Position Summary (Purpose of job): The Lead Solution/IT Architect ensures the establishment of enterprise-grade technical architecture that delivers sustained business value across system-wide, mission-critical programs. The role owns architectural components and alignment to the future-state vision; directs fit-gap analysis; and defines and validates migration plans that evolve current platforms toward target architectures. It oversees evaluation of technology options, platforms, and architectural patterns for enterprise solutions and ensures designs meet rigorous security, performance, reliability, compliance, and operability expectations.
Operating with the highest autonomy, the Lead Architect consults across multiple domains to harmonize initiatives with enterprise architecture, sets and enforces standards, and provides clear technical recommendations to non-technical stakeholders. The role delivers reference implementations, guides implementation and modification activities, and leads risk assessment and mitigation planning. As a technical leader and internal consultant, the architect elevates engineering practices, simplifies the IT landscape, and advances measurable outcomes aligned with McKesson's strategic objectives.
Key Responsibilities: - Set architecture strategy and roadmaps. Lead enterprise-direction discussions, environmental analysis, value cases, and innovation portfolio recommendations; align roadmaps across IT domains.
- Prioritize near-term needs. Aggregate architectural demands, establish priorities, and define action plans to improve capabilities, processes, and technology.
- Design end-to-end solutions. Translate concepts into logical architectures; set documentation standards for complex integrations; validate and approve designs for high-impact initiatives.
- Direct implementation. Coordinate architecture implementation and modifications; lead troubleshooting; ensure compatibility with existing platforms, services, and strategic requirements.
- Lead governance. Define and enforce principles, standards, and guidelines; manage enterprise-level exceptions; run portfolio/enterprise quality reviews; ensure security and compliance.
- Institutionalize well-architected practices. Ensure KPIs/OKRs reflect security, reliability, performance, cost, and operations pillars; track and recommend adjustments to accelerate value.
- Drive innovation and improvement. Direct research on emerging technologies and trends; identify weaknesses; lead teams to develop improvements and post-implementation optimizations.
- Influence and coach. Champion modern approaches (DevOps, cloud), mentor architects, and guide roadmap communication and adoption across the enterprise.
- Guide enterprise integration. Approve integration strategies and ensure solution decisions align with future-state architecture and portfolio plans.
- Oversee M&A architecture. Lead due diligence, planning, and integration, mentoring teams and aligning senior stakeholders to the technology vision.
Minimum Requirements:- Degree or equivalent and typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience. Less years required if has relevant Master's or Doctorate qualifications.
Critical Skills (Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities): - Enterprise architecture mastery (TOGAF concepts/ADM, governance) to set standards, decision frameworks, and target-state roadmaps for complex portfolios.
- Architecture visualization proficiency using C4 model (context, container, component) to communicate structure and trade-offs across executives, product, and engineering.
- Well-Architected fluency across security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization, and operations; ability to embed KPIs/OKRs into designs.
- IT service management alignment (ITIL 4 SVS/practices) ensuring supportability, governance linkages, and operational excellence.
- Secure-by-design leadership with demonstrable application of OWASP Top 10 mitigations in platform and integration patterns.
- Multi-cloud depth (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect - Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, GCP Professional Cloud Architect) to guide modernization and multi-account strategies.
- Integration and data architecture expertise across APIs, eventing, data platforms, and identity/zero-trust patterns to meet scale, latency, resilience, and regulatory needs.
- Executive storytelling and decision rigor-framing options, risks, and trade-offs with implementable guidance for non-technical audiences.
- Operability at scale-governance for CI/CD, IaC, observability, backup/DR, and HA patterns across portfolios.
- Competency proficiency for L5 (Lead Architect): Adaptability, Architecture & Master Planning, Collaboration & Partnership, Communication & Internal Marketing, Design Thinking, Digital Acumen, Problem Solving, Strategic Decision Making, Business Function Knowledge, Customer & Business Driven, and Leadership - all at "Leading" proficiency.
Additional Qualifications: - Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; typically 10+ years across architecture/engineering with sustained leadership of enterprise-scale, cross-platform programs. Less experience is accepted with relevant Master's or Doctorate qualifications.
- Proven record of enterprise standards and governance ownership, including exception management and portfolio/enterprise architecture quality reviews.
- Demonstrated leadership of IT system-wide initiatives-from capability strategy and roadmap through implementation and steady-state optimization in regulated or complex environments.
- Experience aligning product, engineering, security, and operations to operationalize target architectures and achieve measurable outcomes across multiple domains.
We are proud to offer a competitive compensation package at McKesson as part of our Total Rewards. This is determined by several factors, including performance, experience and skills, equity, regular job market evaluations, and geographical markets. The pay range shown below is aligned with McKesson's pay philosophy, and pay will always be compliant with any applicable regulations. In addition to base pay, other compensation, such as an annual bonus or long-term incentive opportunities may be offered. For more information regarding benefits at McKesson, please click here.
Our Base Pay Range for this position$122,100 - $162,800
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McKesson job postings are posted on our career site: careers.mckesson.com.
