Service description:

the Enterprise Architect will:

• Lead the definition and continuous improvement of the governance framework, including principles, standards, policies, reference architectures, and golden scenarios, within a clear ARB decision workflow (decision packs, traceability and escalation path).
• Contribute to the implementation of a federated target operating model and ensure alignment with Elia Digital Platform (EDP) by translating EDP guardrails into consumable guidance for local delivery.
• Support the Head of IT Architecture in strategic studies, evaluations, and decision-making discussions.
• Coach and provide guidance to other architecture roles across the organization.
• Communicate the application strategy and related processes to business and IT stakeholders within the Elia Group.
• Collect and analyze business gaps—using business and IT surveys—to assess and evaluate the IT landscape, in close collaboration with business architecture.
• Conduct cross-domain trade-off analyses using industry-recognized methods (e.g., ATAM) and cost-benefit analyses (e.g., CBAM) to deliver well-founded architectural recommendations. Give directions to maintain and evolve the application portfolio in collaboration with application owners and key stakeholders.
• Gather application-related information (e.g., cost data) as input for analysis leveraging standard methods such as CBAM.
• Maintain the enterprise architecture repository—including the architecture decision record (ADR) repository with clear compliance levels (mandatory versus recommendation)—as a single source of truth for all architecture artefacts, models, and decisions, to prevent decision drift.
• Validate architectural recommendations with senior business and IT management.
• Manage the Architecture Vision Document and contribute to the development of an enterprise‑wide IT roadmap encompassing current and future initiatives, projects, and programs, including impacts and dependencies.
• Ensure alignment and integration of architecture processes with other IT management processes such as Project Portfolio Management and IT Service Management.
• Perform Initiative Architecture Alignment Assessments as a governance gate at initiative kick-off and key delivery milestones, producing go/no-go/conditional recommendations to ensure projects and products align to the enterprise architecture vision, principles, and standards.
• Conduct periodic Architecture Compliance Reviews during initiative delivery to verify continued adherence to architecture standards; escalate deviations to the ARB for exception or waiver processing.
• Help define, govern, and maintain enterprise data architecture standards—including data modelling conventions, data integration patterns, and data governance principles—and assess initiative-level data designs against these standards
• Propose a realistic roadmap with the architectural points that need to increase in maturity.  With priority and maturity level require for an enterprise as Elia.

Requirements:

Candidates must meet the following requirements:

• At least 10 years of experience in an Enterprise Architecture role.
• Proven experience facilitating ARB sessions and producing decision packs with traceability.
• Strong autonomy and initiative, with the ability to engage effectively with stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• Demonstrates results-oriented mindset.
• Solid understanding of IT processes and methodologies, with practical experience using industry standards such as ITIL, TOGAF, ArchiMate, Domain‑Driven Design, and others.
• Experience with cloud‑native architecture patterns and platform governance (guardrails, onboarding criteria, reference architecture adoption).
• Collaborative mindset, pragmatism, and ability to co-construct.  To be the link between the different stakeholders: Business, IT, Architecture teams, infrastructure team, ....
• Ability to advocate and promote the adoption of reference architectures across teams.
• Familiarity with microservices and event‑driven architecture approaches.
• Knowledge of Gartner architecture frameworks (e.g., TIME for Application Portfolio Management).
• Experience working with modeling tools such as Sparx Enterprise Architect, SAP LeanIX or equivalent alternatives.
• Team‑oriented mindset, strong collaboration skills, and excellent presentation abilities.
• Experience in merger or acquisition contexts and the associated transformation journeys is considered a plus.
• Hands‑on experience designing and delivering IT solutions in an agile environment is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience of/in the Energy and Utilities sector is a plus.
• Fluency in English is mandatory for documentation, supplier interactions, and meetings. Knowledge of French, Dutch, or German is a plus, as you will collaborate with team members speaking these languages.

Additional information:

• Location: Empereur Brussel
• Onsite presence: By default, a physical presence on site is required for 2 days per week.
• Work regime: Fulltime

Important: for non-EU candidates, please present candidates who comply with the following criteria:

• Possess a work permit allowing the individual to work in Belgium.
• Hold a valid residence permit confirming the right of residence in Belgium.