What is a business architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Adam Roth

A business architect helps organizations align their business strategies with their operations and technology. They analyze business processes, systems, and structures to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase revenue. Business architects work with stakeholders to understand objectives and create actionable plans. They also facilitate communication between departments and ensure all aspects of the organization work toward common goals. Overall, a business architect contributes to a businessesâ€™ success by creating a plan for growth and development.

What general advice would you give to a business architect?

Adam Roth

Dean and Professor

As a liberal arts graduate, it is critical to focus on networking, continuous learning, and gaining practical experience. I strongly advise leveraging campus recruitment fairs, leadership positions, alumni gatherings, and platforms like LinkedIn to build a robust professional network. Utilize career services to seek out internships or volunteer opportunities that will enhance your skills and expand your professional network. Through your coursework and extra- and co-curricular activities, work on developing skills that are highly sought after by employers of new college graduates and which are in short supply; oral and written communication, analytical reasoning, problem solving, and teamwork. Complement these with technical skills that will make you more versatile in the job market. When possible, find mentors among alumni, internship supervisors, and even parents of friends who will offer guidance and support. Embrace opportunities to showcase your abilities, identify areas for improvement, and pursue additional coursework or online credentials to further enhance your skills and marketability.

ScoreBusiness ArchitectUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $109,343

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.9

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 28.50%

male 71.50%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

5.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a business architect?

Pros

High demand for skilled business architects
Chance to influence strategic decision-making
Ability to work with and learn from experienced professionals
Potential for competitive pay and benefits
Opportunity to develop and refine critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Cons

High expectations and pressure to deliver results
Potential for long hours and tight deadlines
Exposure to ambiguity and uncertainty in project scope
Risk of becoming too focused on technical solutions at the expense of strategic alignment
Need for ongoing learning and professional development to stay current in the field

Key steps to become a business architect

Explore business architect education requirements

Most common business architect degrees

Bachelor's

70.5 %

Master's

22.7 %

Associate

4.0 %

Start to develop specific business architect skills

Skills	Percentages
Governance	7.72%
Digital Transformation	7.10%
Cloud	6.74%
Cycle Management	6.20%
Business Capabilities	5.34%

Complete relevant business architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business architects learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business architect resumes.

Gain additional business architect certifications

Business architect certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific business architect certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for business architects include Certified Pega Business Architect (CPBA) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

More About Certifications

Research business architect duties and responsibilities

Architect and manage various Linux flavors consisting of RHEL 6/7, CentOS 5-7, Ubuntu 14/15 and FreeBSD 10/11.
Manage risk, audit compliance per federal security policy which encompasses OPM, NIST standards and follow ITIL best practices.
Used Microsoft Visio to provide team leads, stake holders and other teams with video flow, P2P, flow diagrams.
Collaborate with business operations leads to create a governance model with define roles and responsibilities.

Get business architect experience

Prepare your business architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business architect resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business architect resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable business architect resume templates

Build a professional business architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your business architect resume.