Principal Architect, Enterprise Architecture

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Job Details
Position Summary:
This job profile description is a standardized, non-contractual reference description and global reference tool provided for organizational consistency and talent architecture purposes across Cencora. It does not alter actual job duties, responsibilities, reporting lines, working conditions, grading, compensation, or other essential terms and conditions of employment. Actual duties and responsibilities may vary based on business needs, local requirements, and operational practices. Where a team member's role is governed by an employment agreement, local terms and conditions, prior job description or collective bargaining agreement, those documents shall prevail in case of any inconsistency. Mandatory local laws shall also prevail. Defines domain-level enterprise architecture direction, target-state patterns, and technical standards across a portfolio of high-impact initiatives. Guides architecture and delivery decisions across multiple concurrent programs, ensuring alignment to business priorities, enterprise strategy, and operating constraints. Advises senior leaders on complex technical tradeoffs, risks, sequencing, and implications to support critical operational and strategic decisions. Coordinates alignment across engineering, infrastructure, security, data, product, and external stakeholders to advance consistent technical direction and execution. Analyzes complex, ambiguous technical and business challenges and translates them into scalable solutions, standards, and repeatable practices adopted across initiatives. Improves systems, architecture practices, and governance mechanisms to raise reliability, scalability, performance, and functional effectiveness. Builds capability across senior teams and communities of practice through mentoring, architecture reviews, coaching, and reusable guidance.
Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the definition of end-to-end enterprise architecture by curating, and evolving enterprise architecture and solution patterns in alignment with Cencora's Pattern Development (PADU) framework and standards. Promote the reuse of proven architectural design patterns and ensure consistency across solutions.

• Architect and orchestrate decision flows with technology selection standards, making sure that solutions leverage approved technologies and align with Cencora's overall enterprise architecture direction. Contribute to governance of emerging technologies through the Tech Select process, balancing innovation with strategic alignment.

• Assess and streamline the application portfolio by identifying redundancies and overlaps. Propose and guide efforts to consolidate or modernize applications, reduce complexity, and optimize the technology landscape in line with business needs.

• Identify and document areas of technical debt within our systems and platforms. Influence remediation by incorporating debt reduction strategies into architecture recommendations and roadmaps, thereby improving long-term platform health and maintainability.

• Work closely with domain solution architects and engineering teams to ensure that solution designs adhere to enterprise architecture standards and use technologies as defined in the PADU matrix. Facilitate cross-team design reviews and provide guidance to keep implementations consistent with approved patterns and tech stacks. Influence without direct authority, fostering cross-team alignment, communication, and consensus on architectural direction and strategy.

• Define and maintain architecture roadmaps that guide the organization through modernization, application rationalization, and platform evolution. Aligning these roadmaps with product and business roadmaps, ensuring architectural initiatives support Cencora's strategic goals and delivering incremental value.

• Compile and maintain Application Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis for key systems and platforms. Provide transparency into application costs (licensing, operations, maintenance) and share insights with domain leaders to support informed decision-making around investments, optimizations, and lifecycle management (advising on cost implications without owning budgets).

• Partner with Enterprise Architects to establish enterprise integration patterns, orchestration standards, and data synchronization strategies. Define best practices for real-time versus batch data integration and event-driven architectures to enable efficient operational workflows and robust analytics.

• Collaborate with Data & Analytics teams and delivery groups to ensure supply chain data is high-quality, governed, secure, and "AI-ready." Foster data architectures that support advanced analytics and AI/ML capabilities, enabling insights and innovation in supply chain processes.

• Guide high-impact, cross-domain architectural decisions and solution designs, maintaining a holistic viewpoint across multiple domains. Act as a trusted advisor to supply chain and technology leadership, translating complex architecture decisions into clear business impacts and financial implications that support informed decision-making.

• Mentor junior architects and technical teams, helping to build and scale Cencora's enterprise and solution architecture capabilities over time. Share best practices and insights, contributing to a culture of excellence and continuous learning.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• 8+ years in software/enterprise architecture or related roles with strong expertise in designing and integrating complex enterprise platforms and business applications. Experience across domains such as MSO, supply chain platforms (such as advanced planning systems, ERP, or WMS/TMS solutions) are highly valued.
• Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data and make informed recommendations.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of conveying complex information clearly to diverse audiences.
• Collaboration Skills: Proven ability to work collaboratively across teams and influence stakeholders at various levels within the organization
• Presentation Skills: Ability to present and discuss business issues, strategies and technical information in a manner that establishes rapport, persuades others and gain understanding at all levels of the organization
• Strong knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and modern integration patterns, including APIs, real-time and batch processing, and event-driven architectures. Familiarity with enterprise platforms such as SAP S/4HANA, Manhattan Active, Salesforce, CRM platforms, and other ERP or enterprise application ecosystems, along with exposure to data and analytics technologies.

• Proven ability to collaborate across business and technology teams, Strong communication and consulting skills with the ability to translate complex architectural concepts into clear business value and technology outcomes.

Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, systems engineering, information technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience required. Master's degree in computer science, software engineering, systems engineering, information technology, business administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience preferred. 8+ years of experience in software engineering, systems engineering, enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or a related field required. Certification in enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, solution architecture, or equivalent preferred.
What Cencora offers
Benefit offerings outside the US may vary by country and will be aligned to local market practice. The eligibility and effective date may differ for some benefits and for team members covered under collective bargaining agreements.
Full time
Affiliated Companies
Affiliated Companies: CENCORA BUSINESS SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED
Equal Employment Opportunity
Cencora is committed to providing equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or membership in any other class protected by federal, state or local law.
The company's continued success depends on the full and effective utilization of qualified individuals. Therefore, harassment is prohibited and all matters related to recruiting, training, compensation, benefits, promotions and transfers comply with equal opportunity principles and are non-discriminatory.
Cencora is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the employment process which are consistent with legal requirements. If you wish to request an accommodation while seeking employment, please call 888.692.2272 or email [email protected]. We will make accommodation determinations on a request-by-request basis. Messages and emails regarding anything other than accommodations requests will not be returned