Enterprise Architect

Job Title: Enterprise Architect

Location: Onsite, Chicago Corporate Office

Reporting to: Director of IT

About Middle River Power

Middle River Power (MRP) is a U.S. power generation company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. We own and operate more than 8GW of natural gas, coal, battery storage, and solar generation facilities across the United States, with a focus on safe, reliable, and efficient operations.

We are a fast-paced, collaborative organization where people are encouraged to take ownership, solve problems, challenge the status quo, and work across teams to deliver results. We value curiosity, adaptability, transparency, and people who are invested in building both their careers and our business.

Learn more at middleriverpower.Com.

The Behaviors We Hire For

We look for people who are curious, collaborative, adaptable, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment where creative problem-solving and challenging the status quo are encouraged. Our people take ownership, communicate openly and honestly, and are committed to delivering results while building for the long term.

Position Summary

Middle River Power is seeking an Enterprise Architect to help design and evolve the technology architecture supporting our growing organization. Partnering closely with the Director of IT, this role will support secure, scalable, and reliable solutions across enterprise infrastructure, cloud, networking, security, and systems integration.

This is a hands-on, strategic role ideal for someone who has architected solutions in industrial, energy, or critical infrastructure environments and understands the unique demands of IT/OT convergence. The ideal candidate brings strong enterprise infrastructure and architecture experience and can balance big-picture technology planning with practical execution. This individual will help establish technology standards, identify modernization opportunities, and provide technical guidance for key initiatives across MRP’s corporate and power generation environments.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture Strategy & Governance

· Define and maintain the enterprise architecture roadmap, standards, and principles across IT and OT domains.

· Establish reference architectures for network, cloud, identity, security, and data.

· Govern technology decisions to ensure alignment with business objectives and reduce technical debt.

· Evaluate emerging technologies (AI, cloud, IoT) and recommend adoption where they deliver business value.

IT/OT Convergence

· Design and govern Purdue Model-compliant network segmentation between corporate IT and plant OT environments.

· Define standards for SCADA/ICS connectivity, remote access (Jump Hosts, MFA), and OT monitoring.

· Ensure architecture supports NERC CIP, NIST 800-53, and ISO 27001 compliance requirements.

· Partner with plant engineering teams to modernize legacy OT infrastructure without disrupting operations.

Cloud & Infrastructure

· Architect hybrid cloud solutions leveraging Microsoft Azure, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, and Intune.

· Define disaster recovery and business continuity architecture with air-gapped backups and failover capabilities.

· Standardize networking across 34+ sites (SD-WAN, Zero Trust, micro-segmentation).

M&A Integration

· Develop repeatable architecture patterns for integrating acquired plants into MRP's technology stack.

· Conduct pre-close technology assessments and provide integration cost estimates to the deal team.

· Lead Day 1 connectivity, identity, and security deployment for new acquisitions.

Collaboration & Leadership

· Partner with the Director of IT, Security Analyst, and Technical PM to execute the technology roadmap.

· Mentor IT and plant staff on architecture best practices.

· Present architecture recommendations to executive leadership in business terms (ROI, risk, scalability)

Qualifications

Required

· 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture, infrastructure, or solution architecture.

· Experience architecting in industrial, energy, utility, or critical infrastructure environments.

· Deep knowledge of IT/OT convergence, Purdue Model, SCADA/ICS security, and industrial networking.

· Strong knowledge of enterprise infrastructure, networking, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, identity, and systems integration.

· Strong expertise in Microsoft enterprise technologies: Azure, Entra ID, Intune, Windows Server, Microsoft 365 and hybrid environments.

· Experience with network architecture: SD-WAN, firewalls, VLANs, Zero Trust, macro & micro-segmentation.

· Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks: NIST 800-53, ISO 27001, NERC CIP.

· Experience with disaster recovery and business continuity architecture.

· Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical concepts into business value.

· Willingness to travel 20–30% to plant locations.

Preferred

· Experience in PE-backed or high-growth environments.

· Relevant certifications: TOGAF, Azure Solutions Architect, CISSP, CISM, or Cisco/Juniper.

· Experience leading cloud transformation or infrastructure modernization initiatives.

· Familiarity with AI and data architecture (Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Syntex).

Overview of our Hiring Process

We take a progressive approach to our interview process, which means we move quickly and prioritize early conversations with the people you would work with day to day. Final round interviews are usually held onsite and include members of our leadership team. In some situations, we will ask candidates to complete a project or build a presentation when it is relevant to the job. We are committed to moving efficiently and valuing your time throughout the interview process.

Work Location

MRP is an in-office organization, with employees generally working from the office four days per week. Travel requirements and work location may vary based on the needs of the role.

Compensation

MRP offers competitive compensation based on market data, role requirements, experience, and technical expertise. Employees are also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus based on role level and company performance.

Benefits and Perks

MRP offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, 90% employer-funded for employees and families
• HSA and FSA options, including company HSA contributions
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Paid parental leave
• 401(k) with company matching up to 4%
• Employee assistance and wellness resources