Enterprise Application Architect

The Enterprise Application Architect (EAA) designs and oversees the evolution of the organization’s end‑to‑end software portfolio, ensuring that application decisions align with business strategy and long‑term IT goals.

The EAA acts as the architectural glue between Domain Architects and Solution Architects, ensuring that work across capabilities, domains, and projects fits together into one coherent enterprise landscape.

The EAA drives Application Portfolio Management (APM), providing clear guidance on how  to evaluate, upgrade, modernize, or retire applications to optimize the landscape, reduce technical debt and promote a modern technology adoption.

The EAA owns the Integration Strategy and API roadmap, creating strong alignment between business domains and the APIs that support them. Providing guidance to Domain and Solution Architects to ensure consistent communication and interoperability across systems.

What You’ll Do

1) Set & Socialize Frameworks, Guardrails, and Standards

• Define and evolve enterprise application architecture frameworks, reference models, and reusable patterns (layering, modularity, API/event styles, resilience/observability, security‑by‑design).

• Translate strategy into clear guardrails and decision principles; maintain concise architecture playbooks and golden paths that teams can adopt quickly.

• Embed standards in platform tooling (DevOps, CI/CD, API gateways, event platforms, observability) to make the “right way” the easy way.

2) Own Application Portfolio Management (APM)

• Lead APM with structured evaluations: business fit, technical health, lifecycle, risk, TCO.

• Drive rationalization and modernization (incl. TIME assessments), and orchestrate upgrade vs. retire decisions with clear value cases.

• Surface and reduce technical debt and duplication; maintain a forward‑looking application target state.

3) Define Integration Strategy & API Roadmaps

• Set the Integration Strategy (API‑led, event‑driven, orchestration vs. choreography, canonical models).

• Build API roadmaps per business domain; ensure traceable links between capabilities, information concepts, data objects, and the APIs that enable them.

• Guide Domain and Solution Architects on integration patterns, versioning, governance, security, and performance.

4) Guide Architectural Design & Blueprinting

• Create and maintain application reference architectures for cloud, AI‑enabled components, and composable applications.

• Provide early architectural guidance on initiatives; run coaching‑first Design Authority/Architecture Reviews to ensure alignment to target states.

• Support make‑or‑buy and vendor selection with objective criteria derived from enterprise standards.

5) Plan the Evolution with Portfolio & Delivery

• Co‑create multi‑year roadmaps with Domain Architects and Portfolio Management to move the estate toward target architecture.

• Anticipate dependencies, migration waves, and change impacts; ensure pragmatic sequencing and incremental value delivery.

• Track adoption and outcomes through measurable indicators.

Collaboration Model

• Partner with Enterprise- Business, Data, Security, Technology, Domain and Solution Architects to ensure end‑to‑end coherence across the capability map.

• Lead the Application Architecture Community of Practice; run brown‑bags/clinics and share reusable assets

• Operate a lightweight governance model—coaching early, guarding principles consistently, minimizing late‑stage rework.

Requirements

What You Bring

Experience

• 7–10 years in Solution/Application/Domain Architecture within complex, multi‑domain environments.

• Proven track record in application design, integration patterns (API‑led, event‑driven, SOA), and portfolio/lifecycle management.

• Experience with modernization/rationalization and platform adoption (e.g., API platforms, DevOps toolchains, observability).

• Consulting or stakeholder‑heavy experience is a plus.

Education

• Bachelor/Master in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering—or equivalent professional experience.

Skills & Frameworks

• Enterprise Architecture foundations (TOGAF or equivalent).

• Operating models/frameworks (IT4IT, ITIL, TBM) and their translation into capabilities and services.

• Modelling: ArchiMate, BPMN; information modelling and canonical data concepts.

• Familiarity with ServiceNow (or similar enterprise service platforms) is a plus.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management; able to tell the “why” behind the “what”.

• Strategic thinker with a pragmatic, delivery‑oriented mindset; structured and collaborative.

• Languages: Dutch or French, and English.

Our offer

At SNCB, you’ll join an open corporate culture and contribute to our digital transformation. You’ll work in a role with real social impact and plenty of room to make your own mark. Alongside a healthy work-life balance and a competitive salary, we offer:

• hybrid working, with a balanced weekly mix of office and remote work, combined with flexible hours

• 35 days of annual leave

• a mobility package with a company car (also available via our mobility plan) or alternative mobility choices, complemented by a public transport season ticket

• a target bonus

• a comprehensive insurance package, with hospitalisation and dental care for the whole family

• coverage of outpatient medical costs

• group insurance, including a supplementary pension (cafeteria plan)

• meal vouchers & eco vouchers

• net allowances for hybrid working and an internet allowance