Head of Enterprise Architecture

Boardroom Appointments; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900 000 - 1 100 000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative technology firm in Johannesburg is seeking a senior IT architect to lead the architectural vision and principles across the organization. The role includes governance, managing compliance, and fostering a high-performing architecture team. Candidates should have extensive experience in IT architecture, with necessary certifications like TOGAF. This position is critical for driving technological advancements and ensuring project success.

Qualifications

• 8 to 10 years in IT architecture or solution design, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record leading architecture for large-scale implementations.
• Deep understanding of security architecture and data management.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain architectural vision, principles, and standards.
• Establish and chair the Architecture Review Board.
• Develop and manage the EA functions operating budget.

Skills

IT architecture leadership

Security architecture expertise

Hands-on solution design

Cross-domain implementation

Stakeholder management

Education

Honours degree in Information Technology or related field

TOGAF or equivalent EA framework certification

Job description

Responsibilities

• Architectural Vision & Principles: Define, evangelize, and maintain The Company's architectural vision, principles, and standards. Ensure every solution is designed against a consistent, future-ready blueprint that supports strategic objectives.
• Architecture Governance & Oversight: Establish and chair the Architecture Review Board; manage exceptions and enforce compliance. Maintain a living reference architecture library, patterns catalog, and technology standards. Perform architecture health-checks, risk assessments, and design reviews for all major initiatives.
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation: Conduct horizon scanning and Proof-of-Concepts for emerging technologies (e.g., AI / ML, serverless, edge computing). Streamline the architecture lifecycleimproving methods, toolchains, and collaborationto accelerate delivery. Publish best-practice patterns, lead workshops, and update guidance to ensure rapid adoption. Execute post-implementation reviews to measure performance, scalability, and user feedback; drive enhancements.
• Stakeholder & Vendor Management: Partner with Security, Data Governance, PMO, Software Development, and Business Units to embed architecture early in project lifecycles. Lead architecture evaluations for key vendors, negotiate technology standards in SLAs, and influence vendor roadmaps.
• Technical Ecosystem & Tools: Define reference models for cloud / hybrid platforms and integration patterns (API-first, microservices, event-driven). Select and manage EA tools to support modelling, reporting, and repository management.
• Compliance, Risk & Data Privacy: Embed regulatory requirements and enterprise risk controls into architecture blueprints. Partner with Risk & Compliance to assess residual architecture risks and own remediation plans.
• People & Financial Management: Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing architecture team; define career paths and growth plans. Forecast resource capacity, allocate skilled staff to critical programs, and maintain continuity of expertise. Develop and manage the EA functions operating budgetforecasting, approval, and cost control in line with The Companys guidelines. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and high engagement.
• Professional Development & Culture: Champion continuous learning: support certification pursuits (TOGAF, CISSP, cloud accreditations) and internal architecture guilds. Promote diversity, inclusion, and an open knowledge-sharing environment across IT and business communities.
• Management Reporting: Produce and maintain a set of EA KPIs in alignment with the agreed objectives. Update executive leadership monthly on trends, emerging risks, and resource capacity. Deliver a concise architecture review that covers As-Is vs To-Be progress against roadmaps; Summary of design reviews and risk mitigations completed.
• Stakeholder Briefings: Present tailored reports to the CIO / CTO, PMO, and business unit heads, highlighting upcoming architecture dependencies or potential blockers; Remediation plans for critical compliance or security gaps; Opportunities to reuse existing components for cost or time savings.

Qualifications

• Honours degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• TOGAF, Zachman, or equivalent EA framework certification (required).
• CISSP, MCSE / MCTS, or PRINCE2 (advantageous).
• 8 to 10 years in IT architecture or solution design, including 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record leading architecture for large-scale, cross-domain implementations.
• Hands-on expertise across business, data, application, and technology domains.
• Deep understanding of security architecture, infrastructure design, software development lifecycles, and data management.
• Familiarity with ITIL, COBIT, and other related frameworks.
• Expertise in the development and reviewing of reference architectures.