Enterprise Systems Architect

Role Description

The Enterprise Architect is a strategic, high-impact individual contributor. This role owns the overall technology architecture for Schellman, spanning platform integrations, backend systems, APIs, and digital experiences (Client and Assessor Portals). This person serves as the principal architect across the technology organization, providing essential connective tissue.

This is a hands-on, strategic role that requires both deep technical thinking and the ability to communicate across departments and up to leadership. The architect works collaboratively with the CTO and peers across Engineering, Product, Infrastructure & Security, Data & Analytics, and the AI Engineering team to shape Schellman’s technology strategy. This role reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer.

Key Responsibilities

• Overall Technology Architecture
  • Own Schellman’s entire technology architecture—integrations, backend systems, APIs, and digital experiences (Client and Assessor Portals).
  • Evaluate our current integration approach (API Hub + Workato) and create a comprehensive build vs. buy vs. integrate strategy for platform integrations.
  • Design digital experience architecture—define backend and frontend technology choices (React, Angular, Node.js, etc.), frameworks, patterns, and AWS infrastructure that enable rapid development and excellent user experience.
  • Create a cohesive vision that connects all pieces: how platform integrations feed data to portals, how user interactions flow back to core systems, how AI/automation enhances both internal and external experiences.
• Platform Integration & APIs
  • Optimize and evolve our integration platform strategy, leveraging Workato, custom APIs, and cloud-native services thoughtfully based on use case.
  • Define integration patterns and standards that enable teams to move fast while maintaining consistency, security, and scalability across Workato and custom integration layers.
  • Lead the roadmap for expanding integrations to new systems and optimizing existing ones as the business evolves.
• Cross-Functional Architectural Leadership
  • Partner with Engineering to ensure platform and experience designs align with overall strategy and support rapid delivery.
  • Collaborate with Product Managers to understand business requirements and translate them into architectural decisions.
  • Work with IT Infrastructure & Security to design secure, resilient, cloud-first systems (AWS) and ensure compliance.
  • Partner with Data & Analytics to ensure data flows are architected for analytics, governance, and quality.
  • Engage with the AI Engineering team to understand AI/ML requirements and design platforms that enable intelligent automation.
• Architectural Governance & Standards
  • Establish architectural decision frameworks that balance innovation, speed, and technical debt.
  • Create and maintain architecture documentation at multiple levels (conceptual, logical, physical, operational).
  • Define and evolve technology standards for APIs, backends, frontends, data, and infrastructure.
  • Drive alignment across departments on architectural priorities and trade-offs.
• Technical Vision & Communication
  • Develop the 3-year technology roadmap in partnership with the CTO, translating business strategy into technical direction.
  • Communicate complex architectures clearly to diverse audiences—from individual contributors to the Board.
  • Champion architectural thinking across the organization, elevating the maturity of how we approach technical decision-making.
  • Mentor and develop engineering and architecture talent as the team grows.
• Team Building & Capability
  • Identify architectural gaps in the current organization and help define hiring/development plans to close them.
  • Establish architectural practices and rituals (design reviews, architecture forums, decision documentation) that build team capability.
  • Work closely with an incoming Data Architect to integrate data architecture with platform and digital experiences.
  • Quick learning curve: Hit the ground running, rapidly assess current state, identify fragmentation, and begin connecting the dots.

Qualifications

• 12+ years designing and building comprehensive technology architectures spanning integrations, backend systems, and digital experiences.
• Full-stack architecture expertise: hands-on knowledge of both backend (APIs, services, data infrastructure) and frontend technologies (React, Angular, JavaScript, TypeScript, etc.).
• Proven experience with both custom APIs and managed integration platforms.
• Deep cloud expertise architecting on AWS with a proven track record of designing for scale, security, and resilience.
• Enterprise architecture knowledge—comfortable with TOGAF or equivalent frameworks.
• Working knowledge of data pipelines, integration, and governance.
• Familiar with AI infrastructure requirements and how to architect platforms that enable intelligent automation.
• Strategic judgment in evaluating build vs. buy vs. integrate trade-offs.

Requirements

• AWS Solutions Architect Professional (or higher).
• TOGAF 9 (Certified) or equivalent.

Optional Certifications

• AWS Security Architect Professional or AWS Security – Specialty.
• AWS Well-Architected Framework Practitioner.
• Workato Certified, MuleSoft Certified, or equivalent.
• AWS Data Analytics Specialty or equivalent.
• Kubernetes (CKA) or Docker.
• CISSP or comparable security certification.

Essential Skills & Attributes

• Exceptional ability to diagram and visualize complex architectures.
• Ability to create and present architecture diagrams for different audiences.
• Ability to balance long-term architectural vision with near-term business needs.
• Collaborative consensus-builder who brings people along on tough decisions.
• Ability to influence and align engineering teams without direct management authority.

Optional Skills and Attributes

• Experience in professional services, consulting, or similar knowledge-work organizations.
• Familiarity with specific platforms we use: HubSpot, Workday, Kantata, Ironclad, Fieldguide, Workato.
• Experience with Claude, OpenAI, or other LLMs.
• Experience with event streaming (Kafka, AWS Kinesis) and async integration patterns.
• Knowledge of modern API gateway solutions and API management platforms.
• Experience with containers (Docker/Kubernetes), orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code.
• Track record of establishing architecture governance in rapidly growing organizations.
• Security architecture experience (compliance frameworks like SOC 2, HIPAA, etc.).