Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect (EA) Consultant (EA Operations & EA Office Stand-Up) 
9+ Months
Sacramento, CA (Hybrid)

 
SCOPE OF WORK: 
seeking a leased employee EA Consultant to lead the tactical execution of enterprise architecture (solutions guidance, standards enforcement, architectural runway) while designing and standing up the EA Office—integrated with PMO and BRM—within a unified Strategy & Governance department. Establish shared services for intake orchestration, AI and data architecture enablement, and financial analytics, and co-own process automation and AI enablement for project managers and shared services specialists. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 
• A. Tactical EA (≈50%) o Solution Architecture & Guidance: Produce solution intents, architecture decision records (ADRs), and reference architectures aligned to enterprise standards. 
o Standards & Patterns: Curate cloud, data, integration, security, and AI/ML patterns (e.g., Azure reference implementations, data mesh vs. warehouse). 
o Architecture Governance: Chair/coordinate Architecture Review Board (ARB); manage exceptions, waivers, and technical debt logs. 
o Road mapping: Maintain capability maps and technology roadmaps; ensure fit to business strategy and PMO portfolio plans. 
o Risk & Compliance: Embed security/privacy by design; align with regulatory and data governance requirements. 
o Vendor/Tool Evaluation: Conduct comparative assessments; ensure interoperability and cost-effectiveness. 
o Asset Management: Optimize and maintain the CMDB. 
Change Management: Participate in Change Management Review Boards to assess and validate. 
o Software Purchase Evaluation: Evaluate software purchase requests and approve or decline based on client policies including security and inventory review. 
o Project Technology: Evaluate and validate software proposed in overall solutions for specific projects. 
o Architecture Design and Strategy: Develop and maintain enterprise architecture frameworks, including business capability maps, technology roadmaps, and IT standards. 
o System Integration: Evaluate and integrate IT systems, ensuring interoperability and scalability across applications and platforms. 
o Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with senior management, technical specialists, and business units to align IT solutions with organizational strategy. 
o Technology Assessment: Research emerging technologies, recommend architecture changes, and advise on system strategies. 
o Documentation and Communication: Create and maintain architectural models, transition plans, and business cases for IT investments. 
o Technology Lifecycle Governance: Manage acquisition request intake, processing, risk management, cybersecurity, procurement, and end-of-life (EOL). 
o Enterprise Technology Standards: Establish governance to define, develop, and enforce enterprise standards. 

B. EA Office Design, Stand-Up & Integration (≈50%)
o Operating Model: Define mission, scope, decision rights (RACI), engagement model with PMO/BRM, and service catalog (e.g., solution reviews, standards stewardship). 
o Processes: Establish demand-to-delivery lifecycle: intake → triage → architecture initiation → design reviews → ARB → delivery checkpoints → benefits traceability. 
o Org & Roles: Define EA lead, domain architects (data, app, infrastructure, security), architecture analysts, and integrate shared services. 
o Tooling: Implement common tooling (e.g., repository for artifacts, ADRs, patterns; Power BI dashboards; Power Automate workflows; M365 Copilot for documentation). 
o Metrics & Reporting: Develop dashboards to monitor architectural compliance, reuse rates, cycle times, risk posture, and benefit realization. 
Change Management: Communicate charter, develop playbooks, onboarding, and training; facilitate adoption across business units. 

B1. Shared Services Capability Build-Out 
o Intake & Triage (Business Analyst): Standardize request forms, categorization, priority scoring, and routing; automate workflows. 
o AI/Data (AI & Data Analyst): Establish data architecture guardrails, metadata management, data lineage, Master Data Management (MDM), migration frameworks; define AI use-case registry, risk controls, model governance, and prompt libraries. 
o Value Analytics: Enable intelligent resource optimization for unbiased decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and financial planning. Use variance analysis, forecast models, and link portfolio financials to business outcomes. 

B2. Process Automation & AI Enablement (with PMO) 
o PMO Automation: Automate stage gates, risk logs, RAID logs, status reports, and deliverable reviews; implement Copilot for PMs (agenda drafting, summarization, action item extraction). 
o Shared Services Automation: Build low-code applications for request triage, architecture review scheduling, and financial reconciliations. 
o Data-Driven Governance: Integrate portfolio data, architectural compliance data, and financial information into unified Strategy & Governance dashboards. 

B3. Stakeholder Management & Communication 
o Single Face to Business Units: Present integrated services; simplify engagement and escalation pathways. 
o Executive Reporting: Provide concise, outcome-oriented updates on architecture, health, delivery risks, and transformation value. 

 
DELIVERABLES (Backlog and will be Prioritized once Onboarded) 
Foundational Artifacts 
• EA Office: Charter, Operating Model, Service Catalog, Engagement Playbook 
• Decision Rights/RACI: RACI matrix, ARB Charter, Exception/Waiver Policy 
• Standards & Reference Architectures: Cloud, data, integration, security, AI standards 
• Capability Maps and Roadmaps 

Automation & Tools 
• Intake & Triage App/Workflow: Power Automate / Power Apps 
• Portfolio & Architecture Dashboards: Power BI 
• Copilot Enablement: Templates, prompts, and governance guidelines 
• ADR Repository and Architecture Artifact Library: SharePoint / DevOps 

AI & Data 
• AI Use Case Registry and Model Risk Controls 
• Data Migration Playbook and Data Governance Guardrails: Lineage, catalog, quality 
• Reusable Data Pipelines and Integration Patterns 

Financial 
• Automated Budget & Forecast Dashboard: Project cost baselines, benefit tracking models 
 

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS 
Experience: 
• Experience implementing AI and automation in IT governance/processes 
• Bachelor’s in Engineering / Technical Sciences 
• 15+ years in IT roles, including IT infrastructure, data management, and business systems 
• Knowledge of cloud platforms, enterprise data management, SQL, and software architecture frameworks 
• 15+ years of experience in enterprise data architecture, data migrations, and data management 
• 15+ years of experience mapping business functionality to IT solutions, assessing risks, and optimizing processes 
• Demonstrated experience designing and developing Enterprise Governance models to support various IT processes like technology procurement, cybersecurity, AI, project integrations, and business enablement 
• Strong interpersonal skills to lead teams, facilitate workshops, and present architectural strategies to executives. 
Skills & Competencies 
Architecture & Technology 
• Enterprise & Solution Architecture: Capability modeling, architecture runway, ADRs 
• Cloud & Integration: Event-driven architectures, identity/access management 
• Data & AI: Data architecture, governance, ETL/ELT, data migration; AI/ML lifecycle, prompt engineering, model governance 
Process & Governance 
• Operating Model Design: Decision rights, organizational design, service catalogs 
• Portfolio & Demand Management: Intake, triage, prioritization, capacity planning 
• Architecture Governance: Architecture Review Board (ARB), standards stewardship, exception handling 
Automation & Tooling 
• Power Platform: Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI 
• M365 Copilot: Enablement and guardrails 
• DevOps Tooling: Azure DevOps, Jira for backlogs and documentation 
• Data Catalog/Lineage Tools: e.g., Microsoft Purview or equivalent 
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS 
• Certifications in TOGAF, ITIL/COBIT, Azure, SAFe (or equivalent) 
• Master’s in Engineering / Technical Sciences 
SOFT SKILLS & LEADERSHIP 
• Executive communication, changing leadership, stakeholder management 
• Systems thinking, analytical problem solving, conflict resolution 
• Coaching/enablement mindset; cross-functional collaboration 

Assumptions 
• Contractors must have reliable internet, work exclusively within the United States. 
• Contractors must be available for any meetings generally scheduled between the hours 8AM and 5PM Pacific Standard Time. 
• This is a hybrid position: the resource will work remotely and will be required to come onsite for 3 consecutive days, Tuesday through Thursday, every three (3) weeks. The third week that requires onsite work will be determined and confirmed by the Task Manager when the resource starts work. 
• The resource working on this task will have strong communication, written and collaboration skills.