Senior Architect, COTS Applications

AbbVie•North Chicago, IL

6d•$141,500 - $268,500

About The Position

Serve as the architecture leader for the group's COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) application portfolio, building on deep, demonstrated expertise across enterprise application platforms, integrations, and vendor ecosystems to define, evolve, and operationalize the group's application strategy and technology roadmap. This role is intended for senior architects who have not only designed and delivered complex COTS-based solutions, but who have translated hard-won experience from challenging implementation, integration, and modernization programs into durable roadmaps, standards, and reference architectures — and who are ready to lead a team of architects doing the same. The Senior Architect, COTS Applications acts as both a hands-on COTS/integration platform expert and a technical authority and strategic advisor, shaping application direction across the portfolio while ensuring alignment to Enterprise Architecture, security, compliance, and business outcomes. Success in this role requires the ability to operate at multiple altitudes — applying deep solution-level judgment when needed, while also exercising enterprise-level influence to guide the team, peers, and business stakeholders toward coherent, modern application platforms that scale with AbbVie's ambitions.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree with 9 years of relevant experience; OR Master's Degree with 8 years of experience; OR PhD with 4 years of experience in COTS application, integration, or enterprise application architecture roles.
Prior experience leading or managing a team of architects or senior technologists, including coaching, performance management, and capacity/demand planning across a portfolio.
Demonstrated leadership in designing and executing COTS application and integration strategies across large, heterogeneous portfolios, including SaaS, on-premise COTS, and hybrid integration landscapes.
Deep expertise in modern COTS and integration architecture practices, including configuration-first delivery, API/event-driven integration, iPaaS, identity and access, master data considerations, and security-by-design.
Track record of successfully guiding organizations through complex COTS implementation, upgrade, consolidation, or modernization programs involving legacy systems, technical debt, and organizational change.
Strong enterprise influence skills, with demonstrated comfort operating in governance forums, architectural review boards, vendor negotiations, and ambiguous problem spaces.
Ability to articulate complex architectural concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences — including business partners — driving alignment and informed decision-making.
Recognized as a trusted architectural leader and mentor, with a passion for elevating architectural rigor, platform thinking, and modern practices across teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience in regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a team of architects responsible for architectural oversight of COTS applications, integrations, and the technology roadmap within the group; set direction, coach on architectural rigor, and manage performance, growth, and staffing.
Define and advance the group's COTS application and integration strategies, translating long-term business and technology goals into actionable, multi-year architectural roadmaps.
Provide architectural leadership and oversight across major programs and initiatives — from vendor selection and COTS implementation through configuration, extension, integration, and lifecycle management — ensuring designs are cohesive, future-ready, and aligned to enterprise standards.
Establish and articulate 'what good looks like' for COTS architecture, integration patterns, and configuration-vs-customization decisions through reference architectures, design patterns, and decision frameworks the team can consistently apply.
Partner closely with Business Relationship Managers (BRMs), Business System Consultants (BSCs), Business System Analysts (BSAs), and internal Software Engineering teams on ongoing projects, future project planning, demand intake, and solutioning — providing the technical expertise needed to shape business outcomes into sound architectural direction and ensure COTS solutions integrate cleanly with custom-built capabilities.
Serve as a senior architectural authority in governance and design forums, clearly framing trade-offs, risks, and recommendations across vendor capabilities, integration approaches, build-vs-buy-vs-configure decisions, and roadmap sequencing.
Guide the evolution of the group's COTS and integration landscape, balancing modernization, resilience, security, compliance, total cost of ownership, and vendor roadmap alignment in complex, regulated environments.
Partner closely with infrastructure, data, security, DevOps, and enterprise architecture teams to ensure the COTS application strategy is tightly integrated with broader platform and delivery ecosystems.
Mentor and develop architects and senior technologists, raising overall architectural maturity, integration/platform thinking, and modern application practices across the group.
Ensure adherence to corporate and divisional policies, including GxP, data security, and application lifecycle management, embedding compliance into architectural decisions by design.