Vice President, Chief Architect
Location: State Farm
Posted on: June 23, 2025
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Job Description:
At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission
– to eliminate the back row in education – and connected by our
shared passion to deliver world-class digital education at scale.
As the parent company of edX, the world’s leading online learning
platform, 2U powers more than 4,000 online higher education
offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with more
than 230 colleges, universities, and corporate partners, we are
helping to unlock human potential. What Were Looking For: The Chief
Architect role provides the overall technology architecture
strategy to support 2Us business vision and growth objectives.
Reporting directly to the CTO, this VP-level position is
responsible for defining the enterprise-wide architectural
framework, standards, and roadmap that will drive technological
innovation across the organization. The Chief Architect works
closely with a team of domain architects and collaborates
cross-functionally with product, engineering, and business leaders
to ensure our technology stack remains scalable, secure, and
aligned with business goals. This role serves as the principal
technical authority, balancing cutting-edge solutions with
pragmatic implementation approaches to support 2Us evolving
business needs in the education technology space. The ideal
candidate will have extensive experience with learning management
systems, marketing technology, modern data platforms, the latest
development frameworks, and emerging AI capabilities to help drive
our market growth, platform consolidation, and global technology
workforce transformation initiatives. Responsibilities Include, But
Are Not Limited To: Define and implement the enterprise-wide
architectural vision, strategy, and roadmap that aligns with and
enables 2Us business objectives and digital transformation
initiatives. Work closely with domain architects across various
technology disciplines (application, data, infrastructure,
security, integration) to execute on the strategy. Lead
architectural oversight for major initiatives, including platform
consolidation across lines of business and technology solutions to
grow market share. Partner with senior leadership to translate
business strategy into architectural decisions that drive
competitive advantage and operational excellence. Establish
architecture governance processes, review boards, and standards to
ensure consistency and quality across all technology initiatives.
Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends to identify
opportunities for innovation and improved efficiency, with
particular focus on AI capabilities including LLMs, RAG
architectures, and machine learning. Provide technical leadership
in evaluating strategic vendor solutions, partnerships, integration
opportunities & buy vs. build decisions Architect solutions that
effectively leverage open source technologies while meeting
enterprise-grade requirements for security, scalability, and
performance. Drive the creation and maintenance of enterprise
architecture documentation, reference models, and patterns for use
across the organization. Lead technology standardization efforts
across global teams to enable efficient collaboration and knowledge
sharing. Leverage technology capabilities across 2U’s business
segments to create bespoke solutions for corporate partners.
Partner with InfoSec & SRE teams to design secure end-to-end
solutions, evaluate threat surface area and develop mitigation
plans aligned with best practices. Things That Should Be In Your
Background: Masters degree in Computer Science, Information
Technology, or related field required. 15 years of progressive
experience in technology with at least 8 years in architecture
roles of increasing responsibility. Minimum 5 years of direct
experience in education technology, with deep understanding of
learning management systems such as Moodle, Canvas, and Open edX. 5
years of experience in a senior architecture leadership role,
preferably in SaaS, education technology, or similarly complex
environments. 5 years of experience working with cloud platforms
(AWS, Azure, GCP), distributed systems architectures, modern
development frameworks and data platforms (particularly Snowflake).
3 years of experience in designing & delivering multi-tenant
solutions with focus on data segregation & balancing isolation &
cost-performance implications. 3 years of experience working with
Salesforce CRM including Apex custom development & enterprise
integrations. Experience leading teams of senior technical
architects. Demonstrable track record of successfully designing and
implementing enterprise-level architectural transformations. Proven
expertise in evaluating, adapting, and deploying enterprise-grade
solutions based on open-source software. Experience architecting
solutions leveraging modern AI capabilities, including LLMs,
Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), machine learning
applications. Experience delivering AI-powered solutions for
enterprise use cases such as content creation, customer service &
marketing automation. Strong understanding of marketing technology
stacks, including Google Search Ads 360 and Google Analytics. Prior
experience working directly with C-level executives and translating
business strategy into technology architecture. Other Attributes
That Will Help You In This Role: Strategic thinking with the
ability to balance long-term vision with practical implementation
across global technology teams. Exceptional communication skills
with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both
technical and non-technical audiences. Strong leadership presence
with the ability to influence without direct authority. Deep
understanding of the open source ecosystem and ability to evaluate
the sustainability and enterprise readiness of open source
projects. Experience driving platform consolidation while
maintaining business continuity. Collaborative approach to
problem-solving with a focus on business outcomes, particularly
market growth strategies. Comfort with ambiguity and ability to
provide clarity in rapidly evolving business environments. Passion
for education technology and its potential to transform learning
experiences at scale. Experience leading geographically distributed
teams through significant technological change and transformation.
Expertise in balancing innovation with standardization to create
efficient, scalable technology solutions. Strong executive presence
with the ability to build credibility with senior leadership. While
this position is open to remote candidates across the U.S., we will
prioritize those who live in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan
area and who are available to come into our Headquarters in
Arlington, VA two days a week. Benefits & Culture Our global
employee base is a diverse collection of innovators, dreamers, and
doers working together to transform lives through higher education.
We believe that every employee can advance our shared purpose, and
that life at 2U should be fun and meaningful. If you’re excited by
the opportunity to provide over 40 million learners and counting
with access to world-class online higher education, then join us –
and do work that makes a difference. We offer comprehensive
benefits (unique per country) and excellent work/life balance.
Full-time, U.S.benefits include: Medical, dental, and vision
coverage Life insurance, disability, and 401(k) employer match Free
snacks and drinks in-office Generous paid holidays and leave
policies, including unlimited PTO Additional time off benefits
include: volunteer days, parental leave, and a company-wide winter
break The anticipated base salary range for this role is ($240,000
- $285,000), with potential bonus eligibility. Salary offers are
made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills,
and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the
position, budget for the position and cost of labor in the market
in which the candidate will be hired. 2U Diversity and Inclusion
Statement At 2U, we are committed to building and sustaining a
culture of belonging, respect, and inclusion. We are proud of the
steps we’ve taken to bring together an employee base that embodies
diverse walks of life, ideas, genders, ages, races, cultures,
sexual orientations, abilities and other unique qualities. We
strive to offer a workplace where every employee feels empowered by
what makes us different, as well as by how we are alike. 2U is
committed to providing reasonable accommodations during our
recruitment process. About 2U LLC For more than a decade, 2U, Inc.
has been the digital transformation partner of choice to great
non-profit colleges and universities delivering high-quality online
education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading global
online learning platform, 2U provides over 45 million learners with
access to world-class education in partnership with more than 230
colleges, universities, and corporations. Our people and technology
are powering more than 4,000 digital education offerings — from
free courses to full degrees — and helping unlock human potential.
About edX edX is the education movement for restless learners and a
leading global online learning platform from 2U, LLC. Together with
the majority of the world’s top-ranked universities and
industry-leading companies, we bring our community of over 45
million learners world-class education to support them at every
stage of their lives and careers, from free courses to full
degrees. And were not stopping there — were relentlessly pursuing
our vision of a world where every learner can access education to
unlock their potential, without the barriers of cost or location.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature
and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this
position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive
list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. All
employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal
responsibilities from time to time, as needed. 2U is an equal
opportunity employer that does not discriminate against applicants
or employees and ensures equal employment opportunity for all
persons regardless of their race, creed, color, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin,
age, marital status, disability, citizenship, military or veterans’
status, or any other classifications protected by applicable
federal, state or local laws. 2U’s equal opportunity policy applies
to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not
limited to recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, job benefits
and pay.
Keywords: , Arlington , Vice President, Chief Architect, IT / Software / Systems , State Farm, Virginia