An Enterprise Architect is responsible for updating and maintaining an organisation’s IT network and services. The Enterprise Architect also plays a role in digital transformation. In this article, we will delve into the role of the Enterprise Architect by analysing his or her responsibilities, daily tasks and importance within an organisation.
The Enterprise Architect is responsible for everything related to enterprise architecture, services, software and hardware, supervising, updating and improving them. This entails the need to keep ahead of trends and technological innovations introduced on the market that can improve business processes.
The position of Enterprise Architect requires several years of experience in the IT field (5 to 10 years) and a degree in computer science or a related field and some specialisation and certification courses.
The Enterprise Architect’s main task is to build a technological system that can support the company’s business strategy, thus having control over both the technical and strategic aspects.
Among the skills most in demand for this role are:
An Enterprise Architect must therefore have developed all the above skills and be able to use them to understand business and technology needs in order to align these two needs and find the most suitable solution by linking business mission, strategy and processes with technology strategy.
In addition, Enterprise Architects must have the appropriate skills to talk to both technical developers and managers, relating to the various senior figures in both areas while staying up-to-date on both fronts
The task of the Enterprise Architect is to respond to the current and future needs of the organisation in an efficient, sustainable and adaptable manner.
The activities of an Enterprise Architect require a balanced mix of technical, strategic, and interpersonal skills. The following table summarises the key responsibilities and the most relevant skills.
| Activities / Responsibilities | Key skills included |
|---|---|
| Defining the enterprise architectural strategy | Strategic vision, Business management, Leadership |
| Mapping processes and systems to identify inefficiencies | Data analysis, Critical thinking, Problem solving |
| Driving digital transformation and the adoption of new technologies | Innovation, Change management, Communication |
| Coordinating domain architects and IT teams | Team building, Leadership, Negotiation |
| Ensuring compliance with security and governance standards | Risk management, IT regulations, Professional ethics |
| Translating business objectives into technology roadmaps | Planning, Decision making, Results orientation |
| Evaluating emerging technologies and suppliers | Curiosity, Comparative analysis, Synthesis skills |
Organisations are evolving and facing the evolution towards digital on a daily basis. For this reason, organisations increasingly need professionals who can align the needs of new IT strategies, technologies and processes with broader business and corporate objectives, and who can reduce the complexities dictated by evolution while establishing robust and consistent technology processes across all areas and business units.
To perform all these tasks, it is essential to have the figure of the Enterprise Architect: a professional who knows how to transform the company’s needs and its business strategy into concrete and applicable solutions for the IT system architecture.
Enterprise Architecture activities have started to take off in the last years with a peak in recruitment, especially among large companies that are adopting a service-oriented architecture.
The Enterprise Architect is a role that manages to position itself halfway between IT and business, bridging the organisation’s various needs.
Having a global vision of both the corporate structure and the objectives that the organisation wants to pursue, that of the Enterprise Architect is a role that can be fundamental at a strategic level because it unites the needs and innovations of the IT world with those of business.
Good Enterprise Architecture management can reduce costs, increase the organisation’s flexibility and keep all the technological aspects of the company under control.
The TOGAF framework is a step-by-step method for developing an enterprise architecture using a set of tools. TOGAF seeks to be an approach to ‘rapid’ architectural development and effective governance. It does not prescribe the models that should be used to represent the architecture, but guides the process when creating an architecture.
COBIT® is a framework for the enterprise governance and management of information and technology (I&T) that supports enterprise goal achievement. It helps Enterprise Architects ensure that architecture decisions are made within a structured, business-aligned and risk-aware context.
ITIL® Strategic Leader (ITIL SL) is one of the three paths you can follow once you obtain the ITIL Foundation certification. It focuses on how IT influences and drives business strategy, enabling leaders to shape digital transformation and strategic planning across the organisation. Among the ITIL Strategic Leader modules, the most relevant for an Enterprise Architect is ITIL Digital & IT Strategy (DITS).
In a large insurance company, the Enterprise Architect leads a three-year programme to modernise the IT ecosystem. Following an assessment of the current architectures (Baseline Architecture), they identify over 150 redundant applications and define a rationalisation roadmap to optimise the application portfolio.
They design a hybrid architecture based on microservices and public cloud, adopting a Capability-Based Planning approach to align IT capabilities with business needs, aiming to reduce infrastructure costs by 30% and increase scalability. They coordinate the Application, Data, and Security Architecture teams to standardise interfaces, unify data models, and improve architectural governance.
During the execution phase, they oversee the incremental migration of core systems and introduce an Enterprise Architecture Repository to centralise artefacts, models, and documentation, using tools like ArchiMate and following TOGAF practices for managing Architecture Artefacts and Deliverables. They also initiate Stakeholder Management and Architecture Governance workshops to align business units with strategic objectives and the transformation roadmaps.
On completion of the programme, the company achieves greater integration between platforms, a 40% reduction in release times, and transparent and replicable IT governance, supported by an Architecture Capability Framework that provides a scalable model for future digital transformation projects.
The national average for an Enterprise Architect in Luxembourg is around €130,000 gross per year, with significant differences linked to seniority, sector, and the size of the organisation. The range is wide: a Junior or Associate Architect might start from €90,000–€95,000, while senior profiles reach €150,000–€170,000, with top-end salaries exceeding €180,000 for a Chief or Head of Enterprise Architecture, especially in large technology or financial groups.
Three variables count more than others: seniority, sector, and organisational complexity. The variable component, between bonuses and stock options, can account for a further 10-15%.
Those working as freelancers or consultants apply hourly rates between €80 and €150, calibrated to the project’s complexity. Certifications, especially TOGAF®, ArchiMate®, and AWS Certified Solutions Architect, are multipliers: they can increase a salary by up to 20%. With 5-10 years of experience, a presence in the technology or financial sectors, and recognised credentials, an Enterprise Architect can aim for €150,000–€170,000 gross; the first steps of a career remain around €90,000–€95,000, with rapid growth prospects in the first five years.
Do you want to pursue a career as an Enterprise Architect or are you already a professional and want to obtain certification? We offer TOGAF training courses, discover our course calendar or contact us to request a consultation or receive more information!
