[Hiring] Enterprise Application Architecture Lead @Northrop Grumman

Role Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history.

We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage, and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity, and bringing your whole self to work.

Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Sector Chief Information & Digital Office (CIDO) is seeking a Senior Staff Computer Systems Architect to serve as the Application Architecture Lead, defining and guiding enterprise application architecture within the Strategy and Architecture team of the Governance & Strategy organization.

This role will serve as the lead for enterprise application and portfolio architecture direction covering:

• Application portfolio coherence
• Rationalization
• Modernization priorities
• Lifecycle strategy
• Platform usage patterns
• Integration expectations
• Target-state application architecture approaches

This position will be available as a virtual telecommuter; however, the incumbent must be within 90 miles of a major Northrop Grumman location for ad hoc onsite meetings.

The successful candidate will:

• Define enterprise application architecture principles, target-state patterns, and portfolio guardrails.
• Guide application-related trade-offs involving modernization, rationalization, reuse, integration, lifecycle planning, and platform alignment.
• Partner with business capability, data, technology, security, delivery, and Enterprise Applications stakeholders to improve coherence in enterprise application decisions.
• Help translate enterprise priorities into practical application architecture roadmaps, standards, and architectural expectations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the Application Architecture Lead for the enterprise technical architecture lane.
• Define and maintain enterprise application architecture principles, standards, reference patterns, and target-state guidance for the application landscape.
• Guide application portfolio decisions related to rationalization, modernization, reuse, retirement, lifecycle planning, and cross-system coherence.
• Shape enterprise approaches for application portfolio evolution, platform usage alignment, integration expectations, and architectural consistency.
• Identify duplication, overlap, fragmentation, technical debt concentration, and architectural risks across the enterprise application landscape.
• Participate in architecture reviews, standards governance, and decision forums involving significant application, platform, integration, and modernization initiatives.
• Mentor architects and technical leaders on enterprise application architecture methods, patterns, and expectations.
• Support executive-facing architecture communication and leadership visibility into enterprise application architecture risks, standards decisions, and modernization implications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field and 14+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree with 12+ years, or a PhD with 10+ years.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret level security clearance.
• Demonstrated experience in application architecture, portfolio architecture, enterprise systems architecture, or application modernization leadership.
• Strong understanding of application lifecycle management, modernization strategy, integration patterns, and technical debt considerations.
• Strong TOGAF knowledge if not TOGAF certified.
• Strong executive presence.

Requirements

• Experience defining enterprise application standards, reference patterns, target-state architecture direction, or portfolio guardrails across complex environments.
• Experience influencing enterprise application-related architecture decisions across multiple teams, organizations, or technical domains.
• Ability to connect business priorities, application investment decisions, enterprise standards, and technology direction into coherent application architecture decisions.

Benefits

• Flexible work arrangements
• Phenomenal learning opportunities
• Exposure to a wide variety of projects and customers
• Friendly team environment
• Exceptional benefits/healthcare
• 9/80 work schedule option
• Great 401k matching program

Company Description

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.