Lead ServiceNow Architect

Job Description – Lead ServiceNow Architect
Job Title: Lead ServiceNow Architect
Department: Center of Excellence (CoE) / Enterprise Architecture
Industry: Life Sciences / Pharmaceuticals / Biotechnology
Work Environment: Regulated Enterprise Environment
Role Overview
The Lead ServiceNow Architect will serve as the senior technical authority and strategic advisor for the organization's ServiceNow platform. Working closely with the ServiceNow Center of Excellence (CoE) and Enterprise Architecture teams, the role will be responsible for defining and governing the platform's architectural vision, technical roadmap, architecture standards, governance framework, and implementation strategies.
The position will drive the adoption and optimization of advanced ServiceNow capabilities, including Now Assist / Generative AI, GRC/IRM, workflow automation, integration, and digital transformation initiatives.
The Lead ServiceNow Architect will ensure that ServiceNow solutions are scalable, secure, compliant, maintainable, resilient, and aligned with enterprise technology standards and business objectives, with particular consideration for the regulatory requirements of Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical environments.
Key Responsibilities1. Enterprise Architecture & Platform Strategy
Define and maintain the long-term ServiceNow platform vision, architecture roadmap, and capability strategy.
Establish architecture principles, reference architectures, design patterns, development standards, and platform best practices.
Ensure ServiceNow architecture aligns with enterprise technology strategy, security requirements, and business objectives.
Lead architectural assessments, platform expansion initiatives, upgrades, and adoption of new ServiceNow products and capabilities.
Drive platform rationalization and standardization to minimize technical debt, unnecessary customization, and support complexity.
Partner with Enterprise Architecture teams to ensure effective integration of ServiceNow capabilities with the broader enterprise technology landscape.
Define scalable and reusable architectural patterns across ServiceNow implementations.
Platform Governance & Technical Leadership
Own and continuously evolve the ServiceNow architecture governance framework and design authority processes.
Chair or participate in Architecture Review Boards and provide technical oversight for solution designs, integrations, custom applications, and platform extensions.
Evaluate and govern exceptions to established architectural standards.
Define technical policies and controls covering scalability, maintainability, resilience, performance, security, and platform health.
Establish technical quality metrics and conduct periodic reviews of:
Platform health
Technical debt
Code quality
Architecture compliance
Performance and scalability
Provide senior technical guidance during major incidents, platform risks, upgrades, and strategic technology decisions.
Business Transformation & Process Optimization
Collaborate with business stakeholders and process owners to understand strategic objectives and identify opportunities for digital transformation.
Translate business capabilities, processes, and requirements into scalable ServiceNow solutions.
Lead initiatives focused on process simplification, workflow standardization, automation, and operational efficiency.
Leverage ServiceNow capabilities including:
Flow Designer
Integration Hub
Process Automation Designer
Now Assist / AI capabilities
Virtual Agent
ServiceNow workflow and automation capabilities
Define and track measurable business outcomes such as efficiency improvements, service quality, risk reduction, and enhanced user experience.
Promote continuous improvement practices, including Lean, Six Sigma, and value-stream optimization principles.
Integration & Data Architecture
Define enterprise integration standards, API governance, and reusable integration architecture patterns.
Design secure, scalable, and supportable ServiceNow integrations with enterprise platforms such as:
ERP
CRM
HR systems
Identity and Access Management
Security platforms
Application Portfolio Management (APM)
Data and analytics platforms
Collaborate with Enterprise Integration, Security, Data, and Architecture teams to ensure compliance with technology standards.
Establish data architecture principles supporting:
Data quality
Data governance
Reporting and analytics
AI initiatives
Operational decision-making
Ensure data exchanges and integrations comply with applicable security, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
Now Assist & Generative AI Strategy
Define the architectural vision and roadmap for ServiceNow Now Assist and Generative AI capabilities.
Identify and prioritize AI use cases that deliver measurable business and operational value.
Establish appropriate AI governance and architectural guardrails covering:
Security
Privacy
Compliance
Data protection
Transparency
Responsible and ethical AI usage
Provide technical oversight for AI-enabled capabilities including:
AI-powered search
Summarization
Virtual Agent
Knowledge management
Workflow automation
Intelligent service delivery
Evaluate emerging ServiceNow AI capabilities and define adoption strategies aligned with enterprise architecture and business objectives.
GRC / IRM & Regulatory Compliance
Architect and oversee enterprise Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) / Integrated Risk Management (IRM) capabilities, including:
Policy and Compliance Management
Risk Management
Third-Party Risk Management
Audit Management
Business Continuity Management
Continuous Control Monitoring
Responsibilities Include
Develop scalable compliance frameworks supporting evolving regulatory and risk-management requirements.
Ensure ServiceNow solutions support applicable Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical regulatory requirements, including GxP and 21 CFR Part 11, where applicable.
Partner with Risk, Compliance, Audit, Security, and Quality functions to establish integrated risk and compliance operating models.
Drive automation and continuous monitoring to improve compliance visibility and reduce operational risk.
Ensure platform architecture supports audit readiness, traceability, appropriate controls, and regulatory expectations.
Center of Excellence (CoE) Leadership & Mentoring
Act as the senior technical advisor to executive stakeholders, programme governance boards, and business leadership.
Lead, mentor, and develop:
ServiceNow Architects
Developers
Business Analysts
Platform Administrators
Technical Leads
Establish and promote ServiceNow architecture standards, methodologies, governance practices, and engineering best practices.
Contribute to the maturity and continuous improvement of the ServiceNow Center of Excellence.
Conduct architecture reviews, technical coaching sessions, knowledge-sharing forums, and communities of practice.
Foster a culture of engineering excellence, collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
Support succession planning and development of future ServiceNow technical leaders.
Stakeholder Management
The Lead ServiceNow Architect Will Regularly Collaborate With
Executive Leadership Teams
Business Sponsors and Process Owners
Enterprise Architects
Security Architects
Solution Architects
Product Owners
Delivery Managers
ServiceNow Developers and Platform Teams
Risk, Compliance, Audit, and Quality Functions
Enterprise Integration and Data Teams
Third-Party Vendors and Service Partners
Required Qualifications & ExperienceProfessional Experience
Extensive experience in designing, architecting, and delivering enterprise-scale ServiceNow solutions and platform transformations.
Proven experience in a Lead Architect, Principal Architect, Enterprise Architect, or equivalent senior technical leadership role.
Strong experience in ServiceNow platform architecture, governance, design standards, and technical strategy.
Deep technical experience with:
ServiceNow platform architecture
Service Portal
Scoped Applications
Platform Security Architecture
Workflow and automation
Integration architecture
API-based integrations
Experience leading complex, multi-team ServiceNow transformation programmes.
Strong understanding of enterprise architecture principles, application integration, security, data architecture, and technology governance.
Life Sciences / Regulated Industry Experience – Preferred
Experience within one or more of the following sectors is highly desirable:
Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology
Lif

Work arrangement
No