Director, Global Strategy and Enterprise Architecture

Job Purpose

The Global Enterprise Architecture Department Manager is responsible for owning and advancing enterprise architecture strategy and translating business vision into actionable technology direction in alignment with Honda’s global priorities.

This role partners closely with business and IT leaders to connect strategy to execution, ensuring architecture frameworks, roadmaps, and decisions enable long-term business value, competitiveness, and innovation. The manager drives strategic alignment across regions, sets and governs technology direction and ensures enterprise architecture practices support measurable outcomes.

The position emphasizes strategic thinking, cross-functional influence, and architecture leadership, while ensuring consistent execution, governance, and continuous evolution of enterprise capabilities.

Key Accountabilities

Enterprise Architecture: Knowledge of enterprise architecture principles, frameworks, and governance models; ability to define, implement, and govern enterprise-wide architecture direction that ensures alignment of technology capabilities with business strategy across global operations.

Strategy Development & Alignment: Knowledge of strategic planning processes and business strategy formulation; ability to define and drive enterprise architecture strategy that aligns technology direction with Honda’s long-term business objectives, market dynamics, and competitive positioning.

Business Architecture & Strategic Translation: Knowledge of business architecture concepts including capabilities, value streams, and operating models; ability to translate business strategy into actionable architecture models and technology solutions that deliver measurable value.

Business Acumen & Value Realization: Knowledge of financial, market, and operational drivers of business performance; ability to ensure enterprise architecture initiatives deliver measurable business value and support strategic outcomes.

Architecture & Solution Oversight: Knowledge of solution architecture and system design principles; ability to guide and govern architecture decisions for complex, multi-domain initiatives to ensure alignment with enterprise standards and strategic direction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Influence: Knowledge of stakeholder engagement and organizational dynamics; ability to lead enterprise-wide alignment and influence decisions across business and IT functions to achieve strategic outcomes.

Planning & Continuous Improvement: Knowledge of strategic and operational planning processes; ability to integrate enterprise architecture into planning cycles and continuously evolve capabilities to meet changing business needs.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills

Minimum Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Preferred: Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, Information Systems, or related discipline) to support business and strategy alignment

Minimum Experience

• 15 years of progressive experience in IT, enterprise architecture, or related disciplines
• 10+ years in leadership roles, including second-level leadership or leading leaders
• Proven experience owning enterprise architecture or technology strategy at a global or enterprise scale
• Experience engaging with executive leadership and influencing enterprise-level decisions
• Experience working across multiple architecture domains (application, data, infrastructure, or business architecture)
• Demonstrated experience aligning technology solutions to business strategy and outcomes
• Experience contributing to or supporting enterprise-wide or large-scale transformation initiatives
• Experience working in complex, global or multi-regional environments
• Desired Certifications: TOGAF, Certified Enterprise Architect (CEA)

Other Job-Specific Skills

• Strategy & Business Alignment:
  • Ability to translate business strategy into technology and architecture direction
  • Strong understanding of business models, value streams, and market dynamics
  • Capability to connect technology decisions to measurable business value
• Enterprise Architecture
  • Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and operating models 
  • Experience applying architecture principles across multiple domains 
  • Ability to balance standardization with flexibility and innovation
• Technology & Innovation
  • Understanding of current and emerging technology trends and their business implications
  • Ability to evaluate technologies for strategic fit and long-term value
• Influence & Communication
  • Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across business and IT
  • Ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences
  • Skilled in facilitating alignment and driving decision-making
• Analytical & Critical Thinking
  • Strong problem-solving skills with ability to assess trade-offs and risks 
  • Ability to synthesize information across domains to inform strategic decisions
• Financial & Value Orientation
  • Understanding of cost, value, and ROI considerations in technology decisions
  • Ability to support business case development and value articulation

Job Dimensions

• No. of Direct Reports: 3-6 associates (unit leaders) distributed across multiple continents
• No. of Indirect Reports: 50-60 individuals globally distributed across multiple IT divisions
• Financial Dimensions: $2M annual operating budget and influence $300M in annual global project budgets

Decisions Expected

• Architecture & Strategic Direction Decisions: Defines and governs enterprise architecture direction, ensuring alignment with business strategy and long-term enterprise goals
• Technology & Platform Selection: Approves and directs technology and platform selection decisions in alignment with enterprise strategy
• Prioritization of Strategic Architecture Initiatives: Sets priorities for enterprise architecture initiatives and roadmaps across domains and regions
• Risk, Compliance & Governance Decisions: Establishes governance direction and ensures enterprise-wide compliance with architecture, security, and regulatory standards
• Innovation & Capability Evolution: Defines innovation priorities and drives adoption of capabilities that strengthen Honda’s competitive position

Working Conditions

• Travel: 20% domestic travel and 15% international travel required
• Overtime: 10 - 15 hours of overtime per week
• Non-normal Working Time: Leadership and availability of after hours and on-call work to support communication with other regions / other time zones.