Principal Enterprise Architect.

CCCS is the state’s largest provider of higher education and workforce training, serving 13 colleges, 35 locations, and approximately 150,000 users. Our mission is to provide accessible, responsive learning environments where students achieve educational, professional, and personal goals in an atmosphere that embraces academic excellence, diversity, and innovation.

About the role

We are looking for a curious Principal Enterprise Architect to own the technology strategy for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). In this role, you will set standards and reference architectures, run the architecture review board, and translate the chancellor’s five-year strategy into a fundable, executable roadmap. Two days per week in the Denver office are required.

Responsibilities

• Define the organization's multi-year technology strategy, oversee the design of scalable systems, and ensure IT investments align with long-term business goals and digital transformation.
• Evaluate, select, and champion the adoption of new frameworks, platforms, and technologies that improve organizational capability while building consensus among internal and external stakeholders.
• Architect and guide the integration of enterprise data, platforms, and systems to ensure scalability, security, and interoperability.
• Run the architecture review board and enforce design standards with real governance authority.
• Explain and justify technology decisions to CCCS leadership, colleges, consultant partners, and learners.
• Own application portfolio management for System Office services: determine investments, consolidations, and retirements using a defensible model.
• Develop and maintain the five-year IT investment roadmap, translate architectural priorities into annual capital and operating budgets, and report on variances to the Chancellor and CFO.
• Champion and establish ITSM (ITIL v4) to transform the current Operations and Maintenance model into a Shared Services enterprise.
• Translate CCCS’s vision into technology decisions leadership can fund, and maintain documentation for posterity.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and/or experience may substitute on a year-for-year basis.
• Five years in software, infrastructure, or architecture roles, with at least half of that time owning architecture above the single-project level.
• Proven experience serving as lead architect on at least one project exceeding 12 months in duration with a budget greater than $1,000,000.

Skills

• Experience operating within regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare, government, education) and associated compliance frameworks.
• Comprehensive knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman, FEAF, DoDAF) and reference-architecture practices.
• Working knowledge of cloud platforms, migration approaches, modern integration patterns, and data architecture principles, including security, scalability, and interoperability considerations.
• Skilled in developing and maintaining multi-year technology roadmaps and investment plans that translate executive vision into fundable initiatives, including total-cost-of-ownership modeling.
• Skilled in application portfolio management, evaluating investments, consolidations, or retirements using a defensible, repeatable analytical model.
• Ability to communicate, present, and defend complex technical decisions to diverse audiences, from executive leadership to staff engineers.
• Ability to establish and lead governance structures by chairing an architecture review board, setting design standards, and implementing ITSM/ITIL v4 practices.
• Experience with EA tooling (e.g., Sparx EA, LeanIX, BiZZdesign).

Schedule

• Two days per week in the office at 9101 E Lowry Blvd., Denver, CO 80230.
• Occasional travel to community colleges around Colorado and national conferences.
• Alternative work arrangements, including flexible schedules and hybrid-remote work, may be available. All work must be completed in the state of Colorado.