Kearney Enterprise Architect

Description

The Enterprise Architect plays a critical leadership role in shaping and advancing the firm's enterprise-wide technology architecture and AI platform strategy enabling differentiated client offerings, internal productivity gains, and scalable AI-enabled consulting solutions. Operating in a global, matrixed consulting environment, this role partners closely with senior business leaders, technology teams, and innovation functions to ensure the firm's technology ecosystem is scalable, secure, resilient, and aligned to strategic priorities-including AI-enabled transformation and digital modernization.

This role is both strategic and hands-on , balancing architectural vision with practical execution across a complex portfolio of platforms, data, and client-facing capabilities.

Working alongside a dedicated and diverse set of people, you will broaden your knowledge and experience in an open, agile, and collaborative environment. With the freedom to be yourself and recognition for what you bring to the table, you can put your purpose into action and help build a future that works for everyone, everywhere-as a Kearney Original.

Key responsibilities

Enterprise and Technology Strategy

• Define, evolve, and govern the firm's AI driven enterprise architecture vision, principles, and standards across global platforms.

• Translate business and growth strategies into executable architecture roadmaps and investment priorities.

• Partner with senior leadership to align technology decisions with firm-wide objectives, including productivity, scalability, and client delivery excellence.

Architecture Design & Modernization

• Design and maintain cohesive end-to-end architectures across cloud, data, applications, security and integration layers.

• Identify current-state gaps, technical debt, and architectural risks; lead modernization and simplification initiatives.

• Lead modernization initiatives leveraging microservices, containers, Kubernetes, and serverless architectures. Architect for compute utilization and cost-aware AI workloads.

AI, Data & Emerging Technologies

• Architect and govern enterprise AI platforms, including model access, data pipelines, inference infrastructure, and integration with business systems.

• Own end-to-end AI architecture, from data ingestion and feature stores through model deployment, monitoring, and feedback loops.

• Collaborate with innovation, analytics, security and product teams to operationalize AI use cases that drive internal efficiency and client value.

• Evaluate emerging technologies and define adoption approaches that create sustainable competitive advantage.

Governance, Standards & Risk Management

• Establish and lead architecture governance forums, design reviews, and compliance processes.

• Define reusable architectural patterns, reference architectures, and technology building blocks.

• Ensure alignment with security, privacy, regulatory, and risk management requirements.

Stakeholder Partnership & Influence

• Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders, Practice Leaders, and IT leadership on technology tradeoffs and investments.

• Influence decisions across practices and regions without direct authority, driving alignment in a federated operating model.

• Support business cases through TCO, ROI, and risk analysis for major initiatives.

Delivery Oversight & Capability Building

• Provide architectural oversight for major programs and platforms to ensure scalability, interoperability, and reliability.

• Coach and mentor architecture and engineering teams, strengthening enterprise architecture capability across the firm.

• Promote best practices in engineering rigor, documentation, and knowledge sharing.

Who you are

After nearly 100 years, we know this business is fundamentally about making connections-between facts, figures, insights, strategies, tools, technologies, and above all, people. That's why we look for collaborative, insightful, and inquisitive problem-solvers who don't accept the first thing in front of them and who are always unapologetically themselves.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field required.

• Master's degree or equivalent advanced education preferred.

Experience

• 15 years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture, technology strategy, or senior IT leadership roles.

• Proven experience operating in large, global, or professional services organizations.

• Demonstrated leadership in digital transformation, cloud migration, and enterprise modernization initiatives.

Technical & Strategic Expertise

Deep expertise across several of the following domains:

• Cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Enterprise data platforms, analytics, and data governance (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery)

• Integration architectures, APIs, and middleware (LangChain, LlamaIndex, MuleSoft)

• Security architecture, risk management, and compliance (Zero Trust architectures, identity-aware AI access, secrets management)

• AI/ML platforms, responsible AI practices, and model lifecycle management (MLflow, Vertex AI, SageMaker, Azure ML, Arize, Azure AI Studio)

AI & Intelligent Systems Enablement

• Design and operationalize enterprise-scale GenAI and agent-based solutions.

• Experience with modern AI architectures including Retrieval-Augmented Generation, agent design, and model orchestration.

• Familiarity with MLOps / LLMOps frameworks for governance, monitoring, and optimization.

Leadership & Communication

• Exceptional ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for executive audiences.

• Strong influencing skills and comfort navigating ambiguity in a fast-paced consulting environment.

• Track record of mentoring senior technologists and building high-performing teams.

Preferred Certifications

• TOGAF, AWS/Azure/GCP Architecture certifications, or equivalent enterprise architecture credentials.

What we can offer you

Every day, our people work to be the difference for our clients, our communities, and our colleagues. Helping them make an impact, they are sustained by a competitive remuneration package plus comprehensive benefits and perks, including but not limited to:

• Generous retirement/pension savings contributions

• Comprehensive medical insurance for employees

• Structured and on-the-job learning and development opportunities

• Personalized opportunities including talent mobility, flexible work programs and externships to help you chart a unique career journey to pursue your own personal and professional goals

The expected base salary range for this role is $230,000 to $275,000 annually . Compensation may vary based on experience and qualifications. It is important to note that at Kearney, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role. Individual salaries within each range are determined through a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills. Kearney reviews compensation regularly and may adjust base salaries to reflect market competitiveness. In addition to salary, individuals may be eligible for a discretionary performance bonus. Our full suite of benefits includes paid time off, paid sick leave, 401(k) match and profit sharing, medical, dental, and vision coverage, healthcare concierge services, backup child/adult care, annual employer HSA contributions, a home office stipend, subsidized gym membership, an annual wellness program, and leaves of absence when needed to support employees' physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Read more about our benefits and how you can make your mark, your way at Kearney.com/careers .

Equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination

Kearney prides itself on providing a culture where our employees belong and thrive equally, which means our people feel comfort, confidence, and joy as they do great things for our firm, our colleagues, and our clients. That's why Kearney is committed to building a diverse workforce and inclusive environment. Kearney is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person's gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities or religious beliefs and practices. We encourage everyone to apply, including those who may not feel historically represented in consulting. #LI-KH1