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IT Principal Architect (Director Level) - $1B Manufacturing Business

Role Summary

The IT Principal Architect is the senior technical authority for Application, Data and Integration Architecture across a ~$1B manufacturing business. This role drives execution and innovation by modernizing legacy systems - especially custom MES solutions - while accelerating cloud and API modernization to improve agility, reliability, and customer experience (CX). Operating in an ambiguous, fast-paced environment, the Principal Architect partners with business and IT leaders to define target-state architecture, pilot and prove new capabilities through POCs, and guide delivery teams to scalable, secure, supportable solutions.

This is a hands-on architect-leader: a self-starter who can zoom from strategy to implementation, influence without direct authority (dotted-line leadership), and align multiple stakeholders around practical architectural decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture Leadership & Execution

• Own end-to-end architecture for critical manufacturing and enterprise platforms, including MES ecosystems, ERP adjacencies, integration layers, and customer-facing touchpoints.
• Define pragmatic target-state architectures and roadmaps that balance speed, cost, and risk while improving business outcomes.
• Translate strategy into execution artifacts: reference architectures, patterns, integration standards, and actionable modernization plans.
• Partner with platform leaders to ensure architectural decisions are implemented consistently across delivery teams.

Legacy Modernization (Custom Mfg Apps on AS400 & Mainframe)

• Lead modernization of legacy and custom-built MES landscapes, including rationalization, modularization, and phased migration strategies.
• Assess technical debt, scalability, and reliability risks; propose sequencing plans that protect plant uptime and operational continuity.
• Drive improvements in shop-floor data quality, event capture, and traceability to support quality, throughput, and compliance needs.

Cloud & Platform Modernization (Azure, AWS)

• Migrate On prem and Co-lo workloads to Azure or AWS
• Lead cloud modernization across applications and infrastructure including hosting strategy, resiliency (DR, Backups), observability, and cost optimization.
• Ensure designs meet non-functional requirements: availability, latency, recoverability, security, and supportability, especially for plant operations.

API & Integration Modernization (Palantir Foundry)

• Define and drive API modernization strategy: API-first design, governance, versioning, security, documentation, and reuse.
• Modernize integration patterns (e.g., point-to-point to API/event-driven where appropriate), improving reliability and speed of change.
• Enable scalable data and integration flows between Backshop floor, ERP, supply chain, and CX systems.

AI Enablement & Innovation (Palantir Foundry)

• Identify high-value AI/ML and intelligent automation opportunities (e.g., quality & claims analytics, predictive maintenance enablement, scheduling optimization).
• Partner with Data/Analytics and Security teams to implement responsible AI patterns, including governance, monitoring, and data controls.
• Rapidly pilot emerging technologies: run POCs, validate value, and create repeatable patterns for scaling into production.

CX Impact & Business Partnership

• Architect solutions that improve customer experience: order visibility, lead-time accuracy, service responsiveness, and digital self-service enablement.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Commercial, and Corporate IT leaders, translating business needs into technology direction.

Success Measures (First 12-24 Months)

• A clear, endorsed target architecture and phased modernization roadmap for custom applications and critical integrations.
• Reduction in integration fragility through API modernization and Palantir based hub & spoke patterns.
• Delivery teams consistently apply reference patterns, fewer architectural exceptions and rework.
• Successful POCs that translate into scalable solutions with measurable value (throughput, quality, uptime, CX improvements).
• Improved resilience and observability for manufacturing-critical systems (Cloud migration, DR & backup strategy, and annual recovery testing).
• Strong stakeholder alignment and decision velocity in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive architecture and engineering experience, including enterprise application and integration architecture.
• Deep experience in manufacturing environments and plant-critical systems (MES experience required; custom MES modernization strongly preferred).
• Proven track record modernizing legacy applications and integrations while maintaining operational continuity.
• Strong cloud architecture experience (hybrid/cloud modernization, resiliency, security, DevSecOps alignment).
• Strong API and integration architecture experience (API lifecycle governance, iPaaS/middleware, event/API patterns).
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence (dotted-line leadership), align stakeholders, and drive decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with enterprise-scale integration patterns and manufacturing domain architecture.
• Experience delivering AI/ML, advanced analytics enablement, or intelligent automation with governance and monitoring.
• Familiarity with industrial data patterns (time-series/event data, traceability, quality data models) and OT/IT boundaries.
• Experience building reference architecture, standards, and guardrails for multiple teams.

Leadership Competencies

• Execution-first architecture: pragmatic, outcome-driven, able to deliver now while building toward the future.
• Innovation & experimentation: rapid POCs, value validation/alignment, and scalable launches.
• Self-starter: thrives in ambiguity, drives clarity, creates momentum without waiting for perfect inputs.
• Stakeholder alignment: communicates tradeoffs, builds consensus, and accelerates decisions.
• Systems thinking understands end-to-end flows from shop floor to customer; optimizes for business outcomes.
• Technical leadership: elevates engineering practices and influences teams and partners.

Working Environment

• Fast-paced manufacturing environment with multi-site complexity and mission-critical operational requirements.
• Hybrid or on-site expectations may include periodic travel to plants/sites to support key initiatives and stakeholder alignment.