The Trump administration has brought Matt Zames, former chief operating officer of JPMorgan Chase, into the Social Security Administration as an unpaid advisor to modernize the agency's technology systems, according to a report in CNBC on Aug. 21, 2026.
Zames will assist SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano with the overhaul but is not taking a leadership role in the agency. The position is unpaid, and Zames remains affiliated with JPMorgan, where he held the COO title before stepping down in recent years.
The Social Security Administration operates with technology infrastructure that dates back decades, creating persistent operational bottlenecks in benefit processing and claims management. A modernization effort of this scale typically requires multi-year planning and budgetary authorization from Congress. Bisignano, who took the commissioner role in 2023, has previously flagged aging systems as a barrier to service delivery.
Zames brings experience scaling large financial technology operations. His tenure at JPMorgan coincided with the bank's expansion of digital infrastructure and trading platforms, though his specific mandate at SSA remains limited to an advisory capacity.
The appointment carries no statutory authority and does not require Senate confirmation. Unpaid advisory roles in federal agencies are common for technology modernization efforts, particularly when the administration seeks outside expertise without expanding the civil service payroll.
The scope of Zames' involvement, whether he will propose a complete systems replacement, oversee vendor selection, or draft a strategic roadmap, has not been detailed by either the administration or the SSA. Bisignano will retain final authority over any modernization decisions and their implementation timeline.
