Principal Enterprise Architect

wk; Riverwoods (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

wk is seeking a Principal Architect, Infrastructure Transformation to lead a broad modernization across infrastructure and operations. You will define strategy, operating models, and roadmaps, partnering with executives, architects, and engineers to deliver measurable business value and improved resiliency.

You will drive AI-enabled operations, automation, and cloud-native practices, champion standardization, and guide organizational change in a global, matrixed environment, ensuring initiatives

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a multi-year Infrastructure Transformation roadmap aligned to business goals.
• Partner with senior executives to boost operational effectiveness, resiliency, and value.
• Define future-state operating models and technology strategies.
• Establish priorities to maximize business impact.
• Create and communicate a compelling vision for Infrastructure & Operations.

Job description

About the Role

The Infrastructure Operations team is undergoing a significant transformation to modernize technology platforms, simplify operations, accelerate AI and automation adoption, improve service quality, and increase organizational effectiveness. We are seeking a highly accomplished Principal Architect, Infrastructure Transformation to lead this transformation journey. This is an Individual Contributor transformation leadership role responsible for defining and driving strategic transformation initiatives across Infrastructure & Operations. The successful candidate will partner with executives, technology leaders, architects, engineers, and business stakeholders to modernize infrastructure capabilities, evolve operating models, accelerate innovation, and deliver measurable business outcomes. The role requires a unique combination of technology leadership, transformation experience, organizational influence, and strategic execution. Success will come from the ability to create effective solutions, align diverse stakeholders around a common vision, remove obstacles, guide critical decisions, and drive sustainable organizational change across a highly matrixed global environment. This is not a traditional program management or operational leadership role. It is a transformation leadership position focused on shaping the future of Infrastructure & Operations and ensuring successful adoption of new capabilities, technologies, and ways of working.

What You Will Do

Lead Infrastructure Transformation Strategy

• Develop and maintain a multi-year Infrastructure Transformation roadmap aligned with business and technology objectives.
• Partner with senior executives to identify strategic opportunities that improve operational effectiveness, resiliency, scalability, and business value.
• Define future-state operating models, organizational capabilities, and technology strategies.
• Establish transformation priorities and sequencing to maximize business impact and value realization.
• Create and communicate a compelling vision for the future of Infrastructure & Operations.

Drive Technology Modernization

• Lead enterprise-wide modernization initiatives across infrastructure, operations, cloud, platform engineering, database services, observability, service management, automation, and operational tooling.
• Accelerate adoption of modern engineering practices, automation, reliability engineering, and cloud-native operating models.
• Champion simplification, consolidation, and standardization across technology platforms and services.
• Drive adoption of AI-enabled operations, intelligent automation, self-service capabilities, and data-driven decision making.
• Ensure technology investments support long-term strategic objectives and measurable business outcomes.

Lead Organizational Change

• Drive adoption of new technologies, platforms, processes, and operating models.
• Build alignment across technology and business organizations to support transformation objectives.
• Develop change management, communication, and stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Foster a culture focused on innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with leaders across the organization to navigate complex organizational change and transformation challenges.

Enable Transformation Execution

• Establish governance frameworks that support successful transformation outcomes.
• Align workstreams across infrastructure, architecture, engineering, security, operations, and business teams.
• Coordinate cross-functional dependencies and remove barriers to progress.
• Support and facilitate executive steering committees and transformation leadership forums.
• Develop executive dashboards, transformation metrics, and outcome-based reporting.
• Identify and mitigate strategic risks that may impact transformation success.
• Ensure initiatives remain aligned to target-state operating models, architecture principles, and business objectives.

Influence Across the Enterprise

• Serve as a trusted transformation partner to senior executives and technology leaders.
• Lead through influence rather than formal organizational authority.
• Build strong partnerships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Drive alignment in complex environments with competing priorities and perspectives.
• Facilitate strategic decisions that balance business, technology, operational, and financial considerations.
• Communicate transformation progress, challenges, opportunities, and outcomes to executive leadership.

Drive Business Value Realization

• Develop transformation business cases and investment strategies.
• Define measurable success criteria and value realization objectives.
• Partner with Finance and business leaders to validate operational and financial outcomes.
• Ensure transformation investments deliver meaningful improvements in efficiency, resiliency, service quality, user experience, and business performance.
• Monitor and communicate transformation outcomes to leadership stakeholders.

Required Qualific