Job description

**Please note that while we are open to remote candidates, we PREFER people from Chicago, Dallas, or Atlanta. ** Collinwood is assisting our client, a fast-growing AI consultancy, in its efforts to hire an experienced Director of Enterprise Architecture . In a nutshell, we are looking for someone from a technology consultancy / digital engineering firm who has led enterprise cloud modernization engagements, participated heavily in pre-sales, remained technically sharp, mentored architects, and now wants more influence and upside inside a smaller growth-stage consulting company. We need someone with executive presence, relationship-building ability, confidence in architecture review boards, and the ability to explain both “why” to business leaders and “how” to technical teams. Someone still technically credible and hands-on enough to stand toe-to-toe with senior architects/technical buyers, but senior enough to lead teams and architecture rather than code all day. Overview: The Director, Enterprise Architecture is a senior leadership role that sits at the intersection of client delivery, pre-sales engineering, and practice building. This role carries both strategic and hands-on responsibility: leading architecture on high-value client engagements, serving as the technical voice in the sales cycle, and shaping the Enterprise Architecture practice from the ground up. The ideal candidate is a seasoned architect who can operate fluidly across the full engagement lifecycle — from scoping and estimating work alongside sellers, to architecting solutions, to enabling delivery teams for success. This role will lead the Enterprise Architecture & DevOps circle, managing a team of architects and driving the standards, patterns, and mentorship that define how we deliver. Growth Trajectory This role is designed to scale. Immediately, this Director will operate as the senior-most architect on engagements, a key voice in pre-sales, and the lead of the Enterprise Architecture & DevOps hub – owning the hiring, development, and deployment of a team of architects, and driving the standards that govern how we deliver technical excellence. The progression from supporting individual client Projects to managing entire client Programs is a key milestone for this role, and one that we are actively building toward. What you will be doing: Client Delivery (Target: up to 75% of billable time; emphasis on Strategy engagements over Build where possible.) • Serve as lead architect on client engagements, including both Strategy projects (AI roadmaps, architecture assessments, modernization strategies) and Build projects (implementation, migration, platform engineering). • Prioritize high-leverage contribution — enabling and delegating to project teams rather than operating solely as an individual contributor. • Manage the architecture workstream within client Projects, with a path toward owning entire client Programs as the practice matures. • Provide hands-on technical leadership in areas such as cloud infrastructure (Azure, GCP), data architecture, DevOps, security, and AI/ML integration. Pre-Sales Engineering (Target: ~25% block (approximately 10 hours/week) dedicated to Sales Engineering.) • Act as the Pre-Sales Engineer in a triad with a Pre-Sales Strategist and a Seller, providing technical depth to the sales process. • Participate in and facilitate discovery workshops. • Lead solution architecture, technical scoping, and estimation for prospective client engagements. • Own the technical narrative in proposals and presentations, ensuring that what we sell is what we can deliver. • Drive a clean Sales-to-Delivery handoff by documenting architectural decisions, assumptions, risks, and context for the Delivery teams that will execute. • Support staffing on projects he helps sign, ensuring continuity from sale through early delivery. Practice Leadership & Mentorship (Target: 4–5 hours/week for mentorship and ad-hoc project support.) • Serve as the leader of the Enterprise Architecture practice (circle/tribe), defining its standards, toolkits, and career paths. • Mentor junior and mid-level architects, developing them into the next generation of Enterprise Architects. • Provide impromptu architectural guidance and support across other active projects as a senior technical resource. • Contribute to internal initiatives that raise the bar on delivery quality, reusable frameworks, and architectural governance. What we need from you: • 15+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in enterprise or principal architect roles. • Demonstrated experience in a consulting or professional services environment, with direct client-facing delivery responsibilities. • Deep technical expertise in cloud platforms (Azure and/or GCP), with hands-on experience in infrastructure, data, DevOps, and security. • Proven ability to lead pre-sales activities: discovery, solution design, scoping, and estimation. • Track record of leading and mentoring engineering teams (10+ engineers). • Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for executive and non-technical audiences. • Experience with architecture governance, standards definition, and cross-project technical oversight. Preferred • Experience with AI/ML strategy, roadmapping, or implementation in enterprise environments. • Background in cloud migration and application modernization at scale (50+ application portfolios). • Familiarity with Kubernetes, microservices architecture, and event-driven systems. • Prior experience building or leading an architecture practice or center of excellence. • History of closing or directly contributing to new business ($1M+ engagements).

Requirements

Must-haves

Please note that while we are open to remote candidates, we PREFER people from Chicago, Dallas, or Atlanta. **
Collinwood is assisting our client, a fast-growing AI consultancy, in its efforts to hire an experienced Director of Enterprise Architecture .
Growth Trajectory
The progression from supporting individual client Projects to managing entire client Programs is a key milestone for this role, and one that we are actively building toward.
Client Delivery (Target: up to 75% of billable time; emphasis on Strategy engagements over Build where possible.)
• Prioritize high-leverage contribution — enabling and delegating to project teams rather than operating solely as an individual contributor.
• Manage the architecture workstream within client Projects, with a path toward owning entire client Programs as the practice matures.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership in areas such as cloud infrastructure (Azure, GCP), data architecture, DevOps, security, and AI/ML integration.
Pre-Sales Engineering (Target: ~25% block (approximately 10 hours/week) dedicated to Sales Engineering.)
• Act as the Pre-Sales Engineer in a triad with a Pre-Sales Strategist and a Seller, providing technical depth to the sales process.
• Participate in and facilitate discovery workshops.
• Lead solution architecture, technical scoping, and estimation for prospective client engagements.
• Own the technical narrative in proposals and presentations, ensuring that what we sell is what we can deliver.
• Drive a clean Sales-to-Delivery handoff by documenting architectural decisions, assumptions, risks, and context for the Delivery teams that will execute.
• Support staffing on projects he helps sign, ensuring continuity from sale through early delivery.
Practice Leadership & Mentorship (Target: 4–5 hours/week for mentorship and ad-hoc project support.)
• Serve as the leader of the Enterprise Architecture practice (circle/tribe), defining its standards, toolkits, and career paths.
• Mentor junior and mid-level architects, developing them into the next generation of Enterprise Architects.
• Provide impromptu architectural guidance and support across other active projects as a senior technical resource.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with AI/ML strategy, roadmapping, or implementation in enterprise environments.
• Background in cloud migration and application modernization at scale (50+ application portfolios).
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, microservices architecture, and event-driven systems.
• Prior experience building or leading an architecture practice or center of excellence.
• History of closing or directly contributing to new business ($1M+ engagements).

Application prep

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Keywords to mirror

aiazuregcpmlkubernetes

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