Enterprise Architect

JOB DETAILS:

Position: Enterprise Architect

Location: Minnetonka Mills, MN Onsite

Type of Employment: 12+ Months Contract

Role Description:

• Create business-aligned architecture roadmaps and solution strategies for differentiation, agility, and cost optimization.
• Create and execute technology roadmaps for product capabilities, ensuring alignment with new initiatives.
• Architect and design scalable, reliable, and high-performance solutions for complex business problems.
• Provide thought leadership and market expertise to guide strategic investments.
• Develop solutions balancing short-term needs with long-term vision.
• Deliver comprehensive solution architecture aligned with strategic goals.
• Partner with business stakeholders for planning, road-mapping, and prioritization.
• Break down complex business strategies into actionable initiatives for efficient road mapping.
• Conduct impact analysis, support cost-benefit analysis, and financial planning for initiatives.
• Prepare materials demonstrating alignment with enterprise practices for Architectural Review Boards.
• Develop materials to promote architecture and technology strategies to executives.
• Work effectively with architects, scrum teams, and business partners.
• Provide strategic and tactical direction to delivery teams.
• Communicate effectively with teammates, technology partners, and business leaders.
• Resolve conflicting objectives and priorities positively.
• Work across silos to resolve dependencies and accelerate decisions.
• Assist in change and innovation through disruptive technology.
• Create and maintain architecture patterns and guidelines.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the Enterprise Architecture strategy| roadmap| principles and standards.
• Translate business objectives into scalable| secure and cost-effective technology solutions.
• Assess the existing technology landscape and define current-state and target-state architectures.
• Lead architecture for application modernisation| cloud adoption| data platforms| integration and digital transformation programmes.
• Evaluate solution designs for alignment with enterprise architecture standards and strategic objectives.
• Define technology standards| reusable architecture patterns and reference architectures.
• Drive cloud and hybrid-cloud architecture across Azure| AWS and/or Google Cloud Platform environments.
• Guide application teams on microservices| APIs| event-driven architecture and integration patterns.
• Provide architectural direction for data| analytics| AI and enterprise integration platforms.
• Work with security teams to incorporate security| privacy| resilience and regulatory requirements into architecture.
• Identify technical debt| architecture risks and opportunities for platform rationalisation and modernisation.
• Conduct architecture reviews and provide technical governance across programmes and projects.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption based on business value| feasibility| risk and strategic fit.
• Collaborate with business leaders| programme managers| solution architects| engineering teams and infrastructure teams.
• Support technology selection| vendor/product evaluation and build-vs-buy decisions.
• Mentor solution and technical architects and ensure consistency across architecture decisions.

Essential Skills:

• Strong understanding of Enterprise Architecture frameworks and methodologies| such as TOGAF.
• Strong knowledge across application| data| integration| cloud| infrastructure and security architecture.
• Cloud architecture experience with Azure/AWS/Google Cloud Platform.
• Strong understanding of microservices| REST APIs| API management and event-driven architecture.
• Experience with application modernization and legacy transformation.
• Knowledge of containers| Kubernetes| DevOps and CI/CD.
• Understanding of relational/NoSQL databases| data platforms| data lakes/lake houses and analytics architecture.
• Knowledge of IAM| security architecture| Zero Trust| encryption and compliance principles.
• Experience creating architecture diagrams| reference architectures| technology roadmaps and solution blueprints.
• Understanding of scalability| availability| resiliency| performance and disaster-recovery principles

Knowledge of AI/GenAI architecture and cloud-native AI services would be an advantage.

Leadership / Functional Skills

• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication.
• Ability to convert complex technical concepts into clear business recommendations.
• Strong architecture governance and decision-making capabilities.
• Experience working across multiple technology programmes and business units.
• Ability to influence engineering and business teams without direct authority.

Preferred Experience:

• Significant experience in IT architecture| including experience as an Enterprise Architect| Principal Architect or Senior Solution Architect.
• Experience leading large-scale cloud| digital or application-modernization programmes.
• TOGAF| Azure/AWS/Google Cloud Platform or relevant architecture/cloud certifications preferred.