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What is a senior enterprise architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez

These people are responsible for an organization's IT services and networks. Their primary task is to manage, upgrade, and improve hardware, enterprise services, and software. Senior Enterprise Architects are well-grounded in the field of Six Sigma Green Belt, PMP, ITIL Foundation, Big Data and Hadoop, CISSP, and MS Project.

There are basic elements of Enterprise Architect, some of them include Architecture Governance: it serves as an oversight committee to practitioners, Architecture Framework, Architecture Repository Documentation Artifacts, and Implementation Methodology.

Nevertheless, there are some skills you need to acquire to increase your chances of getting this job, some of them include: Leadership Skills, Communication Skills; Because you will be reporting to a superior, and also working with colleagues, there is a need to have a good communication skills that can make other follow up with the progress.

Good IT skills; Becomes this is a technological world, the better your IT skills, the more your chances of going good in this job.

As for the salary structure of Senior Enterprise Architects, it depends on the size of the organization, the experience of the candidate, and the country of residents. In the United States, an average Senior Enterprise Architect earns between $120,674 and $95,070. But it can be higher or lower depending on the factors we listed above.

What general advice would you give to a senior enterprise architect?

Alfredo Fernandez-GonzalezAlfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez LinkedIn profile

Professor of Architecture, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

It is important for recent graduates to recognize that Architecture is no longer limited to the physical realm, as transformative technologies are providing interesting career opportunities in the digital realm as well. This rapidly evolving context offers many opportunities and new directions for the discipline and remaining (or becoming!) current in new developments in computing power, digital visuals, manufacturing technologies, and robotics, are ways in which a recent graduate can secure a good paying job.
ScoreSenior Enterprise ArchitectUS Average
Salary
8.4

Avg. Salary $129,751

Avg. Salary $59,228

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 15.17%

male 84.83%

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
8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Senior enterprise architect career paths

Key steps to become a senior enterprise architect

  1. Explore senior enterprise architect education requirements

    Most common senior enterprise architect degrees

    Bachelor's

    64.4 %

    Master's

    25.8 %

    Associate

    5.3 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior enterprise architect skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Cloud8.10%
    Emerging Technologies6.74%
    Java5.99%
    Enterprise Architecture5.38%
    Infrastructure5.16%
  3. Complete relevant senior enterprise architect training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior enterprise 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 senior enterprise architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior enterprise architect resumes.
  4. Gain additional senior enterprise architect certifications

    Senior enterprise 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 senior enterprise architect certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

    The most common certifications for senior enterprise architects include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF).

    More About Certifications
  5. Research senior enterprise architect duties and responsibilities

    • Host and manage SaaS application for medical billing for multiple medical providers.
    • Design and develop a relational database API for managing accounts and on-line transactions.
    • Lead internal team in defining business rule architecture, and in designing and implementing StrategyWare decision engine.
    • Design and implement web-based metadata tool that manages data objects and their relationship to publish and subscribe data messages.
  6. Get senior enterprise architect experience

  7. Prepare your senior enterprise architect resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior enterprise 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 senior enterprise 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 senior enterprise architect resume templates

    Build a professional senior enterprise 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 senior enterprise architect resume.
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
    Senior Enterprise Architect Resume
  8. Apply for senior enterprise architect jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior enterprise architect job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior enterprise architect job

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Average senior enterprise architect salary

The average senior enterprise architect salary in the United States is $129,751 per year or $62 per hour. Senior enterprise architect salaries range between $98,000 and $171,000 per year.

Average senior enterprise architect salary
$129,751 Yearly
$62.38 hourly

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Senior enterprise architect reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Good pay, good communication with other people

Cons

Less technical, but with some traveling sometimes


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Pros

long term analysis

Cons

redesigning due to lack of understanding the requirements


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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