Lead Architect - Infrastructure

The M&A Infrastructure Architect analyzes target organizations' infrastructure and provides recommendations to integrate with Cox Automotive (CAI) technology standards while preserving deal value. A core objective is to balance integration priorities with the capacity of acquired staff to support a sustainable integration program.
As infrastructure management evolves, this role leverages AI-powered tools to accelerate due diligence, improve technology analysis, and enable data-driven integration planning. The Architect serves as both a practitioner and an advocate for AI-augmented architecture across the full M&A lifecycle-from Due Diligence through Integration Planning, Day 1, Post-Merger Integration, and Steady State.
Key Responsibilities

• Architecture Planning & Road-mapping: Define and maintain current, transition, and future state infrastructure architectures and integration roadmaps for acquisitions and divestitures.
• Design & Standards Alignment: Produce infrastructure design artifacts aligned with enterprise standards; document variances and guide approvals as needed.
• M&A Integration Support: Partner with the IOPS M&A Integration Lead and cross functional teams to support acquisition and divestiture activity.
• Technology Assessment & Emerging Trends: Evaluate infrastructure technologies and industry trends-including AI/ML requirements, agentic ecosystems, and composable architectures-to inform integration and disentanglement decisions.
• AI Assisted Due Diligence & Analysis: Use AI tools to analyze data room materials, identify infrastructure scope, risks, overlaps, and consolidation opportunities, and generate assessment summaries.
• AI Enabled Architecture Design & Validation: Apply AI tools to generate, evaluate, and validate architectural options; simulate integration scenarios to balance cost, risk, and performance.
• Governance, Compliance & Vendor Evaluation: Implement AI driven governance, compliance checks, and vendor/platform assessments aligned with enterprise standards.
• Capacity, Quality & Cost Analysis: Assess operational capacity impacts, system quality attributes, and contribute to high-level estimates and business cases using AI assisted analytics.
• Stakeholder Communication: Facilitate working sessions and synthesize complex integration data into executive level narratives and decision materials.
• Technical Leadership: Serve as a trusted advisor and technical interface for infrastructure and platform engineering teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or a relevant discipline and 6 years of related experience. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 4 years of experience, a Ph.D. and 1 year of experience, or 18 years of experience in a related field.
• 3+ years' experience integrating and divesting technologies using structured architecture processes.
• 3+ years' experience supporting M&A technology integration and due diligence.
• Experience designing multi-tiered technology architectures.
• Subject Matter Expert in one or more infrastructure layers with a broad understanding across network, compute, virtualization, storage, monitoring, and security.
• Working knowledge of cloud infrastructure concepts (IaaS and PaaS).
• Experience with architecture modeling and executive-level presentations.
• Proficiency with AI-powered architecture and modeling tools (e.g., Claude, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot).
• Understanding of AI/ML infrastructure patterns, AI governance, and model lifecycle management.
• Ability to review and validate AI-generated designs and assessments for production readiness.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience leading architecture design and implementation initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Infrastructure, cloud, enterprise architecture, or project management certifications.
• Experience facilitating working sessions to drive architectural alignment.
• Demonstrated leadership in AI-enabled architecture initiatives.
• Experience with AI-driven vendor and platform evaluations.
• Familiarity with digital twins, simulation tools, or intent-based automation.

USD 122,600.00 - 204,400.00 per year
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $122,600.00 - $204,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.