Chief Architect / Head of Architecture - SAP SuccessFactors
Role Description
SAP SuccessFactors is the world’s leading Human Experience Management (HXM) suite, transforming how organizations engage, develop, and empower their people. Our cloud‑based solutions help more than 10,000 customers across 200 countries build the workforce of the future. The Chief Architect / Head of Architecture defines and leads the technical strategy, architectural vision, and governance model for the HXM suite. This executive role reports to the President and Chief Product Officer and is a key member of the Product & Engineering leadership team.
Job Responsibilities
Architecture Leadership & Strategy
- Define the enterprise architecture blueprint and evolution strategy for SAP SuccessFactors, ensuring alignment with SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) and corporate cloud strategy.
- Establish and govern architectural standards, patterns, and guardrails across all product areas, balancing innovation speed with long‑term maintainability.
- Drive the adoption of cloud‑native, microservices, API‑first, and event‑driven architectures to support scalable, modular innovation.
- Ensure architectural alignment across SuccessFactors domains (Talent, Core HR, Payroll, Analytics, Learning, etc.) through a federated but centrally governed model.
Central Architecture Team Leadership
- Build and lead a high‑performing central architecture team of enterprise, solution, and domain architects.
- Provide architectural mentorship, frameworks, and technical leadership to engineering organizations across multiple time zones.
- Create a thriving technical community that fosters knowledge sharing, innovation, and architectural consistency.
Technology Modernization & Platform Enablement
- Partner with Engineering and Operations to drive modernization initiatives, including containerization, multi‑region resilience, secure SDOL practices, and developer enablement.
- Guide the definition and implementation of reusable platform components and shared services that accelerate delivery while ensuring performance, compliance, and security.
- Embed FinOps, DevSecOps, and AI‑assisted development practices to enhance developer productivity and cost efficiency.
Strategic Influence & Stakeholder Engagement
- Collaborate with senior leadership, product heads, and SAP’s cross‑LOB CTOs to ensure cohesive architectural direction and technology investment.
- Translate complex architectural strategies into actionable roadmaps and business outcomes that resonate with both technical and executive stakeholders.
- Represent SuccessFactors’ architecture vision in global SAP forums, customer advisory boards, and technology partnerships.
Governance & Quality
- Drive architecture reviews, security and performance assessments, and technology evaluations for key initiatives.
- Ensure alignment with SAP’s Secure Development and Operations Lifecycle (SDOL) and compliance frameworks (ISO‑27001, SOC2, FedRAMP).
- Oversee architectural metrics for system reliability, scalability, and developer experience.
What You Will Bring
- 15+ years of experience in software architecture, platform engineering, or large‑scale SaaS development, with at least 5+ years leading enterprise or central architecture teams.
- Proven success managing global architecture organizations and partnering with distributed engineering teams at scale.
- Deep expertise in cloud‑native architecture (microservices, Kubernetes, APIs, event‑driven design) and enterprise‑grade SaaS delivery.
- Demonstrated leadership in driving modernization and platform transformation in a complex multi‑product environment.
- Experience embedding AI/ML and data‑driven intelligence into application platforms preferred.
- Excellent communication and storytelling skills—able to articulate architectural vision to executive, technical, and customer audiences.
- Strong knowledge of secure software design principles and compliance standards such as ISO‑27001, SOC2, and FedRAMP.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field; advanced technical or business degree preferred.
Location
Palo Alto, California
Reports To
President and Chief Product Officer
Compensation Range Transparency
The targeted combined range for this position is 358,300 – 609,200 USD. The actual amount offered will be within that range, depending on education, skills, experience, scope of the role, location, and other factors determined by the selection process.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability, in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements.
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