[Hiring] Senior Director, IT Architecture and Strategy @Rentokil Pest Control

Role Description

• Serve as a core leader on the Group Enterprise Architecture Board to formulate, authorize, and institutionalize North American architectural capabilities in alignment with global strategies.
• Mandate and steer technical strategies across network, cloud, core integration frameworks (MuleSoft, Apigee), and application domains to eliminate technical debt.
• Lead and preside over the North American Technical Design Authority and Design Review Board to evaluate, approve, and validate enterprise designs, risk trade-offs, and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs).
• Champion Build vs. Buy analyses, vendor RFPs, and roadmaps for emerging technologies (Gen AI, Agentic AI) while rationalizing the broader application ecosystem.
• Serve as principal strategic proxy for the VP of Digital Products in executive forums, driving cross-functional alignment between business leaders, technology groups, and external vendors.
• Mobilize and scale the Solution Architecture organization, establishing career pathways, cross-domain capabilities, and eliminating single points of failure across the team.
• Hold ultimate accountability for the security, non-functional compliance, and strategic alignment of all high-level designs (HLDs), API specifications, and data models.
• Self driven to initiate and lead cross-functional conversations to align business priorities, technical architecture, and execution plans.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Management Information Systems (MIS), or a related technical discipline.
• Preferred: Master’s degree (MS or MBA) in Computer Science, Information Technology, OR Business Administration or Equivalent Professional Experience: Direct, relevant enterprise-scale experience may be substituted on a 1:1 year basis (e.g., 12+ years of progressive technical leadership in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree).

Requirements

• 12+ years of progressive technology leadership in large-scale enterprise environments.
• 5+ years directly leading, scaling, and managing solution or enterprise architecture teams, including budget ownership and resource allocation.
• Proven track record leading or presiding over Technical Design Authorities (TDA) or Design Review Boards (DRB) across complex enterprise ecosystems.
• Demonstrated success driving complex Build vs. Buy evaluations, managing vendor RFPs, and rationalizing legacy IT platforms.
• Deep technical domain knowledge in modern integration frameworks (e.g., MuleSoft, Apigee), cloud-native environments (e.g., GCP CloudRun), and emerging AI architectures (Gen AI, Agentic AI).
• Track record of operating as a trusted proxy for VP/C-level executives, influencing senior stakeholders, and translating business goals into executable multi-year technology roadmaps.
• Lead the North American Technical Design Authority to evaluate and approve architecture designs, standards, and trade-offs.
• Guide and mentor the team of Solution Architects to drive technical excellence and capability-driven delivery.
• Self driven to initiate and lead cross-functional conversations to align business priorities, technical architecture, and execution plans.

Skills & Competencies

• Executive Leadership & Stakeholder Influence: Capability to serve as a trusted proxy for executive leadership, aligning matrixed organizations around complex architectural strategies.
• Exceptional executive-level written, verbal, and visual presentation skills.
• Strategic Business Alignment: Mastery in translating long-term business vision into actionable, phased technical roadmaps, investment strategies, and Build vs. Buy recommendations.
• Deep commercial acumen for evaluating third-party platforms, leading vendor negotiations, and executing RFPs.
• Architecture Practice & Governance Management: Demonstrated capability to establish, mature, and enforce enterprise architecture frameworks, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and Design Review Board (DRB) SLAs.
• Ability to balance operational speed with risk mitigation, technical debt reduction, and security/non-functional compliance.
• Talent Orchestration & Capability Building: Proven talent developer skilled at building cross-domain expertise, eliminating single points of failure, and shifting team culture from project delivery to strategic capability delivery.
• Technical Vision & Emerging Tech: Deep understanding of modern distributed platforms, integration patterns, cloud infrastructure, and practical governance models for emerging tech (Gen AI / Agentic AI).
• Strong knowledge of service, incident, release, and IT change management operational frameworks.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Move up to 10 pounds occasionally, by lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, or otherwise repositioning objects.
• Sitting for long periods of time while using office equipment such as computers, phones, etc.
• Performing repetitive motions involving the wrists, hands, and fingers, such as typing, picking, and pinching, within your regular work environment.
• Express or exchange ideas with others through the use of spoken word, quickly, accurately, and at an easily audible volume.
• Receive detailed information through oral communication at usual speaking levels without correction.
• Incumbent is required to have near-range visual acuity for detailed tasks and ability to perform activities with precision such as analyzing data, viewing computer screens or reading extensively.
• Incumbent will be subject to inside working conditions: The change of building environment such as with or without air conditioning and heating.

Benefits

• Benefits Start Day 1 for Full-Time Colleagues - No Waiting Period!
• Professional and Personal Growth: Multiple avenues to grow your career, training and development programs available, tuition reimbursement benefits (for FT Colleagues).
• Health and Wellness: Health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance plus much more; full-time colleagues are eligible to begin enrollment immediately upon hire with benefits starting on day 1.
• Savings and Retirement: 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching contributions.
• Work-Life Balance: Vacation days & sick days, company-paid holidays & floating holidays, a company mindset that prioritizes health, safety, and flexibility.