Enterprise Architect

Ryan Mahoney

Why this role is hard · Ryan Mahoney

Hiring at this level is tough because you need someone who can turn vague business goals into strict technical standards. Strong candidates listen to competing team needs and map out a clear path that keeps delivery moving. They must unite separate groups while making sure security and integration rules hold up across both legacy and modern systems. You cannot measure this skill with abstract whiteboard drills, so ask for real stories about how they handled friction between product teams and compliance mandates.

Core Evaluation

Critical questions for this role

The competency and attitude questions below are where the hiring decision is made. They run in the live interview rounds and are calibrated to the level selected above.

14 Competency Questions

1 of 14

  1. Discipline

    Enterprise Architecture & Systems Design

  2. Job requirement

    Data Architecture & Information Modeling

    Designs logical and physical data models, optimizes ETL/ELT workflows, and integrates disparate transit data sources.

  3. Expected at Mid

    Mid-level architects must reliably design data structures that support cross-domain integration and analytics, handling normal scope cases independently to reduce integration debt.

Interview round: Hiring Manager Technical

Share an experience when you designed a unified data architecture to consolidate information from multiple legacy operational systems. What steps did you take to ensure consistency and usability?

Positive indicators

  • Explains normalization vs denormalization trade-offs
  • References specific transit data domains
  • Highlights stakeholder validation loops

Negative indicators

  • Focuses only on database tools rather than modeling principles
  • Ignores data quality and lineage considerations
  • Cannot explain how end-users validated the model

10 Attitude Questions

1 of 10

Active Listening

The deliberate, disciplined practice of fully concentrating on, comprehending, and synthesizing verbal, technical, and non-verbal information from diverse stakeholders to accurately capture explicit requirements, uncover implicit constraints, and align conflicting perspectives before formulating enterprise architecture decisions or standards.

Interview round: Hiring Manager Technical

Describe your process for capturing unspoken operational risks when multiple business units submit competing proposals for the same capital funding cycle.

Positive indicators

  • Probes beyond submitted documentation for hidden risks
  • Aligns competing proposals with actual operational capacity
  • Creates a unified risk assessment before funding decisions
  • References historical data to validate current claims
  • Documents assumptions and constraints explicitly

Negative indicators

  • Accepts proposals at face value
  • Fails to investigate cross-impact between proposals
  • Overlooks compliance or staffing implications
  • Prioritizes based on budget alone without risk analysis
  • No mechanism for capturing unstated operational realities

Supporting Evaluation

How candidates earn the selection conversation

The goal is to reduce effort for everyone by collecting more useful signal before adding more interviews. Lightweight application prompts and structured screens help the panel focus live time on the candidates most likely to succeed.

Stage 1 · Application

Filter at the door

Runs the moment a candidate hits Submit. Disqualifying answers end the application; everything else is captured for review.

Knock-out Questions

1 of 2

Application Screen: Knock-out

Do you currently hold an active, industry-recognized Enterprise Architecture certification (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman, or an equivalent cloud/enterprise architect credential)?

Yes
Qualifies
No
Auto-decline

Video-Response Questions

1 of 3

Application Screen: Video Response

Describe a scenario where you had to enforce a strict architectural standard that multiple business units wanted to bypass for faster delivery. What specific steps did you take to communicate the rationale, negotiate boundaries, and secure alignment without derailing their project timelines?

Candidate experience

REC
0:42 / 2:00
1Record
2Review
3Submit

Response time

2 min

Format

Recorded video

Stage 2 · Resume Screening

Read the resume against fixed criteria

Reviewers score every application that clears the door against the same criteria. Stronger reviews advance to live interviews; weaker ones are archived without further screening.

Resume Review Criteria

8 criteria
Designs and implements integration patterns, canonical data schemas, and low-latency telemetry pipelines connecting operational technology (OT) and IT systems.
Evaluates vendor proposals, solution designs, and API implementations against enterprise standards, security boundaries, and procurement constraints.
Translates operational strategies, capital plans, and funding cycles into phased technology modernization roadmaps and implementation plans.
Architects recovery procedures, failover protocols, and operational continuity frameworks for critical transit systems and payment gateways.

Is the resume complete, well-organized, and free from formatting, spelling, and grammar mistakes?

Does the cover letter or personal statement convey clear relevance and familiarity with the job?

Does the resume show relevant prior work experience?

Does the resume indicate required academic credentials, relevant certifications, or necessary training?

Stage 3 · During Interviews

Where the hire is decided

Interview rounds use the competency and attitude questions outlined above, then add tests, work simulations, and presentations that reveal deeper evidence about how the candidate thinks and works.

Presentation Prompt

Prepare a short deck and walk us through your approach to designing a low-latency message broker topology for vehicle-to-infrastructure telemetry. Discuss how you balance performance optimization with network architecture constraints, and explain how you would align cross-functional engineering and operations teams on your proposed design.

Format

deck-and-walkthrough · 20 min · ~2 hr prep

Audience

Architecture review board members, platform engineering leads, and network operations managers.

What to prepare

  • 3-5 slides outlining the problem framing, topology options, key technical trade-offs, and stakeholder alignment strategy.
  • A structured narrative that guides the audience through your reasoning.

Deliverables

  • A 20-minute presentation and walkthrough of your deck, followed by a Q&A session.

Ground rules

  • Use only anonymized or hypothetical examples from past experience.
  • Do not build a live prototype, detailed implementation plan, or net-new vendor contracts.

Scoring anchors

Exceeds
Delivers a crisp, well-structured narrative that balances technical rigor with pragmatic stakeholder alignment, clearly mapping trade-offs to operational outcomes.
Meets
Presents a logical topology design with reasonable trade-offs and a basic stakeholder communication plan.
Below
Focuses narrowly on technical specs without addressing integration risks, team alignment, or operational constraints.

Response time

20 min

Positive indicators

  • Clearly articulates latency vs. reliability trade-offs with concrete examples
  • Demonstrates a structured stakeholder alignment and communication strategy
  • Anticipates deployment constraints and handoff responsibilities for network ops
  • Uses the deck to enhance narrative clarity rather than overload with technical jargon

Negative indicators

  • Presents a single solution without evaluating viable alternatives
  • Overlooks cross-team dependency risks or operational handoff friction
  • Uses overly complex diagrams without a clear guiding narrative
  • Fails to address how conflicting engineering priorities will be reconciled

Work Simulation Scenario

Scenario. A major service launch is scheduled in three weeks. The Director of Transit Operations is pushing for a custom feature in the automated recovery routing system that bypasses established failover protocols to accelerate deployment. You must align the stakeholder on the approved architecture, enforce governance boundaries, and negotiate a compliant path forward.

Problem to solve. Navigate the tension between urgent operational needs and strict architectural governance, set clear boundaries on compliance, and co-create a phased rollout plan.

Format

stakeholder-roleplay · 40 min · ~2 hr prep

Success criteria

  • Clearly articulate the risk of bypassing failover protocols
  • Maintain firm architectural boundaries while acknowledging operational urgency
  • Negotiate a compliant, phased deployment alternative

What to review beforehand

  • Automated recovery routing architecture decision records
  • Failover protocol compliance requirements and SLA implications
  • Agency change management and exception request procedures

Ground rules

  • You are facilitating a live alignment conversation
  • Focus on explaining trade-offs, setting boundaries, and finding a viable path forward
  • You will be evaluated on communication clarity, boundary-setting, and collaborative alignment

Roles in scenario

Elena Rostova, Director of Transit Operations (skeptical_stakeholder, played by hiring_manager)

Motivation. Needs the new routing feature live before a high-profile service launch to avoid operational disruptions and public scrutiny.

Constraints

  • Cannot delay the launch due to political and public commitments
  • Has experienced previous system outages and demands reliability
  • Lacks deep technical understanding of failover architecture

Tensions to introduce

  • Pressures the candidate to approve the bypass as a 'temporary workaround'
  • Questions why governance rules are prioritized over rider experience
  • Softens stance only when presented with a concrete, risk-mitigated phased plan

In-character guidance

  • Express operational urgency clearly and professionally
  • Push back on abstract technical jargon; demand plain-language risk explanations
  • Remain open to compromise if the candidate demonstrates empathy and a viable alternative

Do not

  • Do not become hostile or dismissive of architectural governance
  • Do not concede immediately; require clear risk communication
  • Do not solve the technical problem for the candidate

David Park, Network Infrastructure Lead (cross_functional_partner, played by cross_functional)

Motivation. Protects network stability and ensures failover protocols are not compromised by ad-hoc deployments.

Constraints

  • Cannot support unvetted routing logic in production
  • Requires 10 business days for staging environment validation
  • Will escalate to the Architecture Review Board if protocols are bypassed

Tensions to introduce

  • Reinforces technical limits when the candidate asks about bypass impacts
  • Offers staging capacity only if a formal validation plan is submitted
  • Pushes back on rushed timelines that compromise network integrity

In-character guidance

  • Provide factual technical constraints when asked
  • Align with governance standards without dominating the conversation
  • Support the candidate's boundary-setting if done professionally

Do not

  • Do not volunteer network capacity details unprompted
  • Do not take over the negotiation or propose solutions
  • Do not undermine the stakeholder's operational concerns

Scoring anchors

Exceeds
Masterfully balances empathy and governance, clearly explains risks in business terms, sets unambiguous boundaries, and co-creates a realistic phased deployment plan that satisfies both compliance and operational needs.
Meets
Communicates risks clearly, maintains architectural boundaries, acknowledges operational pressure, and suggests a reasonable alternative path forward.
Below
Capitulates to pressure without governance rationale, uses dismissive or overly technical language, or fails to negotiate a viable alternative.

Response time

40 min

Positive indicators

  • Clearly articulates compliance risks and SLA implications of bypassing failover protocols
  • Sets firm, professional boundaries while validating the stakeholder's operational urgency
  • Proposes a concrete phased rollout or staging validation plan as an alternative
  • Translates technical constraints into plain-language business impact statements

Negative indicators

  • Yields to scope creep or approves the bypass without governance justification
  • Uses dismissive language or ignores operational urgency
  • Fails to propose a viable alternative or next steps
  • Relies heavily on jargon without checking stakeholder understanding

Progression Framework

This table shows how competencies evolve across experience levels. Each cell shows competency at that level.

Enterprise Architecture & Systems Design

6 competencies

CompetencyJuniorMidSeniorPrincipal
Data Architecture & Information Modeling

Maps data flows, documents entity relationships, and assists in implementing data quality checks under guidance.

Designs logical and physical data models, optimizes ETL/ELT workflows, and integrates disparate transit data sources.

Establishes enterprise data governance, architects data lakes/warehouses, and defines real-time streaming strategies.

Pioneers predictive data ecosystems, establishes cross-agency data sharing standards, and drives AI-ready data architectures to enable sustained analytical and operational advantage.

Emerging Mobility & Innovation Integration

Researches emerging transit technologies, supports proof-of-concept deployments, and documents technical feasibility as a growth opportunity.

Develops innovation roadmaps, pilots new mobility integrations, and assesses vendor solutions for scalability.

Leads technology adoption strategies, architects hybrid physical-digital mobility ecosystems, and manages innovation portfolios.

Drives industry transformation through strategic technology partnerships, establishes future-state mobility architectures, and influences public innovation policy to position transit for market evolution.

Enterprise Strategy & Architecture Governance

Assists in documenting current-state architectures and supports compliance checks against established standards under supervision.

Develops target-state architecture blueprints and leads cross-functional workshops to align technical roadmaps with operational needs.

Architects enterprise-wide frameworks, establishes governance boards, and drives strategic technology investments across transit divisions.

Sets industry-leading architectural paradigms, influences public transit policy through technical thought leadership, and mentors senior architects to ensure enterprise-wide strategic alignment.

Platform Engineering & Operational Resilience

Monitors system performance, assists in capacity planning, and supports deployment automation scripts as a developmental focus.

Implements CI/CD pipelines, configures load balancing, and designs fault-tolerant service deployments.

Architects cloud-native platforms, establishes SRE practices, and optimizes system performance at scale.

Defines autonomous platform strategies, leads multi-region disaster recovery frameworks, and drives infrastructure-as-code evolution to ensure continuous, resilient transit service delivery.

Security, Privacy & Compliance Frameworks

Conducts vulnerability assessments, documents security requirements, and assists in audit preparations under supervision.

Implements IAM solutions, designs encryption strategies, and ensures compliance with transit data regulations.

Architects zero-trust environments, establishes enterprise risk management frameworks, and leads incident response planning.

Shapes industry security standards, integrates privacy-enhancing technologies at scale, and aligns cybersecurity architecture with national transit resilience and regulatory goals.

Systems Integration & Interface Design

Documents API specifications, supports integration testing, and troubleshoots basic interface failures within established architectural guardrails.

Designs RESTful/GraphQL APIs, implements middleware solutions, and ensures backward compatibility during system upgrades.

Defines enterprise integration patterns, orchestrates microservices, and leads legacy modernization initiatives.

Architects event-driven enterprise fabrics, establishes cross-domain interoperability standards, and future-proofs integration layers to enable seamless multi-modal connectivity.