Head of Architecture & Standards

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital – a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. We stand apart for our outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking and superior risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. We also proudly maintain an entrepreneurial, disciplined and ethical corporate culture. As a member of AXIS, you join a team that is among the best in the industry.

At AXIS, we believe that we are only as strong as our people. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming culture where employees of all backgrounds and from all walks of life feel comfortable and empowered to be themselves. This means that we bring our whole selves to work.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any basis prohibited by the laws that govern its operations.

Role Purpose

The Enterprise Architect & Standards function ensures AXIS has a coherent, scalable, and secure technology architecture that enables business strategy, accelerates delivery, reduces complexity and total cost of ownership across the enterprise. The role reports to the Group COO and has final authority on platform architecture, data architecture, AI architecture, and enterprise engineering standards, ensuring all technology decisions align with AXIS’s target-state architecture and strategic priorities.

This role partners closely with value streams, AI/Tech strategy team, IT infrastructure and operations team, D&A, Security, and business leaders globally.

Key Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Architecture Leadership

• Define and maintain the AXIS target-state enterprise architecture, ensuring alignment with business strategy, regulatory needs, and cost discipline.
• Lead the Architecture Review Board (ARB) processes, ensuring all major technology decisions adhere to approved patterns, controls, and integration standards.
• Lead the team to enable AI-driven transformation across underwriting, claims, and operations while maintaining strong governance and ensure enterprise architecture aligns with regulatory expectations and model risk management standards across jurisdictions
• Drive architectural simplification and modernization, including rationalization of platforms, applications, data estates, and technology choices.
• Ensure architectural traceability across strategic programs, value stream priorities, and multi year investment plans.

1. Platform Architecture

• Define standards and blueprints for AXIS core platforms (e.g., policy admin, claims, workflow, integration, cloud).
• Define and govern vendor architecture standards, including selection, integration, and lifecycle management.
• Partner on build vs. buy and vendor decisions to ensure alignment with architecture, cost, and security standards.
• Govern platform lifecycle management, including version strategy, observability, availability, and resiliency standards.
• Provide architectural input into QBR resource allocation, prioritizing investments based on enterprise value and technical sustainability.

1. Data & Information Architecture

• Define data architecture principles including data domain modeling, master/reference data management, lineage, and data quality.
• Ensure consistent governance and implementation of data standards—including metadata, Common Data Elements, retention, and privacy by design.
• Partner with Data & Analytics to enforce separation of operational and analytical environments, standardize data exchange patterns, and ensure scalable, governed analytical capabilities across regions and lines of business.
• Develop and maintain enterprise-wide integration patterns for real-time, event-driven, and batch data flows.

1. AI Architecture & Responsible AI Standards

• Define AI architecture standards governing model development, deployment, monitoring, and risk management.
• Partner with the AI Governance Office, Model Risk, Security, and D&A to ensure adherence to AI lifecycle controls.
• Establish enterprise patterns for model hosting, inference, retraining, versioning, and explainability.
• Govern use of external models, GenAI, and vendor AI capabilities to ensure secure integration and responsible use.
• Define the target-state stack for AI (cloud-native, scalable, metadata driven) and support adoption across underwriting, claims, operations, and shared services.

1. Engineering Standards & Technology Discipline

• Define and maintain AXIS engineering standards covering coding practices, API design, DevSecOps, testing automation, CI/CD, observability, and cloud engineering.
• Ensure engineering maturity uplift across value streams, including adoption of reusable accelerators, shared frameworks, and best-in-class security controls.
• Partner with BTS and global engineering teams to drive automation, tooling optimization, and reduction of technical debt.
• Maintain and publish enterprise wide reference architectures, patterns libraries, and technical guidance.

Key Deliverables

• Target-State Enterprise Architecture blueprint and roadmap
• Platform standards and integration specifications
• Enterprise data models and governing principles
• AI architecture standards and model lifecycle controls
• Engineering standards library and reference implementation guidance
• Architecture Review Board recommendations and approvals
• Quarterly architectural health and technical debt reporting

Key Skills & Experience

• 15+ years in enterprise, data, platform, or solution architecture, ideally in insurance or broader financial services.
• Deep understanding of modern cloud-native architectures (Azure preferred), integration patterns, API ecosystems, and data platforms.
• Experience setting enterprise engineering standards and driving adoption across distributed teams.
• Practical experience designing or governing AI/ML solutions at scale, including model operations and responsible AI.
• Strong ability to articulate architectural tradeoffs and influence senior business and technology leaders.
• Proven ability to balance innovation with control, and simplification with business agility.

Leadership Attributes

• Enterprise thinker with strong strategic orientation.
• Structured communicator capable of engaging EXCO, operational leaders, and engineering teams.
• Collaborative, decisive, and adept at navigating complex, matrixed organizations.
• Bias for simplification, modernization, and measurable business value.

For this position, we currently expect to offer a base salary in the range of X to Y (NY), [X to Y (GA), X to Y (CA)]. Your salary offer will be based on an assessment of a variety of factors including your specific experience and work location.

In addition, you will be offered competitive target incentive compensation, with awards based on overall corporate and individual performance. On top of this, you will be eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes medical plans for you and your family, health and wellness programs, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and much more.

Where this role is based in the United States of America, this role is [Exempt/Non-Exempt] for FLSA purposes.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.