Head of Digital Architecture

About Chain IQ
Chain IQ is an Independent Global Indirect Procurement company providing strategic, tactical, and operational procurement services. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland Chain IQ operates from 6 main centers and 14 offices worldwide.

Our team of experts work to transform procurement within an organization utilizing our market knowledge and insights supported by innovative technology to drive procurement efficiencies.

We apply the latest risk, sustainability, and social responsibility practices to strengthen procurement resilience. Chain IQ's approach to ESG supports ethical operations, business standards and bio-diversity whilst minimizing environmental impact.

Responsibilities
As the Head of Digital Architecture, you will lead a strategic function shaping the future of our digital ecosystem—ensuring it is scalable, secure, and AI-ready. You will define and lead the evolution of the enterprise-wide architecture blueprint—spanning applications, data, integration, infrastructure, and security—with a strong emphasis on AI-driven innovation and agility.

A key priority will be architecting a next-generation, AI-enabled indirect procurement platform that is both best-in-class and best-of-breed. You will drive the research and design of future-ready capabilities—such as GenAI, intelligent automation, and composable architecture—while guiding technology choices, advancing the data platform, and embedding security by design in line with Zero Trust principles and industry standards.

The role demands strategic vision and hands-on leadership, working closely with product, engineering, security, and business teams to accelerate innovation while ensuring architectural integrity, governance and resilience.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise & Digital Architecture:
• Define and evolve the enterprise-wide architecture framework across applications, data, integration, infrastructure, and security.
• Architect scalable, secure, and best-in-class digital solutions that drive business growth.
• Lead the architecture of an AI-enabled, multi-client indirect procurement platform, ensuring modularity, performance, and compliance.
• Champion digital procurement technologies, fostering awareness and adoption across internal and external stakeholders.
• Align architecture initiatives with business strategy through close collaboration with key stakeholders.
• AI-Driven Innovation:
• Leverage AI/ML and GenAI to design innovative, automation-first solutions across the procurement lifecycle.
• Lead hands-on research, prototyping, and experimentation to assess and apply emerging technologies.
• Identify AI-driven opportunities and translate them into scalable, value-generating capabilities.
• Governance:
• Establish and lead architectural governance, standards, and review processes to ensure consistency, traceability, and integrity.
• Define secure, scalable integration patterns between procurement technologies and enterprise systems.
• Guide technology selection, vendor assessments, and solution reviews in alignment with architecture principles and strategic fit.
• Leadership & Collaboration:
• Serve as a thought leader, staying ahead of industry trends and advising on digital architecture strategy and emerging trends.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, infrastructure, security, and business teams to ensure architectural alignment delivery success.
• Effectively communicate architectural vision, trade-offs, and complex concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior leadership and clients.
• Documentation and Evaluation:
• Develop and maintain architecture blueprints, strategic roadmaps, and detailed implementation plans.
• Review technical designs for compliance with enterprise standards and long-term architecture goals.
• Define evaluation criteria and lead assessments of vendor proposals and third-party solutions to ensure alignment, value, and scalability.

Requirements
We are looking for candidates with:

• 15+ years of experience in enterprise architecture and digital transformation, with at least 5 years in a senior architecture leadership role across complex, multi-system environments.
• Proven success in defining and governing enterprise architecture across application, data, integration, infrastructure, and security domains—balancing innovation, risk, and long-term scalability.
• Hands-on experience in architecting digital platforms, ideally within multi-client or B2B environments, with emphasis on modular, configurable, and AI-enabled design.
• Deep expertise in indirect procurement solutions, including architecture for Spend Management, S2C, P2P, SRM, ESG, and Procurement Analytics platforms.
• Advanced knowledge of AI/ML, GenAI, and intelligent automation, with the ability to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies into scalable architectural solutions.
• Demonstrated success in establishing architectural governance, including frameworks, standards, and decision-making structures that drive alignment from strategy through execution.
• Strong knowledge of cloud-native and composable architectures, including secure-by-design principles and Zero Trust alignment on platforms like Azure or AWS.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to convey architectural vision and trade-offs to both technical and executive audiences.
• Proven ability to facilitate workshops and collaborative design sessions across engineering, product, security, and business functions.
• Innovative, business-oriented mindset with a passion for emerging technologies, continuous learning, and strategic problem-solving.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications such as TOGAF, Azure Architect, or those in AI/ML, cloud, or enterprise architecture are a strong advantage.

If you're a seasoned professional in digital technology solutions and enterprise architecture with a strong focus on emerging technologies, apply now to be a key player in shaping our organization's future.

If you are a strategic leader who thrives on transforming complex digital landscapes through innovation, governance, and design thinking—this role offers the opportunity to shape our next-generation, AI-enabled procurement platform. We're looking for someone who brings deep architectural expertise, strong governance capabilities, and a collaborative mindset to help us deliver scalable, secure, and AI-enabled solutions in a multi-client environment.

We are
Great Place To Work certified
in Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Romania, Poland and China.

We proudly offer a first-class benefits package to all employees, so come and join Chain IQ and become part of an innovative, inspiring, and high-performing team of entrepreneurs, who are globally connected and locally anchored.

Please let us know if you require any assistance during the recruitment process so that we can work with you to meet your needs.

Furthermore, please be advised that if you submit an application to us for this position, your application and personal details will be processed in accordance with our Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates.

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