Job Description

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

  • 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.