Director, Enterprise Architecture

Job Summary:

ICANN’s mission requires a technology environment that is secure, resilient, and capable of evolving with the global Internet ecosystem. The Enterprise Architect plays a critical role in shaping and governing the organization’s technology landscape to ensure that technology design, platform selection, and investment decisions align with ICANN’s mission and long-term operational needs.

Reporting to the CIO, the Enterprise Architect establishes and maintains the enterprise architecture framework, standards, and governance processes that guide technology decisions across the organization. The role works closely with engineering, infrastructure, security, and enterprise application teams to ensure technology solutions are coherent, scalable, and aligned with ICANN’s strategic priorities.

The Enterprise Architect also provides architectural leadership for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation, data platforms, and advanced analytics, ensuring these capabilities are adopted in a secure, scalable, and sustainable manner.

The Enterprise Architect does not replace domain architecture within engineering teams but provides the enterprise-level architectural direction and governance necessary to ensure consistency, interoperability, and disciplined technology investment.

Key Responsibilities & Duties:

Enterprise Architecture Framework

• Establish and maintain ICANN’s enterprise architecture framework, principles, and reference models.

• Develop and maintain architecture standards across key technology domains including business, application, data and technology architectures.  Document and maintain the enterprise technology landscape, including system dependencies, lifecycle status, and platform capabilities.

Architecture Governance

• Lead architecture governance processes that review major technology initiatives, platform changes, and system design decisions.

• Review and provide architectural oversight for AI-enabled solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards, security requirements, data governance practices, and operational sustainability.

• Facilitate architecture reviews to ensure alignment with architecture principles and technology standards.

• Provide architectural guidance for major technology investments and transformation initiatives.

Technology Strategy Alignment

• Work with the CIO and technology leadership to translate organizational priorities into a coherent technology architecture roadmap.

• Develop technology roadmaps that incorporate emerging capabilities such as artificial intelligence, automation, advanced analytics, and intelligent platforms.

• Ensure technology investments align with ICANN’s broader strategy for resilience, operational stability, and scalability.

• Identify opportunities for platform consolidation, technology modernization, and reduction of technical complexity.

Emerging Technology and AI Architecture

• Establish enterprise architecture principles, standards, and reference architectures for artificial intelligence, automation, machine learning, and data-driven technologies.

• Evaluate emerging AI platforms, services, and capabilities to determine their alignment with ICANN’s technology strategy and business objectives.

• Define architectural patterns for AI-enabled applications, intelligent automation, enterprise search, knowledge management, and data-driven decision support.

• Provide guidance on AI platform selection, integration approaches, and build-versus-buy decisions.

• Partner with Product Management, Security, Data, and Engineering teams to ensure AI capabilities align with enterprise architecture standards and long-term technology strategy.

• Maintain awareness of emerging technology trends and advise leadership on opportunities, risks, and strategic implications.

Integration and Platform Architecture

• Define architectural approaches for system integration, API management, and interoperability between enterprise systems and internally developed platforms.

• Define architectural patterns for integrating AI services, enterprise data platforms, APIs, and business applications.

• Guide architectural decisions related to build-vs-buy evaluation and platform adoption.

Collaboration with Engineering and Infrastructure

• Partner with software engineering, infrastructure, security, and enterprise platform teams to ensure architectural alignment across delivery initiatives.

• Support engineering teams with enterprise-level guidance while enabling domain teams to maintain ownership of solution architecture within their services.

Technology Portfolio Visibility

• Maintain visibility into ICANN’s technology portfolio, including lifecycle risk, technical dependencies, and architectural alignment.

• Provide leadership with insights to support informed technology investment and modernization decisions.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Experience with architecture frameworks such as TOGAF, ArchiMate or similar enterprise architecture methodologies.

• Understanding of artificial intelligence, machine learning, intelligent automation, and emerging technology trends within enterprise environments.

• Experience evaluating technology platforms and defining enterprise architecture standards for emerging technologies.

• Knowledge of enterprise data architecture principles supporting AI and analytics capabilities.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.

• 12 years of experience in enterprise architecture, systems architecture, or technology strategy roles within complex enterprise environments.

• Experience designing and governing large-scale technology environments across cloud, applications, infrastructure, and security domains.

• Strong understanding of modern architecture practices including distributed systems, cloud platforms, and API-driven architectures.

• Experience establishing architecture governance processes and enterprise architecture frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in mission-driven or global organizations with complex technology ecosystems.

• Experience defining enterprise AI architecture strategies, governance frameworks, or technology standards.

• Experience supporting adoption of AI-enabled business, workplace, or operational capabilities.

• Experience working in environments with strong security, compliance, or operational resilience requirements.

• Knowledge of cloud platforms, distributed system design, and enterprise integration patterns.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic thinking with strong systems-level perspective.

• Ability to translate complex technical environments into clear architectural direction.

• Strong collaboration skills across engineering, infrastructure, and security teams.

• Ability to balance governance discipline with pragmatic technology delivery.

Language:

• Fluency, both written and spoken, in English is required

• ICANN is a global organization that values diversity; preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills in additional languages besides English

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:

• Work is performed in a normal office environment with limited privacy and some exposure to background noise

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee regularly is required to sit. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear; use hands and arms to reach, handle or feel. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.  

• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

ICANN is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on age, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, sex, (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), childbirth or related medical conditions, family care status, genetic information or any other protected characteristics protected by local, state or federal law.

ICANN www.icann.org is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers, including domain names (like .com, .uk, .jobs, etc.), as well as the addresses used in a variety of internet protocols.  A nonprofit public benefit corporation, ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers. These include domain names as well as the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols.

Effective: 2018