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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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 .