Head of Division Architecture & Innovation (all humans)

Head of Division Architecture & Innovation (all humans)

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

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 lead the innovation team and be responsible for central focus topics as well as decentralised innovation capabilities across the organisation.

Your Tasks

• Positioning and further developing enterprise architecture as a strategic partner for Business and IT with focus on measurable business value.
• Building, leading and developing a high-performing architecture team covering Enterprise, Business, IT and Innovation.
• Designing and establishing architecture governance, including principles, standards and decision-making processes.
• Ensuring end-to-end governance of software development from requirements engineering to testing.
• Strategically steering and consolidating the IT portfolio, reducing technical debt and promoting sustainable architecture modernisation.
• Identifying and assessing technology trends and deriving strategic options for 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.
• 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.
• Steering and prioritising innovation projects across the organisation.
• Integrating insights from enterprise architecture into the innovation funnel.
• Transferring successful innovation initiatives into the regular IT portfolio.

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.
• Proven experience in leading engineering teams and managing complex stakeholder landscapes.
• Strong consulting skills in boardroom settings and 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 ability to connect the big picture with operational details.
• Knowledge of financial services or regulated industries, international organisations and transformation initiatives is an advantage.

Our Offer

• International, talented and passionate community at Erste.
• Interest groups and clubs for discussions and projects.
• Health Centre at Erste Campus with medical services during working hours.
• Employee benefits for financial services, insurances, supermarkets, clothing stores and more.
• Minimum salary of EUR 90,000 gross per year for this full-time position, with willingness to discuss actual salary individually.
• Opportunity to divide working hours between home office and office.
• Equal chances irrespective of age, skin colour, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation or origin.

In addition to your CV, please submit a short Architecture & Innovation Leadership Portfolio of max. 2-3 pages.

• Relevant projects from recent years, including your role and achieved outcome.
• Examples of how you created commitment for architecture and innovation decisions in complex organisations.
• Examples of how you managed trade-offs between Business, IT and regulatory requirements.
• Examples of how you prioritised, deprioritised or terminated initiatives for a focused IT and innovation portfolio.

Please apply by latest 24.07.2026.