Can someone describe what a Staff+ is and how it compares to architect? I think I know but my employer doesn't have that position, or an IC track - it seems that everyone is an engineer, architect, or manager, and a few years ago anyway it seemed like Architect was the senior position to aim for if you didn't want to be a manager.
I'm an architect now but I don't code as much and I suspect I could add more value if I did more self-directed coding.
https://staffeng.com/ is a great resource on this. It describes Architect as one of the possible archetypes[1] of staff engineers, though staff engineers can take on other responsibilities as well. It's possible that the Architect track in your company is just simply their name for this role.
I'm an architect now but I don't code as much and I suspect I could add more value if I did more self-directed coding.