Enterprise Data Architect, Director

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students.

We're on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big.

Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique. They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We're changing. Because students need a better way.

We're looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students-and for each other.

This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter. It's where you're empowered to bring your authentic self to work.

Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you-from physical and mental to financial and professional. You'll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We're obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking "why not?" when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills.

Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

What You'll Contribute

The Information Architect is a pivotal role within Enterprise Architecture (EA) team, responsible for laying the foundation for the organization's data-driven future by designing a robust, scalable, and AI-ready information architecture. Your work will enable artificial intelligence (AI), advanced analytics, and business intelligence initiatives, driving innovation and competitive advantage. By creating a unified, secure, and interoperable data ecosystem, you will empower the enterprise to harness data for transformative outcomes, such as predictive insights, personalized customer experiences across omnichannel, and operational efficiencies.

What You'll Do

• Design foundational information architecture to enable our digital and AI journey.
• Develop domain ontologies, taxonomies, and metadata standards to ensure high-quality, accessible, and interoperable data for business application and AI model training and deployment.
• Create scalable data architectures (e.g., structured, unstructured, data lakes, feature stores) to support real-time and batch processing through APIs and events.
• Design data integration strategies for seamless dataflow across environments ensuring compatibility with AI tools and frameworks.
• Collaborate with data scientists, AI engineers, and enterprise and application architects to integrate data architecture with enterprise systems and AI platforms.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation, including data models, and architectural blueprints.
• Communicate the value of information architecture as a core foundation to enable AI journey to stakeholders, translating complex data concepts into actionable business outcomes.
• Develop and enforce architecture standards, guidelines, and best practices to ensure consistency and quality.
• Conduct architecture reviews, assess risks, and provide recommendations for improvements.
• Support project teams throughout the development lifecycle, ensuring architectural alignment.
• This will be 100% hands on Individual Contributor role.

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.

What You Have

Minimum education, skills and experience required.

• Expertise in data modeling (conceptual, logical, physical) and database design (SQL, NoSQL, Graph, data lakes, feature stores) optimized for business applications and AI & analytics.
• Strong knowledge of data governance, metadata management, data engineering, and data quality frameworks, with an emphasis on AI-ready data.
• Experience building a long-term data strategy to support AI, business intelligence, and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring scalability and adaptability for future AI advancements.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills to design optimized (cost and performance), scalable, and well-governed data solutions.
• Strong communication skills to bridge technical and business stakeholders, particularly in advocating for AI-driven outcomes.
• Hands-on experience with cloud data platforms (e.g., Snowflake) and data-processing frameworks (e.g. PySpark).
• Work with application and infrastructure architects to integrate data architectures with enterprise systems, ensuring business solutions (incl. AI) can leverage unified and reliable data sources.
• Experience building core data foundation to enable AI-driven initiatives, including System of Records (SOR), data lakes, feature stores optimized for machine learning and analytics.
• Communicate the value of information architecture as business enabler to non-technical stakeholders, articulating how data foundations drive innovation and business outcomes.
• Background in leading diverse use-cases from pilot to implementation.
• Experience delivering software in highly regulated environments (FDIC, etc.)
• Excellent leadership and communication skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with business stakeholders and technical teams.
• Experience in evaluating and adopting new technologies.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure.

Preferred education, skills, and experience.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• At least 8+ years of experience in software architecture and design.
• 8+ years of experience in data and software architecture, with at least 4 years in enterprise architecture with data-focused role.
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman)
• Cloud specialty certifications (e.g., AWS certified data analytics), Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) certification preferred.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits discrimination by employers, in compensation and employment opportunities, against qualified individuals with disabilities who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the "essential functions" of a job. A function may be essential for any of several reasons, including: the job exists to perform that function, the employee holding the job was hired for his/her expertise in performing the function, or only a limited number of employees are available to perform that function.

Feeling your best helps you do your best:

Our benefits take care of the whole you-so you can build your work around your life (not the other way around!).

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Generous PTO, Floating Holidays and 12 Federal Holidays observed
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement 401k with employer match
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance and more
• Employer paid short-term/long-term disability and basic life insurance
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements.
• Paid parental leave and adoption reimbursement programs
• Free access to on-site staffed fitness centers (in Delaware) and gym subsidy (for locations outside Delaware)
• Confidential counseling support (EAP), Health Advocacy services and Wellness program with financial incentives
• Tuition Reimbursement and Family Scholarship Programs
• Career development and training opportunities

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Sallie Mae is proud to be an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, gender identity, disability, Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Click here to view the U.S. Pay Transparency Policy, here for federal job applicant notices, and here to view the California Employee Privacy Notice.

Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation please call and choose option 9. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.