Sr. Director, Enterprise Solution Architecture

Overview of the Sr. Director, Enterprise Solution Architecture Role

As the Sr. Director, Enterprise Solution Architecture at Ascension, you will lead the overall 'Enterprise Solution Architecture' function, responsible for designing holistic technology solutions for large enterprise-wide programs and initiatives across Ascension Technologies. This pivotal role involves managing a team of Enterprise Solution Architects (ESAs) and providing critical technical leadership for a diverse portfolio of work.

Enterprise Solution Architects are instrumental in identifying and designing comprehensive technology solutions to complex business problems, collaborating extensively across the organization with key sponsors, business leaders, program leaders, architects, and delivery leads.

This role demands a high-level understanding of the healthcare business to effectively capture both functional and nonfunctional requirements for high-level solutioning. The Sr. Director provides the conceptual and logical frameworks that guide project teams from early conception through solutioning to deployment, ensuring a strong technical structure and offering guidance when deviations occur.

You will also work with technical and business-focused portfolios to evaluate backlog, recommend technical sequencing, and drive efforts to modernize technology platforms, simplify application inventory, standardize solutions, and reduce the overall technology portfolio based on key performance metrics.

Working in a highly matrixed environment, self-starters will find significant opportunities to influence templates and deliverables, driving value for Ascension Technologies business customers. This role offers exposure to Ascension's most important and complex initiatives, requiring strong executive-level communication and presentation skills.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide overall leadership for enterprise solution architecture, managing and mentoring a team of ESAs.
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities across COTS systems, cloud infrastructure, data, and AI.
• Identify pain points and modernization opportunities within the technology landscape.
• Create detailed Points of View (POV) using a domain-centric collaborative approach, offering architectural perspectives and technology pattern recommendations.
• Compare and contrast various enterprise-level architecture configurations and patterns based on business value, operational resilience, and cost.
• Support the creation of strategic roadmaps that sequence technology initiatives, aligning with enterprise strategy.
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Architecture Review Board (ARB) Governance and Standards, including participation in organization AI governance bodies.
• Possess strong architecture modeling skills, leveraging Enterprise Architecture (EA) data models to develop nuanced architecture views and actionable insights.
• Apply expertise across multiple architecture domains: Business, Information & Data, Application, Technology, and Security Architecture.
• Architect solutions spanning multiple domains or business areas, understanding the enterprise's architecture including MDM products, Integration Engines, ESL, microservices, and hyperscaler/cloud capabilities.
• Collaborate closely with internal and external IT partners and business communities to assess technology requirements and identify potential solutions, prioritizing existing technology investments.
• Participate in cross-functional teams to develop and implement new architectural patterns and standards, working with various departments including Enterprise Applications & Platforms, Data Delivery & Governance, Security, Legal, Compliance, and Product Engineering.

Fundamental Skills & Abilities

• Proven people management and enterprise solutioning capabilities.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Deep understanding of technology platforms and modern approaches (innovative, competitive, secure, resilient).
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams in compressed timeframes.
• Ability to quickly evaluate options, resolve enterprise challenges, and recommend solutions within diverse technology environments.
• Familiarity with agile-based environments and the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Comfortable with ambiguity, demonstrating strong critical thinking, conflict management, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal, negotiation, prioritization, and relationship management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple commitments, producing high-quality work under pressure.

Requirements

Education:

• High School diploma equivalency with 5 years of applicable cumulative job-specific experience, including 2 years in leadership/management, OR
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree with 3 years of applicable cumulative job-specific experience, including 2 years in leadership/management.

Additional Preferences:

• 10+ years of architecture experience, preferably in a large global IT environment.
• 5+ years of experience in an information technology discipline with increasing responsibility.
• Healthcare IT experience is highly preferred, encompassing a broad range of business areas, care delivery settings, processes, integration, and solution exposure.
• Product Model and Agile experience (at scale) preferred.
• Familiarity with The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) and architecture modeling tools (e.g., Abacus, IBIS, Orbus iServer, MEGA, LeanIX).

Key skills/competency

• Enterprise Solution Architecture
• Technical Leadership
• People Management
• Strategic Planning
• Cloud Architecture
• AI Integration
• Healthcare IT
• TOGAF
• Stakeholder Management
• Technology Modernization