Senior Solutions Architect
Summary
A hands-on senior architect at Equity Bank who designs and guides delivery of secure, scalable solutions across core banking, digital channels, integrations, data/AI, and cloud (AWS/Azure), translating business goals into architecture from discovery through production while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Position: Senior Solutions Architect
Department: IT
Location: Wichita, KS (On-Site)
Job Type: Full-Time/Salary
Jump start your career at Equity Bank! We are currently hiring energetic, team oriented, and community focused individuals to join our team! With a team of best-in-class customer service experts, you'll help to build and expand on client relationships, deliver the banking products and services that meet the unique and individual needs of clients, and create and uphold an atmosphere of superior experience and service. At Equity Bank we’ll help you invest in your community through volunteer opportunities which align with our company initiatives and core values
Summary
The Senior Solutions Architect is a strategic, hands-on leader who designs and guides delivery of complex, secure, and scalable solutions across core banking, digital channels, integration platforms, data/AI, and cloud infrastructure. You will translate business objectives into well-architected solutions, ensure alignment with enterprise standards, and provide technical leadership from discovery through production.
This role is designed to support Equity Bank’s ongoing modernization and AI/data initiatives—e.g., cloud adoption, API-first integration, and secure data platforms—while maintaining regulatory compliance and operational resilience.
Responsibilities and Expectations
Key Responsibilities
Solution Architecture & Design
- Lead end‑to‑end solution design (conceptual, logical, physical) for customer-facing and back‑office systems across banking domains (deposits, lending, digital account opening, payments)
- Define integration approaches (REST APIs, event streaming, ETL/iPaaS, ESB) and canonical data models to reduce duplication and enable reuse
- Produce and maintain architecture artifacts (diagrams, interface contracts, decision records, threat models) aligned to ETS standards
Delivery Leadership
- Partner with product owners, engineering, InfoSec, and vendors to decompose requirements, estimate, and plan delivery (PoC → MVP → scale)
- Provide deep technical guidance during build and cutover; remove delivery impediments, ensure NFRs (performance, availability, resilience, observability) are met
- Govern design quality through reviews and automated checks; approve solution deviations and manage technical debt
Cloud, Data & AI Enablement
- Architect secure workloads on AWS/Azure (identity, networking, storage, container orchestration), leveraging landing zone patterns
- Design data pipelines and interfaces to enterprise data platforms (warehouse/lakehouse) to support analytics and AI use cases; apply data governance controls
- Collaborate on MLOps patterns (feature stores, model deployment/monitoring) where applicable; ensure responsible AI and model risk controls
Security, Risk & Compliance
- Embed security-by-design (Zero Trust, encryption, secrets management, certificate management/PKI) and align to GLBA, PCI, SOC, and internal audit findings
- Conduct architecture risk assessments, threat modeling, and support remediation plans; ensure audit‑ready documentation
Standards, Governance & Vendor Management
- Champion architecture principles, patterns, and ETS standards; propose updates based on lessons learned
- Evaluate third‑party and SaaS solutions; lead RFP/RFI technical sections, compare alternatives, and negotiate technical clauses with vendors
Coaching & Cross‑Functional Influence
- Mentor engineers and junior architects; raise the bar on documentation, testing, automation, and observability
- Communicate architectural decisions to executives and business stakeholders in business terms; align roadmap items to measurable outcomes
Required Skills & Education
Requirements
- Master’s degree in: Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration with a Technology or Analytics focus, Data Science or AI (relevant to this role’s AI/data initiatives)
- 8+ years in software/integration architecture or senior engineering, with 3+ years designing enterprise‑scale solutions
- Expertise in at least two of the following:
- Cloud: AWS/Azure (networking, IAM, containers, serverless, storage)
- Integration: REST/GraphQL APIs, event streaming (Kafka), ESB/iPaaS, ETL
- Data: warehouse/lakehouse architecture, data pipelines, governance
- Security: Zero Trust, PKI/certificates, encryption, secrets mgmt, vulnerability management
- Strong proficiency with architectural documentation and tooling (UML/C4, ADRs, IaC patterns)
- Demonstrated experience in regulated environments (financial services preferred)
- Systems thinking; ability to simplify complex ecosystems
- Executive communication; influence without authority
- Pragmatic decision-making balancing resilience, cost, and speed
- Leadership in cross‑functional delivery and vendor orchestration
Preferred
- Bachelor’s degree in: Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field
- Certifications: AWS/Azure Solutions Architect, TOGAF, CKAD/CKA, CISSP or equivalent.
- Experience with core banking platforms and digital onboarding/origination flows; familiarity with payments (e.g., Zelle, ACH, wires) and fraud controls
Who We Are
Equity Bank, a full-service, $7.9 billion community bank, is based in Wichita, Kansas, with over 80 bank offices throughout Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
At Equity Bank, you can find exciting opportunities to challenge you, expand your skills, and reward your contributions. Our employees receive competitive compensation and benefits, while working in an atmosphere that encourages personal and professional growth. We’re searching for motivated individuals who are passionate about serving others, learning new technologies, and working as part of a team.
Equity Bank offers a full range of financial solutions, including online and mobile banking, commercial loans, consumer banking, and mortgage loans, treasury management service, the best solutions for your business, and absolutely zero ATM fees, anywhere.
What’s in it for you?
We believe your benefits are an important part of your overall compensation package. We work year-round to ensure that we provide our employees with the most up-to-date, competitive program. We thoroughly evaluate our benefit plans and strive to provide quality benefits that support the physical and financial well-being of our employees and their families.
Benefits Available:
- Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
- Group Life & Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts
- Group Cancer Insurance
- 401(K) Retirement Plan w/Company Match
- Generous Vacation & Sick Time
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
- Pet Insurance
- Retail Banking Benefits
Find your future at Equity Bank!
The above statements are intended to generally describe the nature and level of work to be performed by most people assigned to this job. It is not intended as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and requirements.
Physical Requirements
This position requires standing, walking, bending, and squatting on a regular basis. May require the ability to stoop, kneel, crouch or reach with hands and arms. Requires the ability to carry, lift, move or push up to 25 pounds on an occasional basis. Must be able to talk and listen to others.
Work Environment
This position regularly works in an office setting. Most of the job duties require the employee to be working with computers and electronic media on a regular basis.
Equity Bank is an equal opportunity employer and will not make employment decisions based on an applicant’s race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.