Application Architect

Role overview

Architecture and portfolio responsibilities

• Develop and maintain enterprise application architecture aligned with business strategy and enterprise architecture direction.
• Assess applications, platforms, interfaces, dependencies, lifecycle status, and functional coverage; map applications to capabilities, services, processes, data domains, and platforms.
• Define target-state architecture and transition roadmaps; identify duplication, overlap, gaps, technical debt, and rationalization opportunities.
• Support modernization, replacement, consolidation, retirement, and cloud migration; define principles, standards, patterns, and reference architectures.
• Design interaction models, cooperation views, dependency maps, and integration touchpoints; collaborate across solution, integration, data, cloud, infrastructure, and security architecture.
• Assess COTS, SaaS, custom, and platform solutions for scalability, maintainability, interoperability, resilience, security, and enterprise alignment.
• Support application portfolio and technology lifecycle management; guide APIs, microservices, modular applications, event-driven solutions, and modern platforms.
• Participate in governance, design reviews, and Architecture Review Boards; support RFPs, vendor evaluation, technical assessments, selection, and risk remediation.

Required experience

• Minimum 8–10 years in application development, software engineering, solution design, application architecture, or related disciplines.
• At least 4–5 years hands-on in Application Architecture or a comparable senior architecture role.
• Demonstrated experience assessing and designing complex enterprise application landscapes.
• Experience with modernization, rationalization, integration, cloud adoption, or digital transformation programs.
• Strong understanding of application patterns, APIs, services, integration approaches, and distributed architectures.
• Experience with senior business stakeholders, project teams, developers, vendors, and architecture governance bodies.

Core competencies

• Enterprise application architecture, portfolio assessment and rationalization, capability mapping, and target-state application design.
• Application modernization, integration, interoperability, API and service-oriented architecture, and microservices and event-driven concepts.
• Cloud-native and hybrid architecture, lifecycle and technical debt management, governance, assurance, technology evaluation, and vendor evaluation.
• Architecture modeling and documentation, stakeholder management, consulting, and analytical problem-solving.

Preferred frameworks and qualifications

• Preferred frameworks and methods: TOGAF, ArchiMate, UML, BPMN where relevant, service-oriented architecture, microservices, API-first and event-driven patterns, cloud architecture frameworks, well-architected principles, DevOps, and DevSecOps.
• Preferred tools and exposure: Bizzdesign, Sparx Enterprise Architect, Orbus/iServer, ARIS, similar enterprise architecture platforms, API management, integration, middleware, messaging, Docker, Kubernetes, Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, and portfolio or lifecycle tools.
• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline is preferred.
• TOGAF certification is highly desirable; ArchiMate certification is desirable. Cloud architecture, software architecture, application development, or DevOps certifications are advantageous.

Personal attributes