Director, Enterprise Architecture

Job Posting End Date 11-24-2026 Please note the job posting will close on the day before the posting end date. Job Summary The Director, Enterprise Architecture is a critical technology leadership role accountable for defining AEP’s target-state architecture and ensuring that business strategy, technology investment, and delivery execution come together in a coherent, secure, and cost-effective technology landscape. This leader will mature the enterprise architecture (EA) practice across business, application, data, integration and technology domains, establishing the standards, reference patterns, and governance that let delivery teams move quickly without adding unmanaged complexity, risk, or technical debt. Building on AEP’s application inventory in LeanIX, the Director will lead Application Portfolio Management so that applications are continuously assessed by business value, cost, risk, and technical fitness to guide rationalization, roadmaps, and capital planning. The Director is responsible for making architecture a collaborative, enterprise-wide discipline through a domain-team model while shaping the multi-year roadmap that supports AEP’s growth and transformation. Job Description What you’ll do: Enterprise Architecture Strategy & Target State - Define and execute an enterprise architecture strategy, principles, and target-state architecture aligned to AEP business strategy, capital plans, and risk objectives. - Develop and maintain multi-year architecture roadmaps that sequence platform, application, integration, data, and security investments to maximize business outcomes. - Map business capabilities to applications, data domains, and platforms to identify gaps, redundancies, and opportunities for shared services. - Provide architecture leadership for major transformation programs, including cloud adoption, enterprise and customer platform modernization, and legacy platform retirement. Application Portfolio Management & Rationalization - Own the enterprise architecture repository (LeanIX) as the trusted source of truth for applications, business capabilities, interfaces, and technology lifecycle. - Lead Application Portfolio Management, continuously assessing and classifying applications by business value, cost, risk, and technical fitness. - Guide portfolio decisions on where to invest, sustain, modernize, and retire technology platforms in partnership with CITO leadership. - Deliver rationalization recommendations that reduce duplication, lower run costs, and retire technical debt while maintaining business continuity. Architecture Standards, Patterns & Governance - Establish and maintain enterprise architecture standards across application, integration, data, infrastructure, security, and delivery domains. - Publish reusable reference architectures and technology patterns that give delivery teams a proven path for common solutions. - Stand up and lead cross-functional Domain Teams and working groups so that standards are vetted and owned by the broader organization rather than created in isolation. - Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI, intelligent automation, and robotics, and develop points of view on their applicability to AEP’s business and operations. Stakeholder Engagement & Investment Alignment - Serve as a trusted advisor to IT and business leaders, translating complex architecture topics into clear business trade-offs and recommendations. - Partner with portfolio planning, finance, and procurement to align architecture roadmaps with demand intake, capital planning, and vendor strategy. - Lead architecture input to technology sourcing decisions, including RFPs, vendor evaluations, and build-versus-buy analyses. - Brief senior leadership on the health of the architecture portfolio, roadmap progress, and emerging technology risks. Talent Strategy & Organizational Leadership - Build and lead a high-performing team of enterprise, solution, and domain architects. - Develop architecture talent and future leaders through coaching, defined career paths, and communities of practice. - Foster a culture of collaboration, pragmatism, and rigor that keeps architecture practical and closely connected to delivery teams. - Define and track EA value metrics such as standards adoption, portfolio rationalization savings, and architecture review cycle time. What we’re looking for: Education - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field; Master’s degree or MBA preferred. Experience - 10 yrs of relevant experience required. Preferred Experience: - 12+ years of progressive IT experience, including 5+ years in enterprise or solution architecture roles. - 5+ years of experience leading architecture or technology teams in a large, complex enterprise. Preferred Skills - TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture certification. - Hands-on experience with EA and portfolio management tools such as LeanIX. - Experience with cloud platforms, API management, and integration and event-streaming architectures. - Experience in the utility or energy industry, or another highly regulated industry. - Knowledge of regulatory frameworks that affect technology, including NERC CIP and FERC. - Passion for sustainability and the clean energy transition. American Electric Power (On-Site) #LI-Onsite #AEPCareers At AEP, we’re more than just an energy company — we’re a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions. Guided by our mission to put the customer first, we strive to exceed expectations by listening, responding, and continuously improving the way we serve our communities. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact and being part of a forward-thinking organization, this is the company for you! Compensation Data Compensation Grade: SP20-012 Compensation Range: $188,524.00 - $245,080.00 The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently. (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met. Hear about it first! Get job alerts by email. Log in to your Candidate Home Account today! If you don't have an account, you can create one. It is hereby reaffirmed that it is the policy of American Electric Power (AEP) to provide Equal Employment Opportunity in all respects of the employer-employee relationship including recruiting, hiring, upgrading and promotion, conditions and privileges of employment, company sponsored training programs, educational assistance, social and recreational programs, compensation, benefits, transfers, discipline, layoffs and termination of employment to all employees and applicants without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. When required by law, we might record certain information or applicants for employment may be invited to voluntarily disclose protected characteristics.