CTO / Principal Solution Architect

EPAM Systems; Lisboa; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Variety of projects

Engineering excellence standards

Individual career growth opportunities

Internal events and communities

Flexible work hours

Job summary

EPAM Systems in Lisbon invites a CTO / Principal Solution Architect to shape technology strategy and AI-native delivery across enterprise programs. You will mentor senior architects, lead multi-country transformations and craft reference architectures while hands-on contributing to POCs and governance models.

The ideal candidate combines executive communication with deep expertise in cloud platforms, GenAI, and architecture frameworks, and can steer complex engagements from discovery through

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in software engineering, architecture and technology consulting with C-level advisory.
• Proven ability to lead multi-country digital and AI transformation programs.
• Strong executive communication and negotiation skills.
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar technology programs.

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic advisor to client CTOs, CIOs and other C-level stakeholders on technology strategies and operating models.
• Lead large-scale, multi-country digital and AI transformation engagements — from strategy through roadmap and delivery.
• Design enterprise-level AI reference architectures, governance frameworks and AI Center of Excellence operating models.
• Maintain fluency in AI-native engineering, including GenAI and agentic development frameworks; build and demo AI POCs for pursuits.
• Oversee pre-sales for strategic programs; shape proposals and position EPAM offerings with senior executives.
• Produce architectural artifacts such as blueprints, transition roadmaps and governance structures.
• Present thought leadership at major conferences, client forums and internal leadership events.
• Author technical points of view and whitepapers for internal and external publications.
• Mentor senior architects, solution leaders and engineering leads to grow organizational capability.

Skills

C-level advisory

Enterprise architecture

Cloud platforms

GenAI / LLMs

Pre-sales

Executive communication

Security by design

Tools

TOGAF

ArchiMate

Zachman

BIAN

Job description

We're looking for a CTO / Principal Solution Architect to join our team in Lisbon, Portugal in a hybrid working mode. This highly senior role operates at the intersection of technology strategy, business outcomes and AI-native engineering. As a trusted advisor to C-level clients, you will lead large-scale technology and AI transformation programs, design reference architectures and target operating models, and personally contribute to AI-native solution delivery and proof-of-concept development. You will combine strategic thought leadership with hands-on execution to shape the technology vision and deliver innovative solutions for complex enterprise challenges.

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic advisor to client CTOs, CIOs and other C-level stakeholders on technology strategies and operating models
• Lead large-scale, multi-country digital and AI transformation engagements — from strategy through roadmap and delivery
• Design enterprise-level AI reference architectures, governance frameworks and AI Center of Excellence operating models
• Maintain fluency in AI-native engineering, including GenAI and agentic development frameworks; build and demo AI POCs for pursuits
• Oversee pre-sales for strategic programs; shape proposals and position EPAM offerings with senior executives
• Produce architectural artifacts such as blueprints, transition roadmaps and governance structures
• Present thought leadership at major conferences, client forums and internal leadership events
• Author technical points of view and whitepapers for internal and external publications
• Mentor senior architects, solution leaders and engineering leads to grow organizational capability

Requirements

• Extensive experience across software engineering, architecture and technology consulting, including C-level advisory roles
• Proven track record in leading large-scale, international technology transformation initiatives from discovery to execution
• Deep technical expertise across cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, event-driven architectures, and security-by-design
• Strong understanding of AI-native development paradigms including GenAI / LLMs, RAG, MLOps, governance and AI-augmented SDLC
• Demonstrated ability to lead AI POCs hands-on, beyond conceptual design
• Familiarity with industry reference frameworks (TOGAF, ArchiMate, Zachman, BIAN)
• Exceptional executive communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills
• Recognized thought leader with an established presence in architecture or technology communities
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar technology programs and driving business development at the enterprise level

We offer

• Competitive compensation depending on experience and skills
• Variety of projects within one company
• Being a part of a project following engineering excellence standards
• Individual career path and professional growth opportunities
• Internal events and communities
• Flexible work hours