Director I, SAP Architect

Job Description

Director I, SAP Architect serves as solution architect for SAP S/4HANA transformation program, responsible for designing, implementing, and governing comprehensive, integrated enterprise solutions that leverage SAP technologies, best-of-breed applications, and custom-built capabilities to achieve business transformation objectives. This strategic leadership role owns the end-to-end solution architecture spanning SAP S/4HANA core modules and other integrating platforms in Supply Chain & Merchandizing, complementary best-of-breed solutions, custom development platforms, and the integration fabric connecting these systems into a cohesive enterprise architecture.

Reporting directly into the Technology Transformation executive leadership structure, this position architects scalable, performant, and maintainable solutions that balance SAP standard functionality with specialized best-of-breed capabilities, ensuring optimal fit-for-purpose technology selections while maintaining architectural coherence, data integrity, and operational excellence. The Director works in close partnership with Enterprise Architecture teams to ensure alignment with long-term technology strategy, governance frameworks, and technical standards, while leading a team of domain-specific solution architects (Finance, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Store Operations) who translate business requirements into detailed solution designs across their respective functional domains.

This leader combines deep technical expertise in SAP solutions, best-of-breed retail applications, and modern integration architectures with strategic thinking to make critical build vs. buy vs. configure trade-off decisions, define integration patterns and data governance strategies, and establish solution architecture practices that balance innovation with pragmatism, speed with quality, and business agility with technical sustainability throughout multi-year, multi-brand retail transformation journey.

Duties and Responsibilities

Enterprise Solution Strategy & Architecture

• Define and continuously evolve the end-to-end enterprise solution architecture for the Retail transformation, spanning SAP S/4HANA core modules, best-of-breed platforms (e.g., Manhattan WMS, Relex, planning tools), custom applications, integration layers, data and analytics platforms, and supporting cloud infrastructure.

• Establish architecture principles, standards, and patterns governing SAP vs. best-of-breed vs. custom solutions; integration approaches (API-led, event-driven, hub-and-spoke); data and master data strategy; cloud deployment models; security architecture; and performance, scalability, and resilience requirements.

• Lead major technology selection decisions, including vendor evaluations, proof-of-concepts, build vs. buy analysis, total cost of ownership, and risk assessment—presenting clear recommendations and trade-offs to executive leadership.

• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to ensure alignment with long-term technology strategy, compliance with governance frameworks, and adherence to architecture standards through review boards and continuous improvement practices.

SAP & Retail Solution Design

• Architect end-to-end SAP S/4HANA Retail solutions across FI/CO, MM, SD, Retail, TM, and CAR, including detailed system design, configuration strategy, and extension patterns (in-app vs. side-by-side on SAP BTP). Lead architectural trade-off decisions between embedded capabilities (e.g., EWM, IBP) and external best-of-breed platforms (Manhattan WMS, Relex, Blue Yonder, o9), ensuring clean-core alignment and long-term maintainability.

• Define integration strategies between SAP and other key systems such as Manhattan WMS, RELEX, POS, eCommerce, and omnichannel platforms.

• Establish hybrid solution patterns that balance SAP standard capabilities with specialized retail platforms.

• Ensure cohesive user experience and data consistency across systems.

• Ensure non-functional architecture standards are met across all solutions, including scalability, high availability, performance benchmarking, disaster recovery, observability/monitoring, and alignment with enterprise cloud and security frameworks.

Architecture Governance & Quality

• Establish and enforce architecture governance, including Architecture Review Board (ARB) oversight, design authority, milestone-based technical reviews, exception management, and formal documentation of key architecture decisions and trade-offs.

• Develop and maintain core architecture artifacts, including current- and future-state blueprints, solution and interface design documents, architecture decision records (ADRs), and operational runbooks to support implementation and production teams.

• Drive architecture quality and continuous improvement through compliance reviews, post-implementation retrospectives, technical debt management, performance and availability metrics, and reuse of proven patterns across deployment waves.

• Ensure ongoing technology currency and platform evolution by assessing SAP innovations (e.g., BTP, AI capabilities), aligning with roadmaps of integrating applications such as Manhattan WMS and RELEX, planning technology refresh cycles, evaluating emerging technologies through proofs-of-concept, and maintaining strategic vendor partnerships.

Domain Architecture Team Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing team of domain solution architects across Finance, Merchandising, Supply Chain, and Store Operations, with clear ownership of SAP S/4HANA Retail and integrated best-of-breed platforms (e.g., Manhattan WMS, Relex, POS, omnichannel).

• Provide technical leadership, design oversight, and mentorship to ensure cohesive, standards-aligned solutions; establish career paths, performance management, and an architecture community of practice.

• Define clear operating models between architects, functional leads, and System Integrator teams—ensuring proper design authority, alignment to standards, and effective escalation of complex design decisions.

• Foster a culture of architectural excellence and innovation through design forums, targeted upskilling, proofs-of-concept, and external industry engagement.

Stakeholder Engagement & Business Partnership

• Partner with executive and business leadership to translate strategy into technology roadmaps, present architectural vision and trade-offs, and support investment decisions with business cases and risk assessments.

• Lead solution design discussions, fit-gap analysis, and trade-off decisions across SAP standard, best-of-breed, and custom solutions—ensuring alignment between business priorities, cost, and technical sustainability.

• Communicate architecture direction broadly across IT and business stakeholders through structured updates, design reviews, and governance forums.

• Manage strategic relationships with SAP, Manhattan, Relex, cloud providers, and System Integrators to ensure roadmap alignment, architectural compliance, and long-term value realization.

Solution Delivery & Implementation Support

• Provide architecture leadership across the full implementation lifecycle—from high-level design through build, testing, deployment, and hypercare—ensuring architectural integrity and adherence to standards.

• Support multi-wave deployments across brands and geographies, driving reuse, consistency, and controlled evolution of the architecture.

• Lead resolution of complex cross-system, performance, and integration issues; conduct root cause analysis and implement structural improvements.

• Enable delivery teams through onboarding, technical workshops, reference patterns, and accessible architecture guidance.

Innovation, Emerging Technology & Continuous Improvement

• Champion innovation across SAP and retail platforms, evaluating AI/ML, automation, IoT, advanced analytics, and emerging SAP capabilities for business impact.

• Lead structured experimentation through proofs-of-concept and targeted innovation initiatives, ensuring business value before scaling.

• Drive continuous improvement via architecture reviews, metrics, technical debt management, and pattern refinement across deployment waves.

• Contribute to long-term enterprise architecture strategy, defining the post-transformation operating model and evolving platforms to support future digital initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, CIS or related (or equivalent related work experience).
• 15+ years of progressive experience in enterprise solution architecture, with at least 10 years focused on SAP solutions and enterprise application integration.
• 5+ years in senior architecture leadership roles (Director, Principal Architect, Chief Architect) leading architecture teams and establishing architecture practices in large enterprises.
• Retail industry knowledge understanding merchandising, supply chain, store operations, and omnichannel commerce business