Chief Enterprise Architect

Chief Enterprise Architect – 11 months – Belgium

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Intro

RELYzIT Talent is seeking a visionary Chief Enterprise Architect for our client, a leading force in the public utilities sector, to drive digital transformation and sector-wide coherence. This freelance opportunity is your chance to architect the future of public service information systems, ensuring technology empowers essential missions for communities across Belgium. Join a mission where your expertise shapes the digital backbone of tomorrow’s water sector.

Why This Role Matters

Our client is uniting public water operators to master technological complexity and align digital investments with public service missions. As Chief Enterprise Architect, you will be pivotal in defining and deploying a sector-wide enterprise architecture reference framework, harmonizing business, application, data, and technical architectures. Your leadership will ensure interoperability, regulatory compliance, and sustainable transformation—directly impacting the efficiency, equity, and resilience of vital public services.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead the definition and implementation of the enterprise architecture reference framework for the water sector, ensuring alignment with sectoral strategy and public service objectives.


• Develop and present key deliverables: enterprise architecture frameworks, information system mapping, and comprehensive architecture models (business, functional, organizational, application, data, technical) using ArchiMate.


• Collaborate closely with sector architecture teams, process managers, business and data referents, and stakeholders to ensure cross-functional coherence and quality.


• Establish architecture principles, standards, and patterns, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards (NIS2, GDPR, etc.).


• Design and implement architecture governance frameworks, including roles, policies, and standards.


• Develop IT roadmaps and transformation trajectories, ensuring operational continuity and IT resilience.


• Facilitate the harmonization and interoperability of application solutions between operators, supporting shared management and best practice exchange.


• Present deliverables and progress to sectoral governance bodies, including the architecture committee and Digital platform.


• Drive change management, architecture acculturation, and stakeholder engagement across organizations.


• Guarantee the overall coherence, quality, and validation of all project outputs, meeting agreed schedules and governance requirements.

What We’re Looking For

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in enterprise architecture, IT urbanization, or information systems architecture.


• Proven track record in defining and deploying enterprise architecture frameworks and transformation trajectories.


• Experience in strategic consulting with executive committees or general management.


• Background in multi-entity or multi-business organizations (public, semi-public, utilities, etc.).


• Sectoral experience in public services, utilities (water, energy), or technical organizations managing industrial/geospatial information systems is highly valued.


• Strong knowledge of water industry systems, GIS/geomatics, ERP/SAP integration, SCADA/IoT, and asset management is appreciated.


• Expertise in aligning IT strategy with public service missions, investment arbitration, and digital transformation.


• Mastery of enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF), modeling (ArchiMate), and IT urbanization standards.


• Deep understanding of architecture governance, compliance (NIS2, GDPR), and operational continuity.


• Demonstrated leadership in cross-organizational influence, change management, and stakeholder facilitation.


• Ability to simplify complex architecture topics and drive acculturation across diverse teams.


• Experience reporting to governance committees and managing sectoral transformation initiatives.


• Appreciation for public sector challenges: mutualization, solution sharing, budget constraints, and digital transformation.

Technical Skills

• Enterprise Architecture (Expert)


• TOGAF (Expert)


• ArchiMate (Expert)


• Architecture Governance (Expert)


• GDPR and NIS2 Compliance (Expert)


• Roadmap Development (Expert)


• Stakeholder Management (Expert)


• GIS/Geomatics, ERP/SAP, SCADA/IoT, Asset Management (Appreciated)

Language Proficiency

• Professional proficiency in English is required.


• French and/or Dutch proficiency is highly valued for stakeholder engagement.

Other Requirements

• Freelance position with a project duration of 11 months (120 days), with potential extension.


• Partial remote work: In-person meetings prioritized; remote work for consolidation and reporting.


• Ability to travel to various operator offices within Belgium as needed.


• Start date: As soon as possible. First deliverables expected within 6 months.


• Experience in public sector digital transformation and architecture governance frameworks is a plus.