Senior Director, Enterprise Architecture

Norfolk Southern Corp.•Atlanta, GA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Norfolk Southern is transforming how railroads operate through modern technology, data-driven decision making, AI-enabled capabilities, and platform-based delivery. The Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture serves as the enterprise technology strategist responsible for defining the future-state technology landscape and ensuring technology investments align with business priorities, operational excellence, and long-term enterprise objectives. Reporting to the AVP, Technology & Digital Strategy, this leader will establish and evolve enterprise architecture capabilities across business applications, data, AI, cloud, infrastructure, and security domains. The role is responsible for enterprise technology standards, architecture governance, target-state architectures, modernization roadmaps, and technology decision frameworks that enable Norfolk Southern to operate a more stable, resilient, secure, and customer-focused railroad. This leader partners closely with product, engineering, operations, commercial, data & AI, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and executive leadership teams to drive technology simplification, accelerate modernization, and ensure technology investments create measurable business value.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Information Management, or related technical field) required.
10+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, including significant experience in Enterprise Architecture.
Proven experience developing enterprise-wide technology strategies, architectures, standards, and governance models in large, complex organizations.
Deep expertise in one or more architecture domains including enterprise architecture, cloud, platforms, applications, data, AI, cybersecurity, or infrastructure.
Experience leading large-scale modernization initiatives involving cloud, application transformation, data platforms, AI capabilities, and/or enterprise systems.
Demonstrated success influencing senior executives and driving enterprise change across matrixed organizations.
Strong understanding of architecture governance, technology risk management, resiliency, security, and technology investment planning.
Exceptional communication, storytelling, and executive presentation skills.
Experience leading teams and building enterprise architecture capabilities.

Nice To Haves

Master's or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a related field.
Experience in transportation, logistics, industrial operations, supply chain, or other asset-intensive industries.
Experience with formal architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF or equivalent) and familiarity with engineering practices and software development methodologies (e.g., CI/CD, infrastructure as code, observability)
Experience developing architecture strategies for AI, advanced analytics, intelligent automation, and platform engineering.
Proven track record driving enterprise simplification, technology rationalization, technical debt reduction, and cloud transformation.
Experience supporting mission-critical operational environments requiring high availability, resiliency, and security.

Responsibilities

Define and continuously evolve Norfolk Southern's enterprise architecture strategy, guiding the long-term modernization of applications, platforms, data, and infrastructure.
Develop enterprise reference architectures, architectural principles, standards, and technology roadmaps aligned to corporate and D&T strategic priorities.
Create and maintain target-state architectures that support business transformation, operational excellence, customer experience, and AI adoption.
Partner with technology and business leaders to ensure roadmaps are integrated, scalable, and aligned to enterprise goals.
Lead enterprise architecture governance forums and technology review processes.
Establish decision frameworks that balance business value, cost, risk, speed, resiliency, security, and technical sustainability.
Drive consistency in technology decisions across products, platforms, and business domains.
Provide executive-level recommendations regarding technology investments, modernization priorities, and emerging technologies.
Drive architecture direction for large-scale modernization initiatives including cloud adoption, application modernization, platform engineering, integration, and infrastructure transformation.
Establish reusable architecture patterns, paved paths, and platform standards that accelerate delivery while reducing complexity and technical debt.
Promote platform-oriented architecture principles that improve developer productivity, scalability, and operational efficiency.
Guide architecture strategies for mission-critical operational systems supporting train operations, transportation, network planning, asset management, customer experience, and corporate functions.
Partner with Data & AI leaders to establish architecture standards for enterprise data, analytics, AI, machine learning, and intelligent automation capabilities.
Ensure AI-enabled solutions are built on scalable, secure, governed, and reusable platforms.
Define architecture patterns that support responsible AI, data governance, observability, model lifecycle management, and regulatory compliance.
Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to create business value through innovation.
Translate complex technical concepts into clear business narratives for executives and non-technical stakeholders.
Influence technology and business leaders without direct authority to achieve enterprise-wide alignment.
Support strategic planning, portfolio prioritization, technology investment decisions, and business case development.
Build trusted partnerships across business and D&T organizations to drive adoption of enterprise standards and strategic direction.
Build and lead a high-performing enterprise architecture capability.
Mentor domain, solution, and platform architects while fostering architectural excellence and continuous learning.
Establish architecture operating models, processes, tools, and metrics that drive accountability and measurable outcomes.
Promote a culture of simplification, reuse, innovation, collaboration, and engineering excellence.