Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture and Strategy

Sysco Corp.; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Sysco is seeking a Senior Director of IT Architecture to lead enterprise, domain, and solution architecture practices. You will guide architecture to meet business needs, align with enterprise standards, and shape long-term platform direction.

This role requires global leadership, staffing model design, and a focus on AI, cloud modernization, and resiliency. You will drive architecture governance, establish roadmaps, and partner with senior leaders to ensure investments align with Sysco’s

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of management experience leading software engineering or infrastructure teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in cloud platforms, microservices, and AI/ML technologies.
• Proven ability to develop and execute large-scale technology roadmaps and manage cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Set strategy across applications, infrastructure, data, and AI to align with business priorities.
• Lead modernization of global infrastructure for resilience, stability, and cost optimization.
• Develop and govern technology roadmaps, standards, and architecture patterns.
• Manage relationships across Operations, Commercial, HR, and Finance to enable enterprise delivery.
• Lead staffing model for federated and technically deep architects while ensuring governance.

Skills

Leadership

Architecture governance

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-functional leadership

Cloud platforms

Microservices

AI/ML

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field (Master's preferred)

Job description

This is a hybrid position requiring an on-site presence 3 to 4 days per week. Please note that the number of days on-site can increase based on business needs

This individual will be responsible for developing multi-year strategies that align with Sysco’s business objectives, maximize technology capabilities, improve resiliency, and drive cost efficiency across the enterprise. As the leader of Sysco’s IT architecture function, this person will guide enterprise, domain, and solution architecture practices to ensure designs meet business needs, enterprise standards, fit-for-purpose expectations, and long-term platform direction.

The Senior Director will also define the right operating and staffing model for enterprise architecture, balancing federated architects embedded within business and technology domains with deeply technical solution architects who can shape complex designs, challenge assumptions, and translate strategy into practical architecture decisions. This leader will maintain the enterprise technology roadmap and ensure architecture choices align with Sysco’s broader business strategy.

A focus on technology innovation, including AI, cloud and platform modernization, data architecture, resiliency, and architecture governance will be key areas of responsibility. The role also includes leading a global architecture organization and matrixed architecture community, requiring strong management skills, practical technical depth, and the ability to influence in a complex global environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Architecture and Strategy Leadership: Set strategy across applications, infrastructure, data, and AI, ensuring enterprise architecture decisions support Sysco’s business priorities and long-term technology direction.

• Infrastructure Modernization: Lead global initiatives to enhance stability, security, and cost-efficiency across all platforms and systems.

• Technology Roadmaps and Standards: Develop and govern comprehensive technology roadmaps, standards, and architecture patterns that align business priorities with enterprise technology direction.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Manage key relationships across Operations, Commercial, HR, and Finance, supporting enterprise-wide project delivery. As well as develop annual investment plans

• Architecture Operating Model: Develop the right staffing and engagement model for federated architects and deeply technical solution architects, ensuring enterprise standards are applied consistently while enabling domain-level speed and expertise.

• Innovation and Resiliency: Drive IT innovation (e.g., AI), financial technology operations (including Cloud FinOps), and disaster recovery/resiliency planning.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Drives the overall IT architecture, strategy, and governance of technology selection and delivery across Signature's businesses, applications, platforms, and technology services.

• Plays a critical role in modernizing Sysco’s technology portfolio to drive an improved experience for our customers and team members.

• Ensures the business strategy for the organization is enabled through technology and aligns with the IT roadmap.

• Consistently advise the CDIO and Executive Leadership Team (ELT) on areas of external trends, architectural best practices, and adherence to standards.

• Establish and chair an architecture governance board responsible for ensuring effective and efficient use of IT resources and assets, as well as architecture decisions that enable the long-term business strategy.

• Partner with business and IT leaders to ensure that architecture roadmaps continually align with business objectives.

• Manage and mentor a highly technical team responsible for the creation, implementation, and maintenance of architectural strategies.

• Mentor and coach a global team and federated community of enterprise architects, domain architects, and deeply technical solution architects across applications, infrastructure, data, and AI.

Key Responsibilities (expanded):

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and drive enterprise architecture strategies across applications, infrastructure, data, and AI, leveraging emerging technologies such as Generative AI, machine learning, cloud platforms, and modern integration patterns to future-proof Sysco’s technology landscape.
• Oversee the modernization of Sysco’s global infrastructure, focusing on resilience, stability, and cost optimization
• Partner with business and technology leaders to align technology investments with organizational priorities, ensuring both short-term success and long-term competitiveness

Technology Vision, Decision-Making & Roadmap:

• Lead the creation of technology roadmaps that address current business needs while enabling innovation
• Identify technology trends and advise on their application to improve infrastructure and architectural frameworks
• Guide the evaluation and adoption of new tools, technologies, and platforms.
• Establish and maintain technical standards and best practices for toolset selection and implementation.
• Partner with development teams to define, maintain, and govern enterprise strategies, multi-year roadmaps, technical standards, architecture patterns, and approved development tools across infrastructure, data platforms, AI, and software engineering.
• Chair the Enterprise Architecture Review Board, ensuring alignment of enterprise solutions with business goals and architectural best practices

Delivery & Execution:

• Translate enterprise architecture strategy into actionable roadmaps, standards, and design patterns that guide technology decisions across business and technology teams.
• Maximize IaaS, SaaS and other cloud spend as well as predicting future usage
• Develop and maintain a multi year plan for infrastructure technologies
• Establish an ARB, ensure strategic alignment across teams

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead cross-functional teams, managing both internal and external resources to deliver high-impact technical solutions.
• Develop the right architecture staffing model, balancing federated architects embedded in business and technology domains with deeply technical solution architects who can lead complex design decisions.
• Bring broad technical knowledge across legacy platforms and leading-edge technologies, while modeling constant learning and encouraging the architecture organization to stay current with evolving business and technology needs.
• Provide mentorship to technical professionals and guide the continuous improvement of the teams' skills and processes.

Financial, Governance, and Technology Standards Oversight:

• Lead financial planning and budgeting for Platform Services & Digital Infrastructure, ensuring alignment with Sysco’s broader business objectives.
• Manage large-scale infrastructure investments while adhering to governance frameworks to ensure compliance, security, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (Master's preferred).
• 10+ years of management experience, leading software engineering or infrastructure teams in a cloud environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in cloud platforms, microservices, and AI/ML technologies.
• Proven experience in developing and executing large-scale technology roadmaps and managing cross-functional teams.
• Strong leadership, architecture governance, stakeholder engagement, and technical judgment skills, with broad experience across legacy systems, modern cloud platforms, data, AI, integration, security, and infrastructure technologies.