Enterprise Application Architecture Lead

Northrop Grumman•New York, NY

1d•$175,300 - $262,900•Remote

About The Position

Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Sector Chief Information & Digital Office (CIDO) is seeking a Senior Staff Computer Systems Architect to serve as the Application Architecture Lead within the Strategy and Architecture team of the Governance & Strategy organization. The role defines and guides enterprise application architecture, including application portfolio coherence, rationalization, modernization priorities, lifecycle strategy, platform usage patterns, integration expectations, and target-state approaches across the company. The role helps ensure that business capability, application investment, integration, and modernization decisions create a coherent enterprise application landscape rather than fragmented local optimization or duplicative portfolio choices. It works closely with the Enterprise Applications organization and covers the consolidated scope of Enterprise Platforms and Applications, Enterprise Manufacturing Systems, and Enterprise Resource Platforms. The position is available as a virtual telecommuting role, but the incumbent must live within 90 miles of a major Northrop Grumman location for ad hoc onsite meetings. Travel is 10%. The Application Architecture Lead operates within the enterprise technical architecture lane and partners with business capability, data, technology, security, delivery, and portfolio stakeholders. The role translates enterprise priorities into practical application architecture roadmaps, standards, and expectations, and supports architecture governance and executive-facing communication.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field and 14+ years of relevant experience; alternatively, a Master’s degree with 12+ years or a PhD with 10+ years.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance as a condition of continued employment.
Demonstrated experience in application architecture, portfolio architecture, enterprise systems architecture, or application modernization leadership.
Experience defining enterprise application standards, reference patterns, target-state architecture direction, or portfolio guardrails across complex environments.
Strong understanding of application lifecycle management, modernization strategy, integration patterns, technical debt considerations, and the effects of application architecture decisions on business operations.
Experience influencing enterprise application architecture decisions across multiple teams, organizations, or technical domains.
Ability to connect business priorities, application investment decisions, enterprise standards, and technology direction into coherent application architecture decisions.
Strong TOGAF knowledge if not TOGAF certified.
Well versed in the application lifecycle.
Strong executive presence.
Must be within 90 miles of a major Northrop Grumman location for ad hoc onsite meetings.
U.S. citizenship is required for positions requiring a government clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading enterprise application architecture, portfolio rationalization, platform modernization, or application lifecycle strategy efforts in a large organization.
Experience in defense, aerospace, federal, or other regulated environments.
Experience with enterprise platforms, ERP environments, shared business systems, integration-heavy portfolios, or large-scale application modernization efforts.
Experience supporting architecture review boards, standards governance, or modernization planning involving large application estates.
Ability to balance long-range application architecture direction with practical delivery, operational, and investment constraints.
Ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior leaders.
TOGAF certification.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Application Architecture Lead for the enterprise technical architecture lane.
Define and maintain enterprise application architecture principles, standards, reference patterns, and target-state guidance for the application landscape.
Guide application portfolio decisions related to rationalization, modernization, reuse, retirement, lifecycle planning, and cross-system coherence.
Shape enterprise approaches for application portfolio evolution, platform usage alignment, integration expectations, and architectural consistency.
Partner with business capability, data, technology, security, delivery, and portfolio stakeholders to evaluate architectural trade-offs and improve coherence in application decisions.
Identify duplication, overlap, fragmentation, concentrations of technical debt, and architectural risks across the enterprise application landscape.
Participate in architecture reviews, standards governance, and decision forums involving significant application, platform, integration, and modernization initiatives.
Develop recommendations to improve application reuse, maintainability, investment coherence, and long-range portfolio sustainability.
Mentor architects and technical leaders on enterprise application architecture methods, patterns, and expectations.
Support executive-facing architecture communication and leadership visibility into application architecture risks, standards decisions, and modernization implications.
Help translate enterprise priorities into application architecture roadmaps, standards, and expectations across the Enterprise Applications landscape.

Benefits

Flexible work arrangements.
Learning opportunities and exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers.
Friendly team environment.
Health insurance coverage.
Life and disability insurance.
Savings plan with 401(k) matching.
Company-paid holidays.
Paid time off for vacation and/or personal business.
Potential discretionary annual bonus.
Potential overtime and shift differential, depending on position.
9/80 work schedule option.