Director, Data Architecture

Requisition ID: 253212

Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.

Purpose

The Customer Insights, Data & Analytics (CID&A) team is central to Scotiabank’s ambition to become a truly data-driven organization. We are focused on leveraging impactful insights, advanced analytics, and robust data governance to drive tangible business value. A key aspect of our transformation is to improve how data is understood, accessed, and utilized across business units. The aim is to provide clear pathways and support for our internal data consumers, enabling them to effectively leverage data & analytics capabilities to achieve their strategic objectives.

We are seeking an influential leader to champion this critical enablement function as the Director, Data Architecture. Reporting to the VP, Business Architecture & Enablement, this individual will be the chief designer of our enterprise data landscape. This strategic role will focus on the data strategy for the enterprise; defining what data we have, how it should be structured and organized, and where it connects to our business strategy. You will work closely with business leaders, data & analytics product owners, and engineering teams to deliver data assets that are technically sound, intuitive, and aligned with core business objectives.

Is this role right for you? In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Develop Enterprise Data Models: Design, document, and evolve/maintain the enterprise conceptual and logical data models. Translate business strategies and requirements into a tangible data architecture blueprint and roadmap that everyone—from the boardroom to our agile pods—can understand and rally behind.
• Establish Data Modeling Standards & Governance: Define and govern a common business vocabulary. Establish, document and enforce enterprise data modeling standards, principles and best practices to ensure data is consistent and well-understood across the Bank.
• Architectural Oversight & Review: Lead architecture design review sessions for new and ongoing projects to ensure alignment with enterprise standards and strategic goals.
• Foster a Community of Practice. You will actively cultivate a community for data modelers and architects across the bank including your own team, enabling knowledge sharing, mentorship, and the organic growth of design skills throughout the enterprise.
• Alignment to data strategy. Through clear principles and a well-defined enterprise blueprint, you provide the "rules of the road," enabling autonomous teams to innovate with speed and confidence, knowing they are aligned with our strategic direction.
• Stakeholder Alignment and Communication: Translate complex architectural concepts into clear, actionable plans for business leaders, product managers, and engineering teams. Build consensus and communicate the value of data architecture to C-level executives.

Functional Competencies:

• Data Modeling Expertise: Proven experience creating tool-agnostic conceptual and logical data models that simplify complex business domains. Expert proficiency with modeling tools (e.g., erwin, ER/Studio) and their integration with data governance platforms (e.g., Collibra, Alation).
• Business Acumen: Ability to connect architectural designs to financial services outcomes (e.g., revenue generation, risk mitigation, operational efficiency) and quantify their business value.
• Technical & Platform Fluency: Deep understanding of modern data paradigms (e.g., Data Mesh, Data Fabric) and the strategic application of cloud data services (Azure, AWS, GCP) to realize an architectural vision.
• Executive Communication: Ability to present and justify architectural strategies, decisions, and their financial implications to senior executive leadership.
• Problem-Solving & Ambiguity: Demonstrated ability to solve ambiguous and novel business problems by defining clear requirements and identifying appropriate architectural solutions.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Passion for leading high-performance teams and a proven track record of mentoring others to improve technical skills and drive business success.
• Financial Management: Solid understanding of technology cost management, budgeting, and ROI analysis.

Accountabilities:

• Understand how the Bank's/Company's risk appetite and risk culture should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions.
• Actively pursues effective and efficient operations of his/her respective areas in accordance with Scotiabank's Values, its Code of Conduct and relevant principles, while ensuring the adequacy, adherence to and effectiveness of day-to-day business controls to meet obligations with respect to operational, compliance, and conduct risk.
• Champions a high-performance environment and contributes to an inclusive work environment.

Dimensions:

• Interacts with senior executives, business unit leaders, technology leaders and CID&A leadership.
• Scope is enterprise, Bank-wide/Company-wide, supporting multiple business functions.
• Projects: Influences and supports portfolios of CID&A initiatives that may exceed $1M+.

Working Conditions

• On-site 4 days

Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Toronto

Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.

At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here. Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.