Chief Architect

Nedap; Groenlo; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Thirteenth month salary

Pension scheme

Profit sharing

Flexible working hours

Vacation days

Job summary

Nedap is seeking a Chief Architect to drive architectural decisions and connect business strategy with engineering practice. You will influence across the organisation and work with the RAG to shape Nedap's technology roadmap.

You will guide teams through architectural decisions, translate industry developments into actionable initiatives, and contribute to governance and standardisation. A senior, advisory role focused on impact and collaboration.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering or software architecture across multiple landscapes.
• Strong architectural skills and systems thinking with a solid theoretical foundation.
• Ability to connect technology, business and domain context for a holistic view.
• Experience in facilitating workshops or architecture sessions.
• Excellent Dutch and English language skills.

Responsibilities

• Strategic advice to CTO, HOTs and RAG in technological and architectural decisions.
• Contributing to a Nedap-wide perspective by identifying patterns and proposing improvements.
• Translating industry developments into Nedap initiatives and experiments.
• Developing and shaping Nedap’s tech strategy.
• Sparring partner for architecture and design with delivery teams; run architecture sessions.
• Improve architecture governance and decision-making processes across the organization.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Architectural thinking

Systems thinking

Business-domain understanding

Facilitation workshops

Assertive communication

Dutch language

English language

Job description

What are you going to do?

At Nedap, we view architecture as a shared responsibility. As a Chief Architect, you play a key role in this by connecting people and perspectives and helping teams make well-informed technological decisions.

As a Chief Architect, you will guide Nedap’s technological development. You will work across the organisation and look beyond the boundaries of business units to identify patterns, opportunities and risks in technology and architecture.

In this role, you will link strategy to the day-to-day practice of our engineering teams. You will translate industry developments into concrete and actionable insights for our organisation.

You will work closely with the CTO, the Heads of Technology (HOTs) and the RAG (Repeatable Architecture Group) and contribute to the further development of our tech strategy. Your role is advisory and you will have a say in decisions within the RAG. At the same time, you will act as a sparring partner for teams working on our solutions in the four key markets: Healthcare, Livestock, Retail and Security.

Your responsibilities

Strategic advice

Supporting the CTO, HOTs and RAG in technological and architectural decision-making.

Contributing to and ensuring a Nedap-wide perspective

Identifying patterns, risks and overlaps in technology and working methods across business units and proposing improvements; contributing to the standardisation and consistency of solutions within Nedap. In doing so, you will examine architecture from various perspectives, such as business, solution, deployment and infrastructure architecture.

Translating technological developments

Identifying opportunities and innovations in the industry and translating them to Nedap; researching new technologies and initiating experiments or research projects.

Developing tech strategy

Shaping and further developing Nedap’s tech strategy.

Sparring partner for architecture and design

Supporting delivery teams with architecture and design issues; organising and facilitating architecture and design sessions to support teams with key technical decisions.

Architecture governance

Helping to improve decision-making processes and organisation around architecture and tech strategy.

Your team

You will be part of the wider technology ecosystem within Nedap. Your team forms part of the central tech pillar within Nedap, known as Foundry. Although you are positioned outside the business units, you will work closely with teams across the organisation. In this way, you will ensure a Nedap-wide perspective on technology and help to connect knowledge and insights between teams.

As a Chief Architect, you will be part of the RAG (Repeatable Architecture Group), where Nedap-wide architectural choices are discussed and determined. This group comprises, amongst others, Architects and Tech Leads from all Business Units. Within this group, you will represent the Nedap-wide perspective and contribute to joint decision-making.

What's in it for you?

As a Chief Architect at Nedap, you will make a valuable contribution to our goal: making people happier and more successful in their professional lives. In addition to your salary, you are entitled to a thirteenth month's salary, a good pension scheme, and profit sharing with the option of becoming a Nedap shareholder. For us, it's all about trust and autonomy. That’s why, along with your colleagues, you decide on your own working hours and vacation days to maintain a healthy work-life balance. We also attach great importance to personal and professional growth. You will receive a comprehensive introduction and we encourage you to continue developing yourself.

Required skills

As a Chief Architect, you bring people and ideas together. In discussions about architecture or technology, you help teams arrive at the best solution themselves by asking the right questions and sharing knowledge. You have a coaching and analytical approach to your work and know how to distil complex issues down to their core. You are able to bring different perspectives together and get people moving in the same direction. At the same time, you are confident and assertive: you are not afraid to challenge assumptions or decisions when necessary, always with respect for the people and the context in which they work.

In addition, you recognise yourself in the following:

• Work experience: 10+ years’ experience in software engineering or software architecture (e.g. as an architect, senior engineer or tech lead) across multiple application landscapes within various organisations.
• Architecture & systems thinking: Strong architectural skills and systems thinking, with a solid theoretical foundation in software architecture and system design.
• Business & domain understanding: You are able to connect technology, business and domain context and maintain a holistic perspective.
• Engineering background: experience in software development (embedded is a plus), making you a credible discussion partner for delivery teams and developers.
• Domain-Driven Design (preferred): experience with (Strategic) Domain-Driven Design is a plus.
• Workshops and sessions (preferred): Experience in facilitating workshops, architecture sessions or knowledge-sharing sessions is a definite plus.
• Language skills: You have an excellent command of Dutch and are also proficient in English.

About Nedap

Nedap is a global leader in Digital Twin Technology, bridging the physical and digital worlds in Retail, Healthcare, Livestock, and Security. Guided by our Technology for Life philosophy, we create smart, sustainable solutions that help people and organizations thrive in a rapidly changing world.