Architect IV - Solutions

JOB SUMMARY

Provides enterprise-level leadership, strategy, analysis, and technical direction for the design and evolution of complex solution architectures. Translates business strategy and future-state capabilities into scalable, secure, resilient, and integrated technology solutions across systems, processes, information, shared infrastructure, and application services. Serves as a senior architectural authority for high-impact initiatives, establishes standards and roadmaps, guides investment decisions, and influences leaders and delivery teams to achieve targeted business outcomes.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Partner with senior business and technology leaders to translate enterprise strategy, business capabilities, and operating-model priorities into actionable solution architecture roadmaps.

Lead the architecture of highly complex, cross-functional solutions spanning multiple applications, platforms, data domains, integrations, infrastructure services, and third-party technologies.

Establish target-state architectures and transition plans that balance business value, technical feasibility, security, resilience, scalability, cost, and speed to market.

Serve as the architectural authority for strategic programs, resolving design conflicts, evaluating tradeoffs, and driving decisions across multiple teams and initiatives.

Guide and influence application, data, integration, infrastructure, security, and cloud architecture decisions to ensure cohesive end-to-end solutions.

Assess the current solution portfolio to identify technical debt, lifecycle risk, capability gaps, duplication, and misalignment with business requirements.

Define and govern enterprise architecture principles, standards, reusable patterns, reference architectures, and decision frameworks.

Lead architecture review and assurance activities to confirm solution quality, compliance, traceability, and alignment with the future-state architecture vision.

Own and maintain strategic roadmaps for the evolution and rationalization of the enterprise application and technology portfolio.

Evaluate emerging technologies, vendor capabilities, market trends, and industry practices, and recommend adoption approaches based on measurable business value and risk.

Lead the evaluation and selection of strategic software products, platforms, services, and standard configurations.

Advise programs and projects on architecture, sequencing, dependencies, constraints, risks, and required changes to business or technology plans.

Identify the organizational, operational, financial, data, security, and change-management impacts of proposed solution architectures.

Develop business cases, architecture options, and executive-level recommendations that clearly communicate costs, benefits, risks, and tradeoffs.

Create and maintain complete architecture artifacts, including models, diagrams, standards, technology decisions, roadmaps, and implementation guidance.

Partner with the PMO and delivery leaders to ensure execution plans, milestones, and solution outcomes remain aligned with approved architecture.

Mentor architects and senior technical professionals, promote consistent architecture practices, and strengthen architecture capability across the organization.

Facilitate executive and technical forums, presenting complex concepts in clear business language and building alignment among diverse stakeholders.

MANAGEMENT & SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILTIES

Typically reports to Management. Direct supervisor job title(s) typically include: Director of Enterprise Architecture

Job is NOT directly responsible for managing other employees (e.g., hiring/termination and/or pay decisions, performance management), but provides functional leadership, technical direction, and mentoring to architects and delivery teams.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS: Education & Experience Requirements

Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, systems analysis, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience. Advanced degree preferred.

12+ years of progressive experience across multiple IT solution-development disciplines, with substantial experience leading architecture for complex, enterprise-scale initiatives.

Demonstrated experience designing integrated solutions across diverse technologies, platforms, processing environments, data domains, security models, and delivery methods.

Advanced knowledge of strategic and emerging technology trends and the ability to determine when and how technologies can support evolving business capabilities and operating models.

Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, facilitate complex decisions, communicate architecture strategy to technical and non-technical audiences, and build alignment without direct authority.

Strong understanding of agile and product delivery methods, including the ability to guide teams on architecture opportunities, dependencies, risks, and technical debt.

Experience developing technology roadmaps, architecture standards, governance practices, and executive-level recommendations for major technology investments.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS: Essential Skills, Abilities and Example Behavior(s)

BE ANALYTICAL: Able to effectively gather all relevant information; Able to identify key issues; Able to qualitatively and / or quantitatively process data; Able to identify relationships, draw logical conclusions and interpret results for use in decision-making

DEMONSTRATE SOUND JUDGMENT: Able to make appropriate decisions and has the vision to understand their impact; Able to use factual information to develop logical assumptions; Able to examine alternatives and consider resources, constraints and risks before committing to action

ADAPT: Able to maintain effectiveness by changing personal behavior and work routines / habits in response to new circumstances and requirements

COLLABORATE: Able to act as part of a larger team outside of the immediate department or group; Able to understand the importance of working with peers in other areas or management to reach "best practice" solutions for the organization; Able to inform and seek information to anticipate and consider the impact of decisions or actions on the overall organization

AVID LEARNER: Able to accurately assess own strengths and development needs and strive to improve those areas identified as needing development; staying abreast of core components of enterprise technical architecture and emerging technology trends; continuous attention to integrating technology within the business to evolve business capabilities.

ACT WITH INTEGRITY: Able to demonstrate uncompromising adherence to ethical principles; Able to demonstrate honesty in all actions; Able to admit and correct mistakes promptly; Able to assume full responsibility and accountability for own actions

SOLVE PROBLEMS: Able to apply both rational and creative processes and approaches to identify root causes of problems and solutions

THINK STRATEGICALLY: Able to connect enterprise strategy, business capabilities, and technology direction; Able to anticipate long-term trends and consequences; Able to create and communicate a compelling future-state vision; Able to make decisions based on long-term company goals and enterprise-wide impact

LISTEN: Able to actively listen and convey understanding of the comments and questions of others; Able to understand the situations, viewpoints and feelings of others before expressing own view

DELIVER QUALITY RESULTS: Able to deliver top quality service to all customers (internal and external); Able to ensure all details are covered and adhere to company policies; Able to strive to do things right the first time; Able to meet agreed-upon commitments or advises customer when deadlines are jeopardized; Able to define high standards for quality and evaluate products, services, and own performance against those standards

EDUCATE AND INFLUENCE: Able to communicate complex architecture concepts to executives, business partners, and technical teams; Able to build alignment, mentor others, and produce effective architecture standards, decision records, guiding principles, and implementation guidance.

ADVANCED COMPUTER USER: Able to exploit required software applications to produce correspondence, reports, presentations, electronic communication, and complex spreadsheets including formulas and macros and/or databases. Able to operate general office equipment including company telephone system