Senior Manager – Platform, Architecture & Modernisation Advisory

Job Description

The opportunity

• Technology leaders are facing a new architecture problem.
• Cloud, data, AI, enterprise platforms and increasingly agentic systems can no longer be treated as separate transformation agendas. Decisions made across these layers determine an organisation's speed of innovation, technology economics, resilience, interoperability and ability to scale AI safely.
• Deloitte Africa Engineering, AI & Data Advisory is looking for an exceptional Senior Manager – Platform, Architecture & Modernisation Advisory to help executives navigate these decisions and translate them into executable transformation programs.
• This is not a conventional enterprise architecture or solution architecture role.
• It is a senior consulting and practice-building position for someone who can challenge technology strategy, make complex architecture choices understandable to executives, create investable modernisation pathways and mobilise engineering teams to execute them.

Your mandate

• As capability steward, you will build and lead Deloitte Africa's Advisory proposition around the technology foundations required for modern digital and AI-enabled enterprises.
• You will connect strategic intent to the architecture decisions required to make it real.

Your mandate spans:

• Technology decision advisory. Help CIOs, CTOs and CDAOs make consequential decisions around cloud, data, AI, integration, enterprise platforms, modernisation and emerging technology.
• Architecture challenge. Independently assess and challenge existing technology strategies and architectures, identifying structural constraints, unnecessary complexity, technical debt and future capability gaps.
• Transformation architecture. Translate target-state architecture into sequenced, investable transformation programs rather than producing architecture diagrams without an execution pathway.
• Commercial leadership. Build propositions, create pipeline, originate engagements and expand architecture-led advisory into wider engineering transformation opportunities.
• Capability stewardship. Develop Deloitte's architecture methods, reference patterns, talent, technology ecosystem and market position.

What you will do

You will:

• Advise CIOs, CTOs, CDAOs and architecture leaders on strategic technology choices.
• Perform independent architecture and technology-strategy reviews.
• Define enterprise technology principles and target-state architectures.
• Develop modernisation strategies spanning applications, cloud, data, integration and AI.
• Design enterprise AI platform strategies and associated architecture roadmaps.
• Help clients determine what should be built, bought, modernised, consolidated, retired or consumed as a service.
• Translate architecture alternatives into explicit business, cost, risk and execution trade-offs.
• Develop cloud, data and AI platform roadmaps aligned to business strategy.
• Shape enterprise architecture for GenAI and agentic AI, including model access, knowledge, integration, orchestration, observability, control and security.
• Advise on AI gateways, control planes and common enterprise AI services.
• Evaluate hyperscaler, SaaS, platform and technology vendor propositions independently.
• Support major technology investment decisions and commercial negotiations.
• Connect enterprise architecture to technology operating model, governance and delivery implications.
• Develop pragmatic transition architectures and transformation sequencing.
• Structure and lead complex technology advisory engagements.
• Mobilise specialists across Cloud, AI, Data, Cyber, Engineering and enterprise platforms.
• Lead senior architecture forums and executive decision workshops.
• Originate and convert advisory and transformation opportunities.
• Build signature offerings, methods, reference architectures and reusable IP.
• Develop ecosystem relationships with hyperscalers and major technology providers while maintaining independent client advice.
• Mentor and develop architecture-oriented advisory talent.

Qualifications

The profile we are looking for

You will likely have 15+ years of relevant experience across technology consulting, enterprise architecture, cloud/data/AI transformation or related disciplines.

We expect:

• Significant experience in consulting, technology advisory or a strongly client-facing equivalent environment.
• Deep credibility in enterprise technology architecture.
• Demonstrated experience working across more than one of cloud, data, AI, applications, integration or digital platforms.
• Experience leading complex architecture or technology transformation programs.
• Ability to translate highly technical choices into clear executive decisions.
• Strong understanding of modern enterprise AI architectures.
• Experience working with at least one major hyperscaler and familiarity with multi-cloud enterprise environments.
• Commercial experience including opportunity shaping, proposals, pursuits and client development.
• Strong understanding of transformation economics and architectural trade-offs.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Exceptional stakeholder management with credibility at CIO, CTO, CDAO and Chief Architect level.
• Relevant undergraduate qualifications in engineering, computer science, information systems or related disciplines are expected. Relevant architecture, cloud or technology certifications are advantageous but will not substitute for demonstrated capability.

Architecture depth

We expect meaningful expertise across areas including:

• Enterprise and solution architecture;
• Public and hybrid cloud architectures;
• Modern data platforms;
• AI and GenAI platforms;
• Enterprise AI gateways and control planes;
• Agentic AI architecture;
• Application and platform modernisation;
• API and event-driven integration;
• Enterprise SaaS ecosystems;
• Security and identity architecture;
• Observability and operational resilience;
• MLOps/LLMOps and AI lifecycle management;
• Technology standards and architecture governance; and
• FinOps and technology-consumption implications.

You are not expected to be the deepest SME in every domain.

Your differentiator should be the ability to see across them and determine how architectural decisions interact at enterprise level.

What will distinguish exceptional candidates

Exceptional candidates may have:

• Served as a Chief Architect, Enterprise Architect or CTO-level advisor while maintaining strong consulting and commercial capability;
• Built architecture or technology-strategy consulting propositions;
• Led major cloud, data or AI modernisation programs;
• Designed enterprise-grade AI platform architectures;
• Originated consulting work through trusted CIO/CTO relationships;
• Experience across several major technology ecosystems rather than attachment to a single vendor;
• An ability to challenge prevailing architecture thinking constructively; and
• A reputation for converting architecture complexity into clear executive choices.

How success will be measured

You will be accountable for:

• building a credible market-facing Platform & Architecture Advisory business;
• originating and converting qualified pipeline;
• managed revenue and contribution to downstream EAID transformation revenue;
• development of distinctive propositions and architecture IP;
• client impact and quality of strategic technology decisions;
• expansion of advisory engagements into executable transformation;
• effective orchestration of the broader EAID capability;
• development of strong architecture advisory talent; and
• trusted relationships across client technology leadership and strategic technology partners.