Head of Division Architecture & Innovation (all humans)

Head of Division Architecture & Innovation (all humans)

Location: Wien

Working hours: Full-time

Occupational Area: IT

Company: Erste Digital

Erste Digital is the technology engine of Erste Group, one of the leading banking groups in Central and Eastern Europe, serving more than 16 million customers. More than 1,800 experts at locations in Vienna, Bratislava and Prague develop digital products, platforms and infrastructures that shape the banking of tomorrow.

We combine technological excellence with the ambition to create real value for our customers, agile, sustainable and with a clear view of the bigger picture.

As Head of Division Architecture & Innovation, you will take on one of the key strategic leadership roles at Erste Digital. You will build and further develop the enterprise architecture function as an internal management consulting unit, with direct impact on technology strategy and digital transformation. You will work closely with top management, take responsibility for central architecture governance and ensure its decentralised implementation across the Business and Enabler Tribes of Erste Digital.

In parallel, you will also lead the innovation team and be responsible for both central focus topics and the decentralised innovation capabilities of the entire organisation. You will connect banking and IT strategies with tangible impact and act as a key enabler of the bank's digital future, continuously assessing the entrepreneurial and regulatory impact of technology decisions.

Your Tasks

You will be responsible for the entire enterprise architecture function, from strategic direction to operational delivery:

• Positioning and further developing enterprise architecture as a strategic partner for Business and IT, with a clear focus on measurable business value
• Building, leading and developing a high-performing architecture team covering Enterprise, Business, IT and Innovation, including clear roles, career paths and skills
• Designing and establishing effective architecture governance, including principles, standards and decision-making processes, with a focus on adaptive steering and data-driven decisions
• Ensuring end-to-end governance of software development, from requirements engineering to testing, to safeguard quality, reusability and time-to-market
• Strategically steering and consolidating the IT portfolio, including reducing technical debt and promoting sustainable architecture modernisation
• Identifying and assessing technology trends early and deriving strategic options and scenarios to support investment decisions
• Preparing decision-ready materials for top management, including target pictures, dependencies and risks
• Linking IT investments to business outcomes, such as growth, efficiency and risk reduction, and establishing steering mechanisms
• Working closely with Business and IT stakeholders at all levels to anchor architecture decisions
• Further developing the enterprise architecture operating model, including OKRs, metrics and value contributions of the EA function
• Steering and prioritising innovation projects across the organisation, with a focus on strategic value and efficient use of resources
• Integrating insights from enterprise architecture into the innovation funnel to align innovation with strategically relevant challenges
• Transferring successful innovation initiatives into the regular IT portfolio and ensuring sustainable scaling and industrialisation

Beyond your qualifications, the right attitude towards leadership is equally essential. Leadership dimensions include Out of Comfort Zone, Servant Leadership, Performance Impact, Future Orientation and Client Orientation.

What you bring

• Completed degree in STEM, business or a related field, or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of experience in strategic planning, business analysis and/or enterprise architecture
• 5+ years of leadership experience
• Deep understanding of modern architecture paradigms in interaction with the organisation creating and/or operating them
• Proven experience in leading engineering teams and managing complex stakeholder landscapes
• Strong consulting skills, convincing in the boardroom as well as in architecture reviews
• Experience with EA frameworks, such as TOGAF, and agile methods at enterprise level
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English
• Entrepreneurial mindset, systems thinking and the ability to connect the big picture with operational details
• Knowledge of the financial services environment or other regulated industries, experience in international, multilingual organisations and involvement in complex transformation initiatives are considered an advantage

Our Offer

• Possibility to benefit and learn from the international community at Erste
• Interest groups and clubs with opportunities to engage in discussions and projects
• Health Centre at Erste Campus with medical services during working hours
• Employee benefits, including special conditions for financial services, insurances, supermarkets, clothing stores and more
• The minimum wage for this full-time position is EUR 90,000.00 gross per year according to the collective agreement; actual salary will be discussed personally
• Opportunity to divide working hours between home office and office
• Diverse and equal-opportunity working environment

Application

In addition to your CV, please submit a short Architecture & Innovation Leadership Portfolio of max. 2-3 pages. This should include relevant projects from recent years, examples of creating commitment for architecture and innovation decisions, examples of managing trade-offs between Business, IT and regulatory requirements, and examples of prioritising or terminating initiatives for a focused IT and innovation portfolio.

Please apply by latest 24.07.2026.

Contact

Mariane Senjak