Context & Organisational Reality
The customer is currently operating with a very lean IT organisation and operates in a complex and historically grown application landscape, combining modern platforms in SAAS, with aging, business-critical systems, accessible via RDP. The whole application landscape is tightly coupled, based on fast, short-term robust delivery and not always on sound architectural principles. Applications are interconnected through numerous point-to-point integrations, making the landscape brittle, hard to understand, and difficult to change.
Key characteristics of the current situation include:
* An outdated and fragmented IT and data landscape, with some business critical systems build on legacy technologies.
* Many applications are directly coupled to each other and connected through undocumented or poorly governed integrations.
* The IT organization is lean, with no internal architecture capacity. Application team is decimated to a single programmer, working in VB.net.
* The customer is positioned on Microsoft Azure & Microsoft 365, creating opportunities for modernization.
* No internal capacity to structurally assess, redesign, or modernize the application landscape.
* A strong dependency on historical solutions that have grown organically over time, with strong dependency on each other.
* IT roadmap is put in place to modernize the whole IT landscape. Applications is one of the tracks in this roadmap, where the decision is made to introduce a central integration layer, that needs to enable us to decouple the different applications from each other.
About the Role
The Architect will bring clarity, structure, a pragmatic direction and measurable value to the customers historical application landscape during a 6 month senior consultancy engagement. Starting from a strategic decision to 'buy before build', you will create deep architectural understanding of current applications and integrations, define a realistic target application and integration architecture, and produce a phased roadmap that enables modernization while minimizing disruption and deliver early value. You will balance strategic guidance with practical, enforceable principles to reduce coupling, increase modularity, and prepare the organisation for future transformation programs. This role operates with high autonomy and close partnership with executive and business stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
* Document the current application estate into a detailed, actionable "as-is" application landscape for technical and executive audiences.
* Analyse existing integrations (point-to-point, batch, APIs), quantify consequences, and identify structural weaknesses and risk concentrations.
* Define a target application and integration architecture that prioritises decoupling, modularity, and mediated integration via a central integration layer.
* Develop concise architectural principles and guardrails that translate into enforceable standards for project, vendors, and sourcing decisions.
* Produce a phased, realistic12-24 month roadmap (stabilization -> midterm restructuring -> long-term modernisation) with dependencies, risks, and required prerequisites.
* Support architectural decision-making and investment prioritization with clear executive summaries and trade-off analyses.
* Collaborate closely with the Sr. IT manager, Data Architect, Program manager, business stakeholders to ensure alignment across application, data, and integration perspectives; ensuring decisions are documented and actionable.
* Enable governance by helping establish processes (architecture review, standards enforcement) that prevent a return to unmanaged point-to-point complexity.
* Communicate findings, trade-offs, and recommendations to stakeholders including the Sr. IT Manager, IT Program Manager, business leaders, and Data Architect; ensuring decisions are documented and actionable.
* Lead post-assessment activities such as lessons-learned, knowledge transfer, and definition of follow-on roles or capacity needs to operationalise proposed changes.
Required Qualifications & Experience
* 7+ years of experience as an Enterprise Architect, Lead Solution Architect, or equivalent in complex, heterogeneous application landscapes.
* Proven experience diagnosing and simplifying legacy, tightly coupled environments and designing integration strategies.
* Deep understanding of integration patterns (ESB, event-driven, API-based) and application architecture principles.
* Proven track record operating independently in interim, advisory, or senior consultant positions, delivering clarity in low-maturity IT organisations.
* Strong knowledge of data architecture and integration patterns, BI and analytics platforms, and data governance fundamentals.
* Practical familiarity with cloud-native integration concepts and Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 ecosystems.
* Demonstrated ability to produce architecture documentation, roadmaps, and pragmatic governance frameworks.
* Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, able to present technical concepts to business audiences in a clear, concise, and compelling manner.
* Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
Preferred Qualifications
* Prior experience defining an integration layer concept (ESB, iPaaS, API platform) and implementing migration strategies.
* Certifications or training in enterprise architecture frameworks or cloud architecture (e.g. Azure certifications, TOGAF or equivalent)
* Experience working in matrixed, multi-vendor environments.
* Experience preparing organisations for architectural governance (architecture boards, review processes) and transformation programs.
* Background working with transportation, logistics, or regulated industries (advantageous but not required)
Technical Skills
* Ability to assess application criticality, lifecycle status, and technical debt.
* Solution design that balances technology neutrality with actionable guidance or cloud (Azure) adoption.
* Familiarity with cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure), enterprise applications & architecture, modern integration patterns (APIs, microservices, middleware), and interfacing standards, as relevant to the employer.
* Practical knowledge of risk, compliance, and information security principles and how they apply to data programs.
Leadership / Soft Skills
* High autonomy and self-starting mindset; able to operate without predefined structures.
* Strong analytical and problem-structuring skills
* Strategic and critical thinking: able to connect IT activities to broader business goals and prioritize accordingly.
* Strong communication, facilitation, and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
* Effective stakeholder management and relationship-building, including conflict resolution and alignment of diverse viewpoints.
* High level of ownership and accountability, with a bias for action and results.
* Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, bringing structure and clarity to complex evolving situations.
* Resilience and adaptability in the face of change, with a continuous improvement mindset.
* Strong organizational and time-management skills, with attention to detail while maintaining the big-picture view.
* Collaborative, pragmatic, and results-oriented with a bias for delivering tangible stakeholder value and low-risk outcomes.
Reporting Structure
* Collaborates closely with business stakeholders across operations and support functions, data architect, Program Manager, external vendors or partners as required.
Success Metrics & Outcomes
* On-time, on-budget delivery of key program milestones and overall program completion.
* Delivery of a complete application landscape inventory and "as-is" documentation within agreed timeframe.
* Acceptance of the proposed target application and integration architecture by Sr. IT Manager and key stakeholders.
* Establishment of initial architecture principles and guardrails adopted for upcoming projects.
* Adoption or formal approval of a pragmatic architecture governance framework and assigned application ownership/stewardship.
* A clear, actionable phased 12-24 month roadmap produced and endorsed by the Sr. IT manager and key stakeholders.
* Identification and mitigation plan for critical single points of failure and high-risk data dependencies. Reduction in identified high-risk point-to-point integrations.
* Demonstrated contribution to organizational learning through documented best practices, lessons learned, and process improvements.
Culture & Ways of Working
* Work in close partnership with IT, business, and vendor teams to foster a highly collaborative and respectful environment.
* Operate with transparency, proactively sharing information, risks, and progress to enable informed, data-driven decisions.
* Promote an inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.
* Encourage continuous learning, experimentation, and professional growth for yourself and the teams you work with.
* Emphasize accountability, constructive feedback, and proactive communication to build trust and deliver sustainable results.
Additional Details
SENIORITY: Senior
START DATE: 1st March LATEST
DURATION: 6 Months
EXTENSION: TBC
CONTRACT: Freelance
MAIN OFFICE LOCATION: Brussels
ONSITE POLICY: 3 days per week
HOURS PER WEEK: 40
LANGUAGES: Fluent Dutch, French and English
INTERVIEW PROCESS: 1 stage
If you are interested, please forward your updated resume to jay.kukoyi@vividresourcing.com to be considered.