Futures start here. Where first steps, new friendships, and confident learners are born. At KinderCare Learning Companies, the first and only early childhood education provider recognized with the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, we offer a variety of early education and child care options for families. We pave the way for their lifelong learning journey ahead. And we want you to join us in shaping a future we can all be proud to share—in neighborhoods, at work, and in schools nationwide.

At KinderCare Learning Companies, you'll use your skills and expertise to support the work (and fun) that happens in our sites and centers every day. From marketers and strategists to financial analysts and data engineers, and so much more, we're all passionate about crafting a world where children, families, and organizations can thrive.

• Own the organization's IT Architecture function, establishing & maintain a vision and the methodologies to deliver.
• Develop business & product-centric technology strategies and roadmaps that demonstrate IT capability to deliver solutions that align to business objectives with a pragmatic and iterative approach.
• Manage, grow, and develop a team of enterprise & domains architects. Serve as a mentor for and guide solution architects and senior engineering resources across IT.
• Design and implement enterprise solutions that are aligned with architectural patterns, standards, and principles.
• Lead the architecture governance practice to ensure new solutions adhere to defined standards & patterns.
• Develop, maintain, and socialize an architecture artifact repository to be leveraged across IT and product teams to understand patterns, frameworks, principles, and standards.
• Work with agile teams to ensure a proper runway of defined target architectures and understanding of any technical debt that align to product roadmaps and goals.
• Develop and manage policies, standards and guidelines that direct the selection, development, implementation, and use of Information Technology within the enterprise.
• Manage and visualize our technology portfolio, review IT assets to assess health, gaps, redundancy, and waste; make recommendations for optimization and rationalization of the portfolio.
• Drive business innovation through technology and educate IT and business partners on the "art of the possible" with newer and existing technologies.
• Manage and oversee the development of a holistic, enterprise-wide application roadmap, including corporate, business, and customer-facing applications.
• Define the technical architecture and control framework for managing the risk to data/information privacy and IT assets through appropriate standards and security policies.
• Build & maintain reference architecture playbooks that align to defined standards, patterns and frameworks.

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Computer Science, MIS, or related technical field.
• MBA in Technology Management, or other related Master's degree preferred.
• 6+ years of IT architecture leadership experience.
• 8 years of hands-on engineering experience in at least two technology domains (software engineering, enterprise applications, data, security).
• Experience working in a value-based release cycle, especially in a continuous delivery or digital portfolio environment that is forming or changing regularly.
• Broad understanding of how that technology supports Line of Business functions to deliver business value.
• Ability to translate short- and long-range business strategic plans and objectives into IT architectures and designs for current and future IT solutions.
• Proven experience driving technology-enabled business innovation.
• Proven experience with delivering and integrating cloud-based as-a-service solutions.
• Proven experience evolving an organization to cloud native development and deployment processes.
• Highly collaborative with an ability to influence decisions with credibility and, if necessary, healthy tension across business functions or influence technologies paths using analysis and facts.
• Strong leadership, project, and team building skills—the ability to lead teams and drive projects and initiatives by working effectively with others with a demonstrated ability to work cross-departmentally.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with engineers, business, and IT leaders, and to build and maintain excellent relations with key stakeholders.
• Conceptual and analytical thinker—ability to extract, analyze and document complex business and technical requirements/strategies from customers and IT team members.
• Technology and infrastructure planning and design experience.
• Experience with Agile Development, DevOps (CI/CD/Automation), and integration technologies (messaging/ESB).
• Working knowledge of Architecture frameworks such as TOGAF, FEAF, Zachman or others that are similar.

• At least one of FEAC® CEA Black Belt, TOGAF 9.1 Level 1 & 2, The Open Group Certified Architect (CA) Program, or another similar industry-standard Enterprise Architect certification.
• At least one cloud certification (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional or similar other industry-standard cloud certification).
• PMI PMP certification, SAFe certification, or other industry-standard project management certification.
• Ability and appetite to lead and engage diverse and equitable teams

• Know your whole family is supported with discounted child care benefits.
• Breathe easy with medical, dental, and vision benefits for your family (and pets, too!).
• Feel supported in your mental health and personal growth with employee assistance programs.
• Feel great and thrive with access to health and wellness programs, unlimited paid time off and discounts for work necessities, such as cell phones.
• ... and much more.