Enterprise Information Technology Architect

This is a Hybrid role requiring 3 days a week onsite in Chicago IL. Client is only interested in local candidates. Candidates needing relocation will likely not be prioritized.

Contract Principal Enterprise Architect – Corporate Systems

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced, strategic Principal Enterprise Architect to help shape the technology direction across Client's global enterprise. This role requires someone who can look beyond individual systems or IT projects and evaluate the broader business and technology landscape to identify gaps, improve processes, drive consolidation, and develop scalable, reusable architecture solutions.

The ideal candidate has experience in large, complex organizations, is comfortable working through ambiguity, and can quickly understand diverse business domains, systems, and processes. They must be highly analytical and able to translate complex information into clear architecture strategies, patterns, and recommendations for both executive leaders and engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop enterprise-wide architecture strategies, target-state designs, roadmaps, and reusable technology patterns across multiple business domains.
• Evaluate the broader technology landscape to identify gaps, redundancies, opportunities for system consolidation, reusability, scalability, and cost optimization.
• Partner with business executives, domain leaders, and engineering teams to translate business needs into practical architecture direction.
• Establish and support enterprise architecture governance, including reference models, TOGAF principles, architecture standards, and processes for managing system changes, roles, and responsibilities.
• Guide enterprise integration and modernization efforts across ERP, cloud, digital commerce, and corporate platforms.
• Provide architectural direction for complex business processes and systems, including order and menu processing across mobile, kiosk, and drive-through channels.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and architecture approaches, including Google Distributed Cloud Edge (GDC) and connected edge environments.

Key Business and Technology Domains

• Supply Chain, Finance, HR, Legal, and SAP SuccessFactors
• ERP and enterprise business systems
• Digital Commerce and order/menu processing
• Cloud infrastructure and distributed edge computing
• Enterprise Architecture governance, reference models, and processes

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of IT experience, with significant experience in Enterprise Architecture, ideally at a Principal or senior leadership level.
• Experience developing enterprise-wide architecture strategies within large, complex, global organizations.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture frameworks and governance, including TOGAF, reference models, architecture standards, and system change management.
• Experience across multiple business domains, such as Supply Chain, HR, Finance, Legal, ERP, or Digital Commerce.
• Ability to quickly understand complex systems, business processes, and technology environments and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Strong knowledge of architecture patterns, scalability, reusability, system consolidation, integration, and cost optimization.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and executive stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SAP and SAP SuccessFactors.
• Exposure to Google Distributed Cloud Edge (GDC) or Google Distributed Cloud Connected (GDCC).
• Experience with digital commerce platforms and order processing across mobile, kiosk, and drive-through channels.
• Experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation and modernization initiatives.