Enterprise Architect (AI Governance)

Enterprise Architect (AI Governance), Sacramento, CA, US

Enterprise Architect (EA) Consultant (EA Operations & EA Office Stand-Up)

Scope Of Work

Seeking a leased employee EA Consultant to lead the tactical execution of enterprise architecture (solutions guidance, standards enforcement, architectural runway) while designing and standing up the EA Office—integrated with PMO and BRM—within a unified Strategy & Governance department. Establish shared services for intake orchestration, AI and data architecture enablement, and financial analytics, and co-own process automation and AI enablement for project managers and shared services specialists.

Key Responsibilities

• Tactical EA (≈50%)
• Solution Architecture & Guidance: Produce solution intents, architecture decision records (ADRs), and reference architectures aligned to enterprise standards.
• Standards & Patterns: Curate cloud, data, integration, security, and AI/ML patterns (e.g., Azure reference implementations, data mesh vs. warehouse).
• Architecture Governance: Chair/coordinate Architecture Review Board (ARB); manage exceptions, waivers, and technical debt logs.
• Road mapping: Maintain capability maps and technology roadmaps; ensure fit to business strategy and PMO portfolio plans.
• Risk & Compliance: Embed security/privacy by design; align with regulatory and data governance requirements.
• Vendor/Tool Evaluation: Conduct comparative assessments; ensure interoperability and cost-effectiveness.
• Asset Management: Optimize and maintain the CMDB.
• Change Management: Participate in Change Management Review Boards to assess and validate.
• Software Purchase Evaluation: Evaluate software purchase requests and approve or decline based on SMUD policies including security and inventory review.
• Project Technology: Evaluate and validate software proposed in overall solutions for specific projects.
• Architecture Design and Strategy: Develop and maintain enterprise architecture frameworks, including business capability maps, technology roadmaps, and IT standards.
• System Integration: Evaluate and integrate IT systems, ensuring interoperability and scalability across applications and platforms.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work with senior management, technical specialists, and business units to align IT solutions with organizational strategy.
• Technology Assessment: Research emerging technologies, recommend architecture changes, and advise on system strategies.
• Documentation and Communication: Create and maintain architectural models, transition plans, and business cases for IT investments.
• Technology Lifecycle Governance: Manage acquisition request intake, processing, risk management, cybersecurity, procurement, and end-of-life (EOL).
• Enterprise Technology Standards: Establish governance to define, develop, and enforce enterprise standards.
• EA Office Design, Stand-Up & Integration (≈50%)
• Operating Model: Define mission, scope, decision rights (RACI), engagement model with PMO/BRM, and service catalog (e.g., solution reviews, standards stewardship).
• Processes: Establish demand-to-delivery lifecycle: intake → triage → architecture initiation → design reviews → ARB → delivery checkpoints → benefits traceability.
• Org & Roles: Define EA lead, domain architects (data, app, infrastructure, security), architecture analysts, and integrate shared services.
• Tooling: Implement common tooling (e.g., repository for artifacts, ADRs, patterns; Power BI dashboards; Power Automate workflows; M365 Copilot for documentation).
• Metrics & Reporting: Develop dashboards to monitor architectural compliance, reuse rates, cycle times, risk posture, and benefit realization.
• Change Management: Communicate charter, develop playbooks, onboarding, and training; facilitate adoption across business units.
  
  

B1. Shared Services Capability Build-Out

• Intake & Triage (Business Analyst): Standardize request forms, categorization, priority scoring, and routing; automate workflows.
• AI/Data (AI & Data Analyst): Establish data architecture guardrails, metadata management, data lineage, Master Data Management (MDM), migration frameworks; define AI use-case registry, risk controls, model governance, and prompt libraries.
• Value Analytics: Enable intelligent resource optimization for unbiased decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and financial planning. Use variance analysis, forecast models, and link portfolio financials to business outcomes.
  
  

B2. Process Automation & AI Enablement (with PMO)

• PMO Automation: Automate stage gates, risk logs, RAID logs, status reports, and deliverable reviews; implement Copilot for PMs (agenda drafting, summarization, action item extraction).
• Shared Services Automation: Build low-code applications for request triage, architecture review scheduling, and financial reconciliations.
• Data-Driven Governance: Integrate portfolio data, architectural compliance data, and financial information into unified Strategy & Governance dashboards.
  
  

B3. Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Single Face to Business Units: Present integrated services; simplify engagement and escalation pathways.
• Executive Reporting: Provide concise, outcome-oriented updates on architecture, health, delivery risks, and transformation value.
  
  

DELIVERABLES (Backlog and will be Prioritized once Onboarded)

Foundational Artifacts

• EA Office: Charter, Operating Model, Service Catalog, Engagement Playbook
• Decision Rights/RACI: RACI matrix, ARB Charter, Exception/Waiver Policy
• Standards & Reference Architectures: Cloud, data, integration, security, AI standards
• Capability Maps and Roadmaps
  
  

Automation & Tools

• Intake & Triage App/Workflow: Power Automate / Power Apps
• Portfolio & Architecture Dashboards: Power BI
• Copilot Enablement: Templates, prompts, and governance guidelines
• ADR Repository and Architecture Artifact Library: SharePoint / DevOps
  
  

AI & Data

• AI Use Case Registry and Model Risk Controls
• Data Migration Playbook and Data Governance Guardrails: Lineage, catalog, quality
• Reusable Data Pipelines and Integration Patterns
  
  

Financial

• Automated Budget & Forecast Dashboard: Project cost baselines, benefit tracking models
  
  

Experience

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

• Experience implementing AI and automation in IT governance/processes
• Bachelor’s in Engineering / Technical Sciences
• 15 years in IT roles, including IT infrastructure, data management, and business systems
• Knowledge of cloud platforms, enterprise data management, SQL, and software architecture frameworks
• 15 years of experience in enterprise data architecture, data migrations, and data management
• 15 years of experience mapping business functionality to IT solutions, assessing risks, and optimizing processes
• Demonstrated experience designing and developing Enterprise Governance models to support various IT processes like technology procurement, cybersecurity, AI, project integrations, and business enablement
• Strong interpersonal skills to lead teams, facilitate workshops, and present architectural strategies to executives.
  
  

Skills & Competencies

Architecture & Technology

• Enterprise & Solution Architecture: Capability modeling, architecture runway, ADRs
• Cloud & Integration: Event-driven architectures, identity/access management
• Data & AI: Data architecture, governance, ETL/ELT, data migration; AI/ML lifecycle, prompt engineering, model governance
  
  

Process & Governance

• Operating Model Design: Decision rights, organizational design, service catalogs
• Portfolio & Demand Management: Intake, triage, prioritization, capacity planning
• Architecture Governance: Architecture Review Board (ARB), standards stewardship, exception handling
  
  

Automation & Tooling

• Power Platform: Power Automate, Power Apps, Power BI
• M365 Copilot: Enablement and guardrails
• DevOps Tooling: Azure DevOps, Jira for backlogs and documentation
• Data Catalog/Lineage Tools: e.g., Microsoft Purview or equivalent
  
  

Desirable Qualifications

• Certifications in TOGAF, ITIL/COBIT, Azure, SAFe (or equivalent)
• Master’s in Engineering / Technical Sciences
  
  

Soft Skills & Leadership

• Executive communication, changing leadership, stakeholder management
• Systems thinking, analytical problem solving, conflict resolution
• Coaching/enablement mindset; cross-functional collaboration