A strong Enterprise Architect job description names a specific framework requirement such as TOGAF 10. A real seniority floor belongs in there too, 8 to 12+ years with 3 to 5 at the enterprise level, not the project level. The multi-cloud and integration scope the role covers should be listed out, and C-suite communication needs to read as a required skill, not an afterthought. Naming the governance function matters as well, review board participation or standards enforcement, since that separates an Enterprise Architect from a senior solutions architect on paper.
A job description that just says “Enterprise Architect, 5+ years, strong communication skills” will get you resumes. It will not get you an Enterprise Architect. That posting reads like a solutions architect req, or a technical program manager req with a fancier title bolted on. Candidates who actually operate at the enterprise level, setting standards across a portfolio rather than designing one system, will scroll past it. The people who do apply tend to be strong individual contributors who have never sat on a governance board or defended a technology decision to a CFO. That gap does not show up until three months in, when the roadmap they were hired to build never materializes. Below is a copy-paste template built from the real shape of this role. See our Nearshore Enterprise Architects overview for the broader hiring picture.
Why Generic Architect Job Descriptions Fail
Enterprise Architect is one of the most inconsistently defined titles in tech hiring. Some companies use it for a senior solutions architect who designs one system well. Others use it for someone closer to a CTO-in-waiting, someone who sets standards, owns a target-state roadmap, and sits on an architecture review board. Both people might have “Enterprise Architect” on a LinkedIn headline right now. A vague job posting will pull candidates from both pools without telling you which one you are getting.
The fix is not a longer job description. It is a more specific one. Four things separate an enterprise-level posting from a project-level one wearing a bigger title. A named framework requirement. A real seniority floor stated in years and scope, not just years. An explicit list of the technical surface area the role covers. A stated expectation for stakeholder communication up through the C-suite. Skip any of those four and you will filter almost nothing, because “5+ years, strong communicator” describes half the senior engineers on the market.
The Complete Enterprise Architect Job Description Template
Copy the block below directly into your applicant tracking system and adjust the bracketed fields for your organization. Commentary on why each section is built this way follows in the next part of this guide.
Job Title
Enterprise Architect (adjust to Senior Enterprise Architect or Principal / Chief Enterprise Architect based on scope and seniority, see the compensation table below)
Reports To
CTO, VP of Engineering, or Head of Architecture, depending on org size. At companies without a dedicated architecture function yet, this role often reports directly to the CIO.
Summary
We are hiring an Enterprise Architect to own our target-state technology roadmap across [number] business units and [number] core systems. This is not a project-level design role. You will set architecture standards, chair our architecture review board, and be the technical decision-maker stakeholders escalate to when a proposed solution conflicts with our long-term direction. You will work across cloud infrastructure, data governance, integration strategy, and security architecture, translating business strategy into a technology roadmap the engineering organization can actually execute against.
Key Responsibilities
- Own and maintain the enterprise architecture roadmap, aligning technology investment with business strategy across all major systems and business units
- Chair or actively participate in the architecture review board, evaluating proposed technical solutions against enterprise standards before they reach production
- Define and enforce architecture standards using an industry framework such as TOGAF 10, including reference architectures for cloud, integration, and data
- Build and maintain business capability maps and current-state to target-state architecture models using ArchiMate or an equivalent modeling notation
- Design multi-cloud reference architectures aligned to the relevant provider’s well-architected framework, whether that is AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Define enterprise integration patterns, including API gateway strategy and event-driven architecture, so individual teams are not solving the same integration problem differently every time
- Set data governance and master data management standards in partnership with data engineering and security leadership
- Apply Zero Trust and NIST-aligned security architecture principles to every reference architecture the organization adopts
- Present architecture strategy, technology risk, and major roadmap decisions directly to executive stakeholders, including the CTO, CFO, and CEO where budget or risk is material
- Maintain the organization’s EA repository, whether that is LeanIX, Ardoq, Sparx EA, or BiZZdesign, as the single source of truth for architecture decisions
Required Qualifications
- 8 to 12+ years of total IT experience, with at least 3 to 5 years specifically in an enterprise-level architecture role, not a project-level or solutions-architect-only role
- TOGAF 10 certification required, or in active progress with completion expected within the first 90 days
- Demonstrated experience with ArchiMate modeling and familiarity with the Zachman Framework
- Hands-on experience designing reference architectures across at least one major cloud provider’s well-architected framework, AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Direct experience with enterprise integration patterns, API gateway architecture, and event-driven system design
- Experience defining or enforcing data governance and master data management standards
- Prior participation in an architecture review board or equivalent governance function, not just individual solution design
- Proven ability to communicate technical strategy and trade-offs to non-technical executive stakeholders, with examples you can speak to in an interview
Preferred Qualifications
- Working knowledge of NIST Cybersecurity Framework and Zero Trust architecture principles
- Hands-on experience with an EA repository tool such as LeanIX, Ardoq, Sparx EA, or BiZZdesign
- Experience operating across multiple cloud providers rather than a single-cloud environment
- Background in a regulated industry, financial services, healthcare, or government, where architecture governance is externally audited
- Prior experience mentoring solution architects or building an architecture practice from an earlier, less mature stage
Tools & Technologies
TOGAF 10 / ADM · ArchiMate · Zachman Framework · AWS, Azure, or GCP Well-Architected Frameworks · API gateway and event-driven integration tooling · LeanIX, Ardoq, Sparx EA, or BiZZdesign · NIST Cybersecurity Framework · Zero Trust architecture principles
What Success Looks Like in 90 Days
The first 30 days go toward reviewing the current-state architecture, meeting every major stakeholder team, and identifying the two or three highest-risk gaps in the existing environment. By day 60, a draft target-state roadmap exists and has been reviewed with engineering leadership. The 90-day mark is when the architecture review board process is either stood up or measurably improved, with at least one concrete governance decision, a standard adopted, a pattern retired, a risk flagged to leadership, made and documented.
Need Candidates Against This Exact JD?
Send us this job description and your current architecture stack. We will have vetted nearshore Enterprise Architect candidates on your desk in 72 hours.
Why Each Section of This Template Matters
The Framework and Seniority Lines
The framework requirement is the single highest-leverage line in the whole posting. TOGAF remains one of the most in-demand IT architecture certifications by active job postings tracked in 2026. Postings requiring it climbed sharply again this year according to certdemand.com, an industry site that tracks certification mentions across job boards. That figure is worth reading with a caveat, it measures posting volume, not proof of on-the-job value. Requiring TOGAF 10, or at minimum stating that candidates need to complete it within 90 days, filters out candidates who have never operated inside a formal architecture governance model.
The seniority language matters more than the number attached to it. “8 to 12+ years” alone still lets a strong senior engineer with zero enterprise-level exposure apply and get through an ATS keyword filter. Adding “at least 3 to 5 years specifically in an enterprise-level architecture role, not a project-level role” forces the distinction the title itself does not make. This is the line most job descriptions skip. It is also the one hiring managers reference most often in post-mortems when a hire does not work out.
The Scope and Tooling Lines
Listing the actual technical surface area, multi-cloud reference architecture, integration patterns, data governance, security architecture, does two things at once. It tells a strong candidate this is a real enterprise-scope role, not a rebadged senior developer job. It also gives your interview panel a concrete list to probe against instead of relying on gut feel. A candidate who cannot speak specifically to any one of those five areas is not ready for the role, no matter how polished their resume looks.
Naming the EA tooling stack, whether that is LeanIX, Ardoq, Sparx EA, or BiZZdesign, is a smaller detail but it does real work. It signals your organization has an actual architecture practice with documented decisions, not a title with no supporting process behind it. Strong candidates notice that difference. It becomes a genuine differentiator in a market where most competing postings stay vague on this point.
Common Mistakes Companies Make Writing This JD
Vague Scope and Skipped Frameworks
The first mistake is vague scope. “Design and maintain our technology architecture” could describe a solutions architect, a DevOps lead, or a CTO, depending on the company. Enterprise-level scope needs enterprise-level language like portfolio, business unit, target-state roadmap, and governance. If your draft posting could apply to three different job levels without editing, it needs another pass before it goes live.
The second mistake is skipping the framework requirement entirely. Some hiring managers worry that requiring TOGAF narrows the pool too much. In practice it does the opposite for this specific title. It filters out candidates who would not have succeeded in the role anyway, and the ones who remain are exactly the pool you are trying to reach. If your organization genuinely does not need formal framework fluency, you likely do not need an Enterprise Architect. A Senior Solutions Architect posting would serve you better and attract a more accurate candidate pool.
Missing Seniority Signals and Buried Communication Needs
The third mistake is a missing seniority signal, covered above, worth repeating because it is the single most common gap found in live postings during research for this article. A flat years-of-experience number without an enterprise-specific carve-out does not do the filtering work hiring teams assume it does.
The fourth mistake is treating stakeholder communication as a soft-skill afterthought buried in a single generic bullet at the end. For this role specifically, the ability to defend a roadmap decision to a CFO or walk a non-technical board member through a security trade-off is not a nice-to-have. It belongs in the required qualifications section, stated plainly, with an expectation that candidates bring real examples to the interview rather than a general claim about being “a strong communicator.”
One honest caveat worth stating here. No job description, however well built, replaces a structured interview process that actually tests these skills. A candidate can talk convincingly about TOGAF and governance in a screening call and still struggle once they are accountable for a live architecture review board. Use this template to attract the right pool, then pair it with a real technical and stakeholder-communication assessment. Our Enterprise Architect Interview Questions guide covers exactly that gap.
Salary Benchmarks by Seniority
Compensation is the other place where vague job descriptions cause real damage. A weak posting either undersells the role and loses candidates to competing offers, or it budgets for a Solution Architect salary while writing a Principal Enterprise Architect job description. The table below breaks out typical U.S. market compensation against nearshore Latin America rates for the three seniority tiers this template scales across.
| Level | Experience | US Salary | Nearshore Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solution Architect | 7 to 10 years | $155,000 – $185,000 | $75,000 – $95,000 |
| Senior Enterprise Architect | 10 to 15 years | $185,000 – $225,000 | $95,000 – $120,000 |
| Principal / Chief Architect | 15+ years | $225,000 – $300,000+ | $120,000 – $155,000 |
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track “Enterprise Architect” as a distinct occupation, so there is no direct BLS wage line to cite for this exact title. The closest classified role is Computer Network Architects. The BLS projects that occupation will grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, well above the average for all occupations, with roughly 11,200 annual openings expected over that period (bls.gov). That is a directionally useful demand signal for the broader architecture and infrastructure field. It is not a substitute for the role-specific numbers above, and hiring committees should see that distinction made clear.
Nearshore Latin America hiring for this role typically runs 40 to 50% below comparable US compensation, while keeping real-time overlap for the executive-facing meetings this role requires. For a full breakdown by country and seniority level, see our Nearshore Enterprise Architects Salary Guide. For the step-by-step process of running this search, our How to Hire Nearshore Enterprise Architects guide covers sourcing and screening in more depth than this template does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should an Enterprise Architect job description require TOGAF certification?
Requiring it, or completion within 90 days, is standard practice for this title in 2026. TOGAF is one of the most requested certifications on active postings, and candidates who hold it have almost always worked inside a formal governance model already. Treat it as a strong signal, not an absolute bar. A candidate with 15 years of real experience and no certification is still worth interviewing.
What is the difference between a Solution Architect and an Enterprise Architect job description?
A Solution Architect designs the architecture for a specific project or system. An Enterprise Architect sets standards and owns a target-state roadmap across a portfolio, usually with a governance function attached, such as chairing an architecture review board. The salary table above reflects that scope difference. Solution Architect roles sit at the entry point of this template’s range, and Principal or Chief roles sit at the top.
Can this template be used for a nearshore Latin America hire?
Yes, the core responsibilities and required qualifications apply regardless of where the architect is based. Add your timezone overlap expectations, and confirm English-language stakeholder communication requirements, since this role spends real time in front of executives. Then screen candidates against the TOGAF, cloud, and governance criteria this template defines.
How many years of experience should an Enterprise Architect job description require?
8 to 12+ years total is the common floor. The more useful number is the enterprise-specific carve-out, at least 3 to 5 years at the portfolio or governance level, not the single-project level. A candidate with 12 years of project-based experience and zero governance exposure is not the same hire as one with 9 years including 4 on a review board, even though the total years favor the first candidate on paper.
Related Articles
BUILD YOUR NEARSHORE EA TEAM
Get pre-screened Enterprise Architects from Latin America on your desk within 72 hours.
GET STARTED TODAYNo upfront fees | 90-day replacement guarantee