Enterprise Data Architect

Smurfit Westrock; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive training opportunities

Competitive salary

Global packaging company focus onSust/

Sustainability initiatives

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking an Enterprise Data Architect to shape our data ecosystem. You will design the enterprise-wide architecture, drive governance, and champion automation across on-prem and cloud platforms.

You will lead data stewardship, ensure SOX/GDPR compliance, and enable AI/ML workloads with scalable data pipelines. This role requires strong leadership and collaboration across IT and business teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 10+ years in Information Technology, with 3+ years in enterprise data architecture or equivalent leadership role.
• Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data strategies, architectures, and governance frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of: Data Lake, EDW, Data Warehouse, and MDM architectures; Metadata management, data lineage, data quality frameworks; Compliance and governance standards (SOX, GDPR, CCPA); Architecture frameworks and modeling (TOGAF, DAMA, ArchiMate).
• DataOps and CI/CD pipeline tooling; Data cataloging and lineage tools (Collibra, Alation).

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of the enterprise-wide data architecture and roadmap, aligning with business goals, IT strategy, and compliance.
• Establish target-state data capabilities for ingestion, processing, consumption, governance, and security across on-prem and cloud.
• Develop scalable, modular, and metadata-driven architectures to support analytics, reporting, and real-time workflows.
• Define and enforce enterprise data standards, governance policies, and stewardship models with stakeholders.
• Lead MDM strategy and implementation for data consistency across systems.
• Drive compliance with SOX, GDPR, and data privacy frameworks; ensure traceability and audit readiness.
• Create reusable architectural patterns for modern automated data pipelines supporting self-service BI, AI/ML, and analytics.
• Drive integration standardization across ERP, MES, CRM, WMS, and data platforms using scalable frameworks.
• Architect analytics modernization including real-time data, embedded analytics, and data science workloads.
• Define platform strategy and readiness for AI/ML enablement, ensuring scalable pipelines for training and inference.
• Act as strategic advisor to business and IT leaders on data architecture and governance.
• Facilitate governance councils, align stakeholders, and promote a data-driven culture.
• Mentor architects and analysts to improve data literacy and architecture maturity.
• Lead data harmonization for M&A, ERP programs, and cross-platform integration.

Skills

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Mentoring

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Systems/CS/Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

TOGAF

DAMA

ArchiMate

DataOps

Collibra

Alation

Job description

The Enterprise Data Architect will play a strategic role in shaping the future of our enterprise data ecosystem, driving architectural standards, governance, automation, and analytics enablement across the organization.

This is a unique opportunity to help establish and evolve a clean, scalable, and governed data foundation to support initiatives such as ERP integration, AI/ML enablement, SOX compliance and future acquisitions.

How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock

Data Architecture & Strategy

• Lead the design and execution of the enterprise-wide data architecture and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals, IT strategy, and compliance requirements.
• Establish target-state data capabilities across data ingestion, processing, consumption, governance, and security, for both on-prem and cloud platforms.
• Develop scalable, modular, and metadata-driven architectures that support analytics, reporting, and real-time operational workflows.

Data Governance & Management

• Define and enforce enterprise data standards, governance policies, and stewardship models in partnership with business and IT stakeholders.
• Lead master data management (MDM) strategy and implementation to ensure data consistency and integrity across systems.
• Drive compliance with regulatory mandates such as SOX, GDPR, and data privacy frameworks, ensuring data traceability and audit readiness.
• Establish architectural principles and reusable patterns for modern, automated data pipelines, supporting self-service BI, AI/ML, and operational analytics.
• Drive integration standardization across source systems (ERP, MES, CRM, WMS, etc.) and data platforms using scalable frameworks and automation tools.

Analytics & AI/ML Enablement

• Architect the foundation for analytics modernization, including support for real-time data, embedded analytics, and data science workloads.
• Define the platform strategy and readiness roadmap for AI/ML enablement, ensuring data pipelines are clean, governed, and scalable for model training and inference.

Enterprise & Organizational Leadership

• Act as a strategic advisor to business and IT leaders on all matters related to data architecture and governance.
• Facilitate workshops and governance councils to align stakeholders, define guardrails, and foster a data-driven culture.
• Mentor architects, analysts, and business users to improve data literacy, architecture maturity, and adoption of best practices.
• Lead enterprise data harmonization for M&A activity, ERP programs, and cross-platform integrations.

What You Need to Succeed

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 10+ years in Information Technology, with 3+ years in enterprise data architecture or equivalent leadership role.
• Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data strategies, architectures, and governance frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of:
  • Data Lake, EDW, Data Warehouse, and MDM architectures
  • Metadata management, data lineage, data quality frameworks
  • Compliance and governance standards (e.g., SOX, GDPR, CCPA)
  • Architecture frameworks and modeling (TOGAF, DAMA, ArchiMate, etc.)
• Preferred Platforms and Tools:
  • DataOps and CI/CD pipeline tooling
  • Data cataloging and lineage tools (Collibra, Alation, etc.)
• Leadership and Soft Skills:
  • Strong interpersonal and executive communication skills
  • Ability to translate architectural direction into actionable strategy
  • Experience leading cross-functional teams and CoEs
  • Adept at stakeholder engagement and change enablement

What We Offer

• Corporate culture based on loyalty, integrity, & respect.
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities.
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential.
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

Candidates are required to undergo a drug screening after receiving a conditional job offer, but before starting employment.