Lead Architect - Infrastructure

The Lead M&A Infrastructure Architect evaluates and synthesizes target organizations' infrastructure across domains and defines integration strategies and architecture decisions for integration with Cox Automotive technology standards while preserving deal value. The role balances integration priorities with operational capacity and supports acquired teams throughout the integration process.
This position partners closely with the M&A Center of Excellence, the IOPS M&A Integration Lead, and Infrastructure and Operations platform teams (Cloud, Network, Incident and Data Center) to define current, transition, and future state architectures, defining "the what and why", along with actionable roadmaps that delivery teams can execute.
The role applies AI-augmented methods to accelerate due diligence, improve assessment quality, and strengthen integration planning across the full M&A lifecycle including Due Diligence, Integration Planning, Day 1, Post-Merger Integration, and Steady State.
Key Responsibilities

• Author and govern infrastructure integration blueprints and roadmaps across current, transition, and future states for acquisitions and divestitures.
• Develop multi-domain scenario plans with trade-off analysis and estimates mapping current to future state in coordination with the M&A Center of Excellence.
• Produce architecture decisions and design artifacts that enable delivery teams to implement solutions that are scalable, secure, supportable, and aligned with enterprise strategy.
• Create design artifacts and diagrams representing desired changes in infrastructure architecture.
• Promote Cox Automotive infrastructure standards and design patterns; document and guide variances through approval.
• Lead alignment with acquired company stakeholders and CAI Infrastructure and Operations platform teams to align on roadmap and sequencing.
• Serve as a technical authority bridging platform engineering and delivery teams, reviewing designs and improving collaboration between groups.
• Facilitate virtual and in-person working sessions, including whiteboarding, to build alignment on integration direction.
• Produce executive-ready summaries highlighting decisions, risks, tradeoffs, and progress.
• Evaluate operational and engineering capacity impacts of incoming scope and provide readouts for downstream planning.
• Use AI-assisted techniques for infrastructure due diligence, including document analysis, infrastructure scope classification, technology overlap identification, and risk assessment.
• Apply AI tools to support architecture optioning, validation, and integration scenario evaluation.
• Support architectural governance, compliance, standards gap analysis, and documentation using structured and AI-augmented methods.
• Stay informed on infrastructure and cloud trends, including AI/ML infrastructure patterns, and assess relevance to integration strategies.
• Establish yourself as a trusted technical advisor with key internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or a relevant discipline and 6 years of related experience. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 4 years of experience, a Ph.D. and 1 year of experience, or 18 years of experience in a related field.
• 3+ years of experience owning architecture strategy across M&A technology integration and divestiture engagements.
• 3+ years of experience applying structured architecture and design practices in a corporate environment.
• Experience in modeling complex multi-tier infrastructure architectures and leading design discussions with teams and stakeholders across all organizational levels, ensuring effective alignment between technical and business objectives.
• Subject matter expert depth in one or more domains with breadth across cloud platforms, networking, compute, virtualization, storage, monitoring, and security.
• Working knowledge of cloud computing concepts, particularly IaaS and PaaS.
• Experience using AI-augmented tools for analysis and architecture design, and validating AI-assisted outputs for production readiness.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across all organizational levels.
• Demonstrated experience making and defending architecture decisions with organization-wide impact.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant certifications in enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, or infrastructure domains, such as TOGAF, Certified Enterprise Architect (CEA), AWS Solutions Architect, or CCIE.
• Experience facilitating virtual and in-person group working sessions.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking in AI-enabled architecture initiatives.
• Experience with structured vendor and platform evaluations.
• Familiarity with simulation approaches, digital twin concepts, or intent-based automation.

USD 122,600.00 - 204,400.00 per year
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $122,600.00 - $204,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
EOE, including disability/vets