Senior Director, Data Architecture & AI Toolkit

Job Description

Job Description

Who we are:

Farm Credit Bank of Texas is a $42.2 billion wholesale bank that has been financing agriculture and rural America for over 100 years. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, we provide funding and services to rural lending associations in five states, and we are active in the nation's capital markets.

While you may not be familiar with our name, Farm Credit Bank of Texas plays a critical role in supporting the businesses that make it possible for America to maintain access to an affordable and safe food supply, an industry which is one of the most innovative and evolving of our time. And while you help us deliver on our mission, we deliver on our commitment to you as a valued employee by providing competitive compensation, generous health and wellness benefits packages and an attractive workplace located along the bluffs of the Colorado River just minutes west of downtown Austin.

We seek out top talent in their fields, whether it be technology, finance, accounting, credit, human resources, or other administrative functions, and welcome you to join us in our mission to feed the world.

Position Description

The Senior Director, Data Architecture & AI Toolkit is responsible for defining, governing, and advancing the Bank's enterprise data, analytics, and AI platform strategy. This leadership role serves as the organization's senior authority on data architecture, ensuring data platforms, analytics capabilities, AI solutions, and architectural standards are scalable, secure, interoperable, and aligned with long-term business objectives.

Working closely with business and technology leaders, the Senior Director establishes the vision, strategy, and roadmap for enterprise data platforms, analytics capabilities, and AI-enabled solutions. The role bridges business strategy, technology execution, governance, and innovation, helping the organization maximize the value of its data assets while supporting regulatory, security, and operational requirements.

The position also leads the Bank's AI Toolkit strategy, developing reusable AI-powered capabilities, intelligent development accelerators, automation tools, and machine learning solutions that improve productivity, scalability, and effectiveness across the enterprise data ecosystem.

Operating with a high degree of strategic influence and technical leadership, the Senior Director partners across business units to modernize data platforms, improve decision-making capabilities, and advance the Bank's long-term data and AI initiatives.

Day-to-Day Duties and Responsibilities

• Define and lead the enterprise data, analytics, and AI architecture vision, principles, standards, and long-term technology roadmap.
• Establish and govern architectural standards, reference architectures, design patterns, and best practices across data engineering, analytics, data integration, and AI platforms.
• Partner with executive leadership, business stakeholders, and technology teams to translate strategic objectives into scalable data and analytics solutions.
• Lead architecture decisions related to cloud data platforms, data warehouses, lakehouses, analytics environments, and emerging technologies.
• Ensure enterprise architecture supports data quality, governance, metadata management, lineage, security, privacy, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Oversee the design and evolution of enterprise data platforms, including data warehouses, data lakes, lakehouses, semantic models, integration frameworks, and analytics layers.
• Develop and advance the Bank's AI Toolkit strategy, including reusable AI services, machine learning accelerators, developer productivity tools, and intelligent automation capabilities.
• Guide modernization efforts that improve scalability, reduce complexity, enhance performance, and create operational efficiencies across the data ecosystem.
• Lead architecture governance reviews and provide oversight for major data, analytics, and AI initiatives.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend innovative solutions that improve data management, analytics capabilities, and business outcomes.
• Define data architecture strategies supporting enterprise reporting, business intelligence, advanced analytics, and AI-driven decision-making.
• Collaborate with Information Security, Risk Management, and Compliance teams to ensure architecture decisions align with organizational controls and regulatory expectations.
• Mentor and lead a team of data architects, data engineers, and AI-focused technology professionals.
• Establish team priorities, support professional development, and ensure successful execution of strategic initiatives.
• Communicate architecture strategies, roadmaps, and recommendations to executive leadership and key stakeholders.

What You Bring to the Team

Our ideal candidate is a strategic technology leader who is passionate about data, analytics, and artificial intelligence and enjoys building scalable platforms that enable innovation, business insight, and operational excellence.

This role requires a combination of enterprise architecture expertise, data platform leadership, AI strategy experience, and strong business partnership skills, including:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Fifteen (15) or more years of experience designing, implementing, and leading enterprise data and analytics solutions.
• Experience leading large-scale data platform, analytics, and enterprise architecture initiatives.
• Demonstrated success developing enterprise technology strategies, standards, roadmaps, and governance frameworks.
• Experience leading projects involving data warehousing, data modeling, master data management, analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence solutions.
• Experience partnering with executive leaders and business stakeholders to align technology investments with strategic objectives.
• Strong understanding of cloud computing platforms, modern data architectures, and enterprise analytics ecosystems.
• Experience leading technical teams and influencing outcomes across complex, cross-functional environments.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, relationship management, and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to balance business objectives, risk considerations, technical requirements, and investment priorities.

Preferred

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Experience designing and implementing solutions using Azure Databricks, Snowflake, AWS, Azure, or similar cloud-based data platforms.
• Experience supporting enterprise AI, machine learning, generative AI, or advanced analytics initiatives.
• Experience within financial services, banking, or other highly regulated industries.
• Experience with business intelligence and analytics platforms such as Power BI, MicroStrategy, or similar solutions.
• Experience with enterprise data governance, metadata management, and data quality programs.
• Experience supporting real-time data architectures, event-driven platforms, and streaming technologies.
• Experience leading enterprise modernization and digital transformation initiatives.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Deep expertise in modern data architecture, cloud data platforms, analytics ecosystems, and AI technologies.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks, governance processes, and design authority practices.
• Expertise in data warehousing, data lakes, lakehouses, semantic modeling, and data integration architectures.
• Strong knowledge of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and AI-enabled platform capabilities.
• Proficiency with Python, SQL, Spark, and related data engineering technologies.
• Experience with modern cloud services and platforms, including Azure, AWS, and similar environments.
• Knowledge of database technologies including relational, NoSQL, distributed, and large-scale data platforms.
• Understanding of metadata management, data lineage, master data management, and data quality practices.
• Experience with ETL/ELT processes, business intelligence platforms, and enterprise reporting technologies.
• Ability to evaluate emerging technologies and align architecture decisions with business strategy, risk management, and operational goals.

Leadership Responsibilities

This role has direct leadership responsibility for data architecture, data engineering, and AI toolkit resources. Responsibilities include strategic planning, resource allocation, employee development, coaching, performance management, project prioritization, and execution of critical enterprise initiatives. The role is accountable for advancing the Bank's data, analytics, and AI capabilities while ensuring alignment with technology strategy and business objectives.

Why Farm Credit Bank of Texas:

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer comprehensive, affordable, and competitive benefit options that are focused on health and wellness, financial security, and achieving a work-life balance:

• Flexible health-and-wellness benefits, including medical insurance, prescription drug coverage, dental insurance, vision care, flexible spending accounts, and more.
• 401(k) plan that includes immediate vesting of a generous employer match and additional employer contribution.
• Long-term disability and life insurance.
• Vacation leave, sick leave, and paid holidays.
• Fertility benefit and parental leave plan.
• Up to two days per year to volunteer in local community organizations, services, or events.
• Ongoing professional-development opportunities.
• Generous tuition-reimbursement program.
• Physical fitness incentive plan.
• Employer matching gifts program.

Important note: We care about your hiring process and take it seriously. A real person will review your application, meaning response timelines may vary. The interviewing process at Farm Credit Bank of Texas may include phone calls and emails, on-site interviews, and requests for portfolios or demonstrations of work. We can't personally follow up with each applicant, and we will do our best to create a professional, respectful, and thorough process for candidates with whom we identify as a potential fit.

A/EOE/M/F/D/V