Principal Enterprise Architect

Purpose of Position

The Principal Enterprise Architect sets and communicates the enterprise technology strategy for FlightSafety International's enterprise architecture, ensuring technology investments align with the company's training, simulation, and business operations strategy. This role leads the architecture of FSI's 10-year initiative to modernize the application portfolio and standardize business processes across divisions. It owns the architectural vision and the enterprise architecture function end to end across applications, infrastructure, data, and integration domains, translating business priorities into scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions across corporate, aviation training, and simulator manufacturing and delivery systems. 

Tasks and Responsibilities

Overarching Responsibilities 
o    Lead enterprise-wide modernization initiatives (cloud modernization, digital twin adoption, simulation tech evolution). 
o    Serve as principal advisor to senior leadership on emerging technologies and long-term architectural risks. 
o    Own the security architecture across applications, infrastructure, and simulator engineering and manufacturing ecosystems, e.g., Zero Trust, global privacy requirements, and supply-chain risk management. 

•    Application Portfolio Governance  
o    Build and maintain an authoritative application inventory mapped to business capabilities, identifying redundant and overlapping systems. 
o    Assess operational costs (licensing, infrastructure) and business value for each application to inform rationalization decisions. 

•    Standards and Reference Models  
o    Elicit existing reference models and their intended purpose from IT teams across divisions. 
o    Create and maintain a formal enterprise architecture pattern library and technology reference catalog covering application, data, security, cloud, and simulator-technology domains. 
o    Apply industry-standard application and infrastructure reference architectures to define enterprise standards. 
o    Translate proposed standards into expected costs and benefits over time. 

•    Build-vs-Buy and Vendor Rationalization  
o    Evaluate proposed enterprise application purchases and build-vs-buy decisions against the 10-year architecture roadmap. 
o    Flag redundant or non-standard vendor purchases before they enter the portfolio. 

•    Business-Process-to-Technology Alignment  
o    Translate business process requirements into technical architecture decisions. 
o    Partner with division process owners to define target-state architecture for standardized business processes. 

•    Roadmap Sequencing  
o    Define and maintain the enterprise architecture roadmap, sequencing consolidation, replacement, and retirement based on dependency, risk, and business value. 

•    Enterprise Architecture Function Ownership  
o    Define and measure EA program KPIs and value outcomes. 
o    Own EA tools (e.g., LeanIX/Ardoq) for portfolio visibility, roadmapping, and dependency management. 
o    Own and chair the Architecture Review Board (ARB), including its charter, intake criteria, and decision records. 
o    Own the definition, publication, and maintenance of enterprise technology, integration, data, and security standards, including the exception and waiver process. 
o    Conduct architecture compliance reviews of projects and procurements against approved standards and the enterprise roadmap. 
o    Lead and mentor solution architects across divisions through a matrix model. 

Minimum Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in computer science information technology, engineering, system analysis or a related study, or equivalent experience

Minimum Experience

• 15+ years of IT experience, including 8+ years (10+ preferred) of Enterprise Architecture experience in multinational organizations, ensuring alignment across global business units and regulatory environments 
  5+ years of hands-on delivery experience in at least two of the following, with working knowledge across the rest:  
  Integration and APIs 
  AI/ML, IoT 
  COTS platform implementation (ERP, PLM, Document Management) 
  Software engineering fundamentals 
  Data engineering and analytics 
  Manufacturing systems and OT considerations 
  Infrastructure and cloud (Azure/AWS) 
• And significant experience:  
• Leading enterprise application portfolio rationalization, including capability-mapped inventories and cost-versus-value assessment 
  Defining enterprise technology and integration standards using established reference architectures (TOGAF or equivalent) 
  Conducting build-vs-buy and vendor rationalization analyses for enterprise application decisions 
  Translating business process standardization goals into supporting technical architecture 
  Developing and maintaining multi-year architecture roadmaps sequenced by dependency, risk, and business value 
  Leading architecture governance, including architecture review boards 
  Leading and mentoring solution architects in a matrix organization 
  Presenting architecture strategy and trade-offs to senior executives 
• Architecting within regulated environments subject to CMMC and NIST requirements

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks and application and infrastructure reference models 

• Knowledge of enterprise data architecture, including master data, lineage, governance, and analytics platforms 

• Knowledge of software licensing models, infrastructure cost structures, and total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling 

• Knowledge of vendor evaluation methods and SaaS/COTS vs. custom development trade-offs 

• Knowledge of enterprise integration patterns and technology standards 

• Knowledge of security and compliance frameworks, including CMMC and NIST SP 800-53 

• Skill in capability mapping and business process analysis 

• Skill in structured interviewing and technical discovery with IT stakeholders 

• Skill in dependency mapping, risk assessment, and prioritization for multi-year programs 

• Skill in communicating architecture decisions and trade-offs to executive and technical audiences 

• Ability to influence and build consensus across divisions without direct authority 

• Ability to quickly grasp complex business domains and apply sound cost-benefit judgment 

• Travel up to 20% to FSI divisions and International Learning Centers. 

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met and/or encountered by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and communicate. The employee may be required to stand, walk, and sit. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to view monitors, technical documents, and reference material. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.