Enterprise Architecture Lead: Strategy & Governance

Dis-Chem Pharmacies Limited; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Dis-Chem Pharmacies is seeking an Enterprise Architecture Lead reporting to the Head of Enterprise Architecture. The role leads the EA capability, translating strategy into actionable guidance and roadmaps across applications, data, integration and infrastructure.

The incumbent will act as the senior practitioner for Enterprise Architects, ensuring coherence, simplification and risk reduction, while enabling faster, safer delivery through governance and early architectural clarity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 8-10+ years' experience in enterprise or senior solution architecture roles.
• Proven experience designing and governing enterprise-scale architectures.
• Experience operating within formal architecture governance (ARB, design authority models).

Responsibilities

• Lead the Enterprise Architecture capability, including standards, methods, and quality of enterprise-level designs.
• Translate business strategy and CIO direction into target-state architectures and transition roadmaps.
• Drive simplification, reuse, and standardisation across platforms and vendors.
• Ensure non-functional requirements (security, resilience, scalability, operability) are embedded at enterprise level.
• Act as a senior authority within the Architecture Review Board (ARB) and review designs for alignment to standards.
• Provide clear patterns, guardrails, and reference architectures to accelerate delivery.
• Partner with Solution Architecture Lead to ensure clean handover from enterprise intent to solution design.
• Prevent late-stage rework by resolving architectural questions before scope and funding are locked.
• Engage early in initiative shaping, option analysis, and vendor selection.
• Influence architectural outcomes through credibility and structured reasoning.

Skills

Enterprise architecture leadership

Systems thinking

Governance & ARB

Stakeholder influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Job description

Dis-Chem Pharmacies is seeking an Enterprise Architecture Lead reporting to the Head of Enterprise Architecture. The role leads the EA capability, translating strategy into actionable guidance and roadmaps across applications, data, integration and infrastructure.

The incumbent will act as the senior practitioner for Enterprise Architects, ensuring coherence, simplification and risk reduction, while enabling faster, safer delivery through governance and early architectural clarity.