Principal Architect (Enterprise Transformation & Portfolio)

This role owns enterprise transformation, the architecture runway, SAFe alignment and AI governance. The spanning architect.
GCI's Principal Architect will define, communicate, govern, and advance architecture direction in support of business outcomes, technology modernization, operational effectiveness, and long-term organizational objectives. These roles partner with business, product, engineering, delivery, operations, and leadership stakeholders to translate organizational needs into sustainable solutions, standards, roadmaps, and technology capabilities. The job family provides architectural leadership across products, platforms, systems, services, and business capabilities by developing guidance, patterns, target-state designs, and roadmaps that reduce complexity, manage risk, improve agility, and optimize technology investments. Roles apply common architecture principles, governance practices, and industry standards across one or more architecture practice areas, with scope, autonomy, and decision influence increasing by career level.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assess business objectives, customer needs, operational priorities, current-state capabilities, technologies, processes, operating models, risks, dependencies, architecture gaps, technical debt, lifecycle risks, and modernization opportunities.
• Develop target-state architectures, transition states, and roadmaps that guide technology investment, solution design, and implementation planning.
• Create architecture artifacts, models, standards, patterns, reference designs, principles, non-functional requirements, and design guardrails; evaluate alternatives and recommend fit-for-purpose solutions.
• Participate in architecture reviews and governance forums, applying architecture standards, policies, principles, and industry practices.
• Manage architecture risks, dependencies, technical debt, lifecycle considerations, exceptions, reusable assets, repositories, and technology rationalization efforts.
• Partner with product, delivery, engineering, and operations teams to provide architecture guidance through planning, design, delivery, and operationalization.
• Support road mapping, dependency management, implementation sequencing, decision facilitation, trade-off discussions, and alignment to intended architecture outcomes.
• Improve architecture methods, tools, standards, governance practices, operating models, reusable patterns, communities of practice, mentoring, knowledge sharing, innovation, and simplification.

Discipline-Specific Focus Areas:

The core responsibilities and minimum qualifications outlined in this job description apply across the Architect job family. Discipline-specific responsibilities, technical competencies, and/or preferred qualifications are defined in the applicable addendum. See the corresponding discipline-specific addendum for additional details.

Enterprise Architecture:

Defines enterprise-wide business and technology direction, target-state architecture, capability alignment, governance standards, portfolio strategy, and technology roadmaps. Provides strategic guidance to align investments, modernization, and architecture decisions with long-term organizational objectives.

Business Architecture:

Defines business capabilities, value streams, operating model impacts, business process alignment, organizational dependencies, and business architecture views that connect strategy to execution.

AI Architecture:

Defines architecture direction for artificial intelligence capabilities, including model and solution patterns, responsible AI guardrails, data and integration dependencies, platform alignment, lifecycle management, risk controls, and adoption guidance.

Minimum Qualifications:

Career Level:

Recognized organizational authority; sets long-term architecture strategy, principles, and technical direction.

Provides advanced technical and architectural leadership across complex initiatives. Defines and forecasts architecture requirements, drives platform and enterprise capability growth, and serves as a senior consulting resource.

• Lead complex architecture initiatives and guide cross-functional teams.
• Define current- and future-state architecture requirements and roadmaps.
• Provide expert consulting and strategic recommendations to resolve complex challenges.
• Participate in setting architectural direction and advise on enterprise strategy and development.
• Develop and enhance architecture documentation, templates, standards, principles, policies, and guidelines.
• Mentor architects and technical staff and review architecture/design deliverables.

REQUIRED:

* A combination of education and relevant work experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the position may substitute to meet the total years required on a year-for-year basis.

Education*: 

• High school diploma or equivalent; this requirement is met by candidates who hold an associate or bachelor’s degree.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, Data Management, Cybersecurity, or related discipline. 

Experience*: 

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, including experience in at least two relevant architecture/technology disciplines.
• Typical scope: Organization. Primary differentiator: Organizational Influence.

Skills: 

Guides technology strategy, portfolio alignment, architecture governance, and professional capability development. Influences executive decision-making, investment prioritization, and organization-wide architectural direction. Demonstrated proficiency appropriate to level in: Architecture modeling and documentation; business and technology alignment; systems design and integration; strategy and roadmap development; governance and standards management; relevant cloud, application, integration, infrastructure, security, or data technologies; technology lifecycle planning; and risk and dependency management.

PREFERRED:

• 10 to 12 years of experience
• Advanced degree, MBA, or nationally recognized architecture, technology, or executive-level expertise 
• Relevant telecom industry or job-specific certifications.
• TOGAF, FEAC, Open CA, CITA, SABSA, CCAr, cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP), security certifications (CISSP, CISM), Agile / SAFe certifications, or practice-specific certifications, as applicable.

Work Requirements and Conditions:

• Work is primarily sedentary, requiring daily routine computer usage.
• Ability to work shifts assigned in a standard office/home-office setting and operate standard office equipment.
• Ability to accurately communicate information and ideas and make valid judgments and decisions.
• Available to work additional time on weekends, holidays, before or after normal work hours when necessary.
• Must work well in a team environment and with a diverse group of people and customers.
• Virtual workers must comply with remote-work policies and agreements.
• The company operates in a 24/7 environment providing critical services and employees may be contacted outside core business hours to respond to emergencies.

The company and its subsidiaries operate in a 24/7 environment providing critical services to Alaskans and may need to respond to public health and safety matters or other business emergencies. Employees may be contacted outside of core business hours to respond to urgent situations when necessary. As such, employees are requested to provide emergency after-hours contact information, if applicable.

EEO: GCI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, family medical history, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

DISCLAIMER: This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role It is not designed to be an exhaustive list of all activities, duties, responsibilities, or skills that are required. GCI reserves the right to revise, modify, change, assign, or reassign job duties and responsibilities at any time with or without notice.