommendations to a range of audiences, including executive stakeholders, adapting depth and framing to the audience.
• Incorporate feedback from architecture reviews, stakeholder discussions, and governance forums into iterative design refinement.
• Lead and/or partner with application, data, and security architects to understand tradeoffs among the various technical options; design solutions that leverage the most appropriate technologies.
• Produce clear, detailed solution design artifacts - integration diagrams, data flow maps, sequence diagrams, and interface specifications - that delivery teams can build and test against.
• Evaluate new platforms, vendor tools, and cloud services (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP) for fit within the existing integration and data landscape, flagging risks, constraints, and design implications early.
• Work directly with delivery teams and implementation partners through build and test phases, providing hands-on technical guidance and resolving design issues as they surface.
• Bring working knowledge of the RPW business domain - retirement and wealth management operations, advisor workflows, and industry data standards.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, consolidate, or modernize integration points and eliminate redundant or brittle connections across the technology landscape.
• Support the VP of Technology Strategy Planning and the Domain Architect by providing technical feasibility input, effort estimates, and design options for prioritization discussions.

• Minimum 8 years of technical experience in solution architecture, integration design, or technical delivery, including hands-on design and implementation (not architecture-in-theory only).
• Hands-on experience with one or more wealth/retirement industry platforms - such as Orion, Broadridge/FI 360, Evestnet, trading, custodial, or RIA-related tools is strongly preferred.
• Experience and/or certifications with a major cloud platform (Azure, AWS, or GCP); a relevant certification such as TOGAF or a cloud solutions architect credential is a nice-to-have.
• Comfortable operating at the detail level – talking APIs, data schemas, system logs, and integration configurations – while also able to communicate design concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• A track record of building genuine working relationships with business SMEs and business leaders, and of using those relationships to understand business strategy to shape it into technical design.
• Confidence presenting designs and recommendations to demanding audiences, along with the ability to take critical feedback well and adjust a design as needed.
• Experience working in fast-paced, agile delivery environments, often supporting multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills; ability to work effectively with architects, product owners, delivery teams, and implementation partners.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• This position is based in Chicago and follows a hybrid working model.