Digital Enablement & Architecture Director

POSITION SUMMARY:

The IT Head of Digital Enablement & Architecture (DEA) leads Talos' enterprise digital strategy and execution, ensuring the company builds and scales the capabilities required by emerging business needs, opportunities, and threats. The DEA translates business priorities into an integrated digital roadmap and oversees delivery and measurement across the digital portfolio, including AI, analytics, robotic process automation, real-time data operations, and IoT. The DEA also leads Enterprise Architecture (EA) for Talos by defining target-state business, application, data, integration, and technology architectures; establishing standards and approved patterns; and governing solution designs so delivery teams build secure, supportable, and scalable capabilities. This role aligns corporate strategy and IT execution through actionable architecture roadmaps, active dependency management across initiatives, and disciplined technology lifecycle decisions that reduce technical debt.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Works with the CIO (Chief Information Officer) and other C-level executives to create a digital vision for the enterprise and identify opportunities for differentiating digital capabilities and solutions.
• Leads a small team comprised of one Sr. Enterprise Architect and two project/program managers to deliver digital initiatives.
• Leads the process to identify and evaluate internal digital asset capabilities and strengths. Assesses external digital opportunities and threats as key inputs to making the best decisions on business strategy given digital realities.
• Leads the development of the digital business strategy and roadmap and ensures its integration with the enterprise strategic planning process and resulting business strategy and plans. Provides a single point of coordination and executive oversight for all digital initiatives and transformation projects.
• Ensures that the enterprise is developing the digital assets and capabilities that will be needed to survive and thrive in the midterm and long term.
• Acts as a champion and change agent in leading the organizational changes required to create and sustain enterprise digital capabilities.
• Defines and reports on metrics that represent progress against digital goals.
• Acts as a thought leader on emerging digital business models and technologies, articulating the digital future and the enterprises role in it internally and externally.
• Builds and maintains external relationships in academia, as well as with industry bodies, vendors and technology analysts to learn and influence.
• Partners with the CIO and IT organization to develop and exploit new digital business solutions to create a competitive edge for the enterprise. May also own and lead development teams and projects directly, for example the Talos Artificial Intelligence Program.
• Operates a hybrid delivery model: sets priorities and architecture guardrails, then mobilizes delivery through a mix of direct team capacity, shared IT delivery teams, and third-party partners/managed services as appropriate.
• Establishes delivery governance (intake, prioritization, funding alignment, stage gates, and cadence) for the digital portfolio; ensures accountable execution, transparent status reporting, and rapid removal of blockers across matrixed teams.
• Partners with the HR function to build digital talent in the enterprise.
• The DEA chairs the digital strategy steering committee, which includes the CEO, CFO, CHRO, CIO, Exploration and Operations EVPs, and other asset and functional leaders representing key business units.
• Serves as the architecture design authority for the enterprise: approves or rejects solution architectures for material digital initiatives and escalates decisions to the CIO and/or steering committee when risk, cost, or strategic alignment thresholds are exceeded.
• Owns and enforces enterprise architecture standards, reference architectures, and approved technology patterns; grants time-bound exceptions with documented rationale, compensating controls, and remediation plans.
• Recommends digital portfolio priorities and investment sequencing (scope, timing, dependencies, and value measures) through the digital strategy steering committee; ensures decisions are translated into funded roadmaps and executed delivery plans.
• Leads enterprise architecture (EA) as an operating discipline by defining and maintaining reference architectures, standards, and approved patterns (application, data, integration, cloud/infrastructure) that delivery teams must follow.
• Owns the EA governance process (e.g., architecture review/approval, design authority decisions, and exception handling), ensuring solution designs meet requirements for security, resiliency, operational supportability, and cost transparency.
• Leads the creation and maintenance of target-state architecture and multi-year roadmaps, including application rationalization, platform convergence, integration modernization, and technical-debt reduction plans; partners with portfolio governance to sequence investments and manage cross-program dependencies.
• Partners with data owners and platform teams to define data and integration architecture (canonical data concepts where appropriate, APIs/event patterns, master/reference data alignment), improving data quality, interoperability, and reuse across analytics, AI, and operational systems.
• Provides architecture leadership for technology selection and solution design: evaluates options, documents tradeoffs, and recommends standards-based choices that balance time-to-value with long-term maintainability and total cost of ownership.
• Embeds security and risk requirements into architecture standards and solution designs by partnering with Cybersecurity, ensuring secure-by-design practices for identity, data protection, third-party integrations, and operational technology (OT) data connectivity where applicable.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's or master's degree in business administration, information technology, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience. Additional education in information and technology disciplines is desirable.
• 10 years of business experience, ideally in business management and/or IT management.
• Five or more years of progressive leadership experience leading cross-functional teams and enterprise-wide programs, with the ability to operate and influence effectively across a complex organization.
• Five or more years of experience in informationally intensive industries or digitally advanced enterprises is preferred.
• Experience innovating business models and leading business transformation, including development of new channels where applicable.
• Strategy or management consulting experience is desirable.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• Deep understanding of the evolving digital world on both the demand side (how people/companies are using technology) and the supply side (emerging technologies)
• Strong business acumen, including domain-specific knowledge of the company and its business units.
• Excellent analytical, strategic conceptual thinking and consulting skills.
• Strong influence and negotiation skills.
• Ability to effectively drive people, processes and technology change in a dynamic and complex operating environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to explain digital concepts and technologies to business leaders, as well as business concepts to technologists.

CERTIFICATES & LICENSES:

• None required; relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, Lean/Six Sigma) are a plus.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Primarily office work; must be able to sit for extended periods and use hands/arms for repetitive motion (keyboard/mouse).
• Ability to travel as needed for business meetings and project activities.