Principal Enterprise Architect

FlightSafety International•Columbus, OH

About The Position

The Principal Enterprise Architect sets and communicates the enterprise technology strategy for FlightSafety International's enterprise architecture, ensuring technology investments align with the company's training, simulation, and business operations strategy. This role leads the architecture of FSI's 10-year initiative to modernize the application portfolio and standardize business processes across divisions. It owns the architectural vision and the enterprise architecture function end to end across applications, infrastructure, data, and integration domains, translating business priorities into scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions across corporate, aviation training, and simulator manufacturing and delivery systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in computer science information technology, engineering, system analysis or a related study, or equivalent experience
15+ years of IT experience, including 8+ years (10+ preferred) of Enterprise Architecture experience in multinational organizations, ensuring alignment across global business units and regulatory environments
5+ years of hands-on delivery experience in at least two of the following, with working knowledge across the rest: Integration and APIs, AI/ML, IoT, COTS platform implementation (ERP, PLM, Document Management), Software engineering fundamentals, Data engineering and analytics, Manufacturing systems and OT considerations, Infrastructure and cloud (Azure/AWS)
Significant experience leading enterprise application portfolio rationalization, including capability-mapped inventories and cost-versus-value assessment
Significant experience defining enterprise technology and integration standards using established reference architectures (TOGAF or equivalent)
Significant experience conducting build-vs-buy and vendor rationalization analyses for enterprise application decisions
Significant experience translating business process standardization goals into supporting technical architecture
Significant experience developing and maintaining multi-year architecture roadmaps sequenced by dependency, risk, and business value
Significant experience leading architecture governance, including architecture review boards
Significant experience leading and mentoring solution architects in a matrix organization
Significant experience presenting architecture strategy and trade-offs to senior executives
Significant experience architecting within regulated environments subject to CMMC and NIST requirements
Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks and application and infrastructure reference models
Knowledge of enterprise data architecture, including master data, lineage, governance, and analytics platforms
Knowledge of software licensing models, infrastructure cost structures, and total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling
Knowledge of vendor evaluation methods and SaaS/COTS vs. custom development trade-offs
Knowledge of enterprise integration patterns and technology standards
Knowledge of security and compliance frameworks, including CMMC and NIST SP 800-53
Skill in capability mapping and business process analysis
Skill in structured interviewing and technical discovery with IT stakeholders
Skill in dependency mapping, risk assessment, and prioritization for multi-year programs
Skill in communicating architecture decisions and trade-offs to executive and technical audiences
Ability to influence and build consensus across divisions without direct authority
Ability to quickly grasp complex business domains and apply sound cost-benefit judgment

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise-wide modernization initiatives (cloud modernization, digital twin adoption, simulation tech evolution).
Serve as principal advisor to senior leadership on emerging technologies and long-term architectural risks.
Own the security architecture across applications, infrastructure, and simulator engineering and manufacturing ecosystems, e.g., Zero Trust, global privacy requirements, and supply-chain risk management.
Build and maintain an authoritative application inventory mapped to business capabilities, identifying redundant and overlapping systems.
Assess operational costs (licensing, infrastructure) and business value for each application to inform rationalization decisions.
Elicit existing reference models and their intended purpose from IT teams across divisions.
Create and maintain a formal enterprise architecture pattern library and technology reference catalog covering application, data, security, cloud, and simulator-technology domains.
Apply industry-standard application and infrastructure reference architectures to define enterprise standards.
Translate proposed standards into expected costs and benefits over time.
Evaluate proposed enterprise application purchases and build-vs-buy decisions against the 10-year architecture roadmap.
Flag redundant or non-standard vendor purchases before they enter the portfolio.
Translate business process requirements into technical architecture decisions.
Partner with division process owners to define target-state architecture for standardized business processes.
Define and maintain the enterprise architecture roadmap, sequencing consolidation, replacement, and retirement based on dependency, risk, and business value.
Define and measure EA program KPIs and value outcomes.
Own EA tools (e.g., LeanIX/Ardoq) for portfolio visibility, roadmapping, and dependency management.
Own and chair the Architecture Review Board (ARB), including its charter, intake criteria, and decision records.
Own the definition, publication, and maintenance of enterprise technology, integration, data, and security standards, including the exception and waiver process.
Conduct architecture compliance reviews of projects and procurements against approved standards and the enterprise roadmap.
Lead and mentor solution architects across divisions through a matrix model.