Enterprise Architect

We are seeking an experienced Enterprise Architect for Data & AI to help shape the future of our SaaS platform. Data and AI are foundational to our customer experience, operational excellence, and long-term differentiation. This role ensures we scale intelligently, innovate responsibly, and treat data as a strategic product—not merely a byproduct of systems.The Enterprise Architect – Data & AI is a senior, strategic role responsible for defining and governing the enterprise-wide data and AI architecture that enables scalable SaaS growth, trusted analytics, and responsible AI adoption.This architect serves as a bridge between business strategy, data platforms, analytics, and AI/ML capabilities, partnering closely with product, engineering, security, compliance, and business leaders to translate vision into durable competitive advantage.What You'll DoEnterprise Data & AI StrategyDefine and maintain the enterprise data and AI architecture vision, principles, and roadmap aligned with business strategy and SaaS growth objectivesEstablish data-as-a-product practices, including ownership models, quality standards, SLAs, discoverability, and lifecycle managementGuide strategic platform decisions across data ingestion, storage, processing, analytics, ML, and AI enablementAI Enablement & Responsible GovernancePartner with product and engineering teams to embed AI/ML capabilities into SaaS products and internal workflowsDefine AI architecture patterns, such as feature stores, model lifecycle management, vector databases, and LLM integrationWork with Chief Data & AI Officer to establish responsible AI guardrails, including governance, security, privacy, explainability, and regulatory complianceCollaborate with Chief Data & AI Officer, Security and Legal teams to align AI and data architectures with evolving regulatory requirementsArchitecture Governance & StandardsCreate and enforce enterprise standards and reference architectures for data platforms, analytics, and AI servicesReview and guide solution architectures to ensure scalability, interoperability, cost efficiency, and architectural consistencyBalance near-term innovation with long-term architectural sustainabilityBusiness & Technology AlignmentTranslate business objectives into data and AI capabilities that drive measurable outcomes such as growth, efficiency, and customer experienceAdvise executives on data and AI investment decisions, trade-offs, and risk managementAct as a trusted thought partner to senior leaders across product, engineering, and the businessPlatform & Cloud ArchitectureGuide cloud-native data and AI architectures across modern SaaS stacks, including event-driven, API-first, and multi-tenant environmentsInfluence the evolution of data lakes, warehouses, streaming platforms, ML platforms, and AI servicesOptimize architectures for scalability, reliability, cost management, and vendor portabilityChange Enablement & Thought LeadershipEvangelize data and AI best practices across the organizationMentor architects and senior engineers on data and AI architecture patternsWhat You'll Bring15+ years of experience with 10+ years of experience in enterprise, solution, or platform architecture, with deep focus on data and analyticsProven experience designing enterprise-scale data platforms in cloud-based SaaS environmentsStrong expertise in AI-enabled system architecture, including ML and/or Generative AI solution patternsSolid understanding of AI/ML architectures, including data pipelines, model lifecycle management, and integration patternsHands-on familiarity with modern data technologies such as cloud data warehouses, data lakes, and streaming platformsExperience working across product, engineering, security, and business stakeholdersStrong executive communication and storytelling skillsPragmatic familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and architecture governanceProficiency in Agile and Lean delivery modelsAbility to deliver work which meets all minimum standards of quality, security, and operability.Preferred AttributesExperience enabling AI-powered SaaS products or large-scale analytics platformsExperience with LLMs, generative AI, and vector-based architecturesExperience with data governance, privacy, and regulatory frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, where applicable)Experience with data mesh or domain-oriented data architecturesBackground in a high-growth SaaS or platform companyExperience with observability for data and AI, including quality, drift, lineage, and cost/usageStay up to date on everything Blackbaud, follow us on Linkedin, X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Blackbaud powers social impact through purpose‑driven technology and responsible AI. Guided by our Intelligence for Good® vision, we’re building a culture where innovation, trust, and human expertise come together to help organizations make a greater difference in the world.Blackbaud is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining an inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or veteran status or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.