Senior Director, Architecture & Engineering
Apply NowCompany: University Pension Plan
Location: Toronto, ON M4E 3Y1
Description:
OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE
UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario's university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.
Together, we're a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.
As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.
Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.
THE ROLE
We are seeking a highly strategic and collaborative Senior Director of Architecture & Engineering to lead and empower our high-impact team of architects, developers, engineers, and technical analysts. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, Data & Technology, this role is central to the successful design, delivery, and enablement of UPP's technology platforms. This position offers a unique blend of strategic influence and impactful execution, with significant opportunities to shape the overarching technology strategy in direct support of the organization's business objectives and long-term vision. We are looking for a leader who can not only mature our enterprise architecture practice and strengthen our development capabilities but also act as a key thought partner to the technology leadership team and build strong relationships across the organization.
This role is based in downtown Toronto under a hybrid work policy, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (two days per week in-office).
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
Leadership & Strategy
Architecture, Solution Design and Enablement
Innovation & Governance
Stakeholder Engagement
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
LIFE AT UPP
Do work that mattersWe are duty-bound to serve our members' interests, and it's a responsibility we don't take lightly. That's why we've ingrained sustainability in our work from day one-to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.
Stronger togetherCollaboration is how UPP was born, and it's how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.
Grow every dayYou'll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones-at any stage in your career.
Prioritize wellnessAt UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it's about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:
UPP respects your privacy. For information on how UPP handles the personal information you provide during the application process, please see our Job Applicant Privacy Statement.
Other details
Apply Now
UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario's university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.
Together, we're a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.
As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.
Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.
THE ROLE
We are seeking a highly strategic and collaborative Senior Director of Architecture & Engineering to lead and empower our high-impact team of architects, developers, engineers, and technical analysts. Reporting directly to the Managing Director, Data & Technology, this role is central to the successful design, delivery, and enablement of UPP's technology platforms. This position offers a unique blend of strategic influence and impactful execution, with significant opportunities to shape the overarching technology strategy in direct support of the organization's business objectives and long-term vision. We are looking for a leader who can not only mature our enterprise architecture practice and strengthen our development capabilities but also act as a key thought partner to the technology leadership team and build strong relationships across the organization.
This role is based in downtown Toronto under a hybrid work policy, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (two days per week in-office).
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
Leadership & Strategy
- Lead a multidisciplinary team including solution architects, business architects, developers, and technical analysts.
- Define and evolve architectural frameworks, development practices, and strategic technology direction, clearly articulating these to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Mentor staff and foster a culture of collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement, leading by example.
- Act as a key contributor to the broader Data & Technology strategy, working closely with the Managing Director on key initiatives, including the development of clear and compelling presentations for executive audiences.
- Collaborate with the vendor management team and other stakeholders to provide strategic guidance and ensure that vendor engagements are aligned with business needs, deliver optimal business value and mechanisms are in place to hold vendors accountable.
Architecture, Solution Design and Enablement
- Govern enterprise architecture across cloud, application, and integration domains, ensuring alignment with business strategy and long-term vision.
- Maintain an architecture repository and oversee solution blueprints and technology standards, ensuring they are clear, consistent, and effectively communicated.
- Ensure technology designs are scalable, secure, aligned to UPP's business strategy, and supportable in production, delivering tangible value while considering all important aspects and constraints.
- Provide strategic guidance on technology choices, platforms, and architectural patterns.
- Oversee SDLC and DevOps practices, promoting agile delivery and automation, setting clear expectations for quality and efficiency.
- Partner closely with the Director of Technology Enablement to drive platform readiness, service stability, ongoing enhancement, and technical excellence within the development teams.
Innovation & Governance
- Serve as a key architectural voice in strategic planning and governance processes across the organization.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, identify opportunities for innovation, and assess their strategic fit, thinking strategically and delivering value.
- Embed cybersecurity, privacy, and resiliency considerations into all aspects of technology design and execution.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Represent the technology strategy and vision to business leaders and senior stakeholders, building strong collaborative relationships.
- Translate complex technical issues and strategies into clear, business-relevant language for diverse audiences.
- Provide regular updates on architectural maturity, delivery progress, and capability evolution to stakeholders.
- Foster strong partnerships with Project Management, Business Analysis, and other business teams to ensure alignment and effective delivery.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Significant experience (typically 10+ years) in progressively senior roles within a technology division, with a strong and demonstrable focus on architecture and engineering leadership, including experience articulating technical strategies to diverse audiences.
- Proven experience in leading and influencing multidisciplinary teams of technical professionals, including architects, developers, and analysts, fostering collaboration and driving results.
- Demonstrated ability to develop, articulate, and champion a clear and compelling long-term technical vision and strategy that aligns with broader business objectives.
- Strong understanding of various architectural patterns, technology platforms, and modern development methodologies (e.g., Agile, DevOps), supported by a pragmatic approach to implementation.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence and build effective relationships across all levels of the organization.
- Experience working within a regulated industry (ideally financial services or pensions) is highly desirable, with an understanding of the importance of delivering value while adhering to constraints.
- A highly strategic mindset with the ability to think long-term, understand the broader business context, and contribute to overall organizational strategy, demonstrating the ability to navigate from strategy to implementation.
- Demonstrated leadership potential and a strong desire for professional growth into more senior technology leadership roles, with a keen interest in ensuring the success of others within the technology function.
LIFE AT UPP
Do work that mattersWe are duty-bound to serve our members' interests, and it's a responsibility we don't take lightly. That's why we've ingrained sustainability in our work from day one-to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.
Stronger togetherCollaboration is how UPP was born, and it's how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.
Grow every dayYou'll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones-at any stage in your career.
Prioritize wellnessAt UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it's about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:
- Defined benefit pension plan
- Flexible hybrid work model
- Work from abroad up to eight weeks/year
- Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision etc.
- Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
- Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
- Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
- Education Assistance program
UPP respects your privacy. For information on how UPP handles the personal information you provide during the application process, please see our Job Applicant Privacy Statement.
Other details
- Pay Type Salary
Apply Now