Head of Enterprise Architecture

Head of Enterprise Architecture

Duties and Responsibilties:
Architectural Vision & Principles

• Define, evangelize, and maintain The Companys architectural vision, principles, and standards.
  
• Ensure every solution is designed against a consistent, future-ready blueprint that supports strategic objectives.
  

Architecture Governance & Oversight

• Establish and chair the Architecture Review Board; manage exceptions and enforce compliance.
  
• Maintain a living reference architecture library, patterns catalog, and technology standards.
  
• Perform architecture health-checks, risk assessments, and design reviews for all major initiatives.
  

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Conduct horizon scanning and Proof-of-Concepts for emerging technologies (e.g., AI/ML, serverless, edge computing).
  
• Streamline the architecture lifecycleimproving methods, toolchains, and collaborationto accelerate delivery.
  
• Publish best-practice patterns, lead workshops, and update guidance to ensure rapid adoption.
  
• Execute post-implementation reviews to measure performance, scalability, and user feedback; drive enhancements.
  

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Partner with Security, Data Governance, PMO, Software Development, and Business Units to embed architecture early in project lifecycles.
  
• Lead architecture evaluations for key vendors, negotiate technology standards in SLAs, and influence vendor roadmaps.
  

Success Metrics & KPIs

• Adoption: percentage of major projects reviewed by the EA function.
  
• Cycle Time Reduction: percentage decrease in delivery lead time through reusable reference architectures.
  
• Risk Mitigation: Number of critical design vulnerabilities detected and remediated pre-go-live.
  

Technical Ecosystem & Tools

• Define reference models for cloud/hybrid platforms and integration patterns (API-first, microservices, event-driven).
  
• Select and manage EA tools to support modelling, reporting, and repository management.
  

Compliance, Risk & Data Privacy

• Embed regulatory requirements and enterprise risk controls into architecture blueprints.
  
• Partner with Risk & Compliance to assess residual architecture risks and own remediation plans.
  

People & Financial Management

• Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing architecture team; define career paths and growth plans.
  
• Forecast resource capacity, allocate skilled staff to critical programs, and maintain continuity of expertise.
  
• Develop and manage the EA functions operating budgetforecasting, approval, and cost control in line with The Companys guidelines.
  
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high engagement.
  

Professional Development & Culture

• Champion continuous learning: support certification pursuits (TOGAF, CISSP, cloud accreditations) and internal architecture guilds.
  
• Promote diversity, inclusion, and an open knowledge-sharing environment across IT and business communities.
  

Management Reporting

• Produce and maintain a set of EA KPIs in alignment with the agreed objectives.
  
• Update executive leadership monthly on trends, emerging risks, and resource capacity.
  
• Deliver a concise architecture review that covers:
  • As-Is vs To-Be progress against roadmaps
    
  • Summary of design reviews and risk mitigations completed
    

Stakeholder Briefings

• Present tailored reports to the CIO/CTO, PMO, and business unit heads, highlighting:
  • Upcoming architecture dependencies or potential blockers
    
  • Remediation plans for critical compliance or security gaps
    
  • Opportunities to reuse existing components for cost or time savings
    

Qualifications:

• Honours degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
  
• TOGAF, Zachman, or equivalent EA framework certification (required).
  
• CISSP, MCSE/MCTS, or PRINCE2 (advantageous).
  
• 8 to 10 years in IT architecture or solution design, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
  
• Proven track record leading architecture for large-scale, cross-domain implementations.
  
• Hands-on expertise across business, data, application, and technology domains.
  
• Deep understanding of security architecture, infrastructure design, software development lifecycles, and data management.
  
• Familiarity with ITIL, COBIT, and other related frameworks.
  
• Expertise in the development and reviewing of reference architectures.

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