Enterprise Architect

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes. The firm’s work is distinguished by a unique combination of precision and vision.

Based in any U.S. office, the Enterprise Architect is a senior technical leader responsible for defining and governing the firm’s target-state technology architecture across on-premises, cloud, data, and AI-enabled environments. This individual will modernize a mature Microsoft estate, mature the firm’s Azure and AWS footprints, establish architectural standards spanning networking, security, and data governance, and provide technical leadership for the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence. The role partners closely with infrastructure, security, applications, data, records, knowledge management, and practice-technology teams to ensure that solutions are secure by design, cost-aware, operationally supportable, and aligned to the confidentiality, ethical, regulatory, and professional-responsibility expectations of a global law firm.

This role reports to the Chief Information Officer.

Responsibilities include:

• Architecture & Governance: Coordinate enterprise architecture reference models, principles, and technology standards, and steward them through the Enterprise Architecture Review Board (ARB) governance and gate process.
• Microsoft Modernization: Modernize the legacy Microsoft estate: Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS/DHCP, Windows Server, file services, and on-premises Exchange – and drive migration and integration paths toward Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, and cloud-native services.
• Cloud Architecture: Design and govern Azure and AWS landing zones, subscription/account structures, identity federation, private connectivity, and cost and tagging standards for a multi-cloud environment.
• Networking & Firewall: Define reference designs for hybrid networking, segmentation, and firewall architecture – including site-to-site and cloud connectivity, VPN, micro-segmentation, and next-generation firewall policy standards.
• Data Governance: Establish and maintain data governance and information-protection architecture, including data classification, sensitivity labeling, DLP, encryption/key management, and controls that support ethical walls, client-matter confidentiality, and Office of the General Counsel obligations.
• Security by Design: Embed security-by-design across the estate in partnership with the security team – Zero Trust principles, Conditional Access, identity governance, logging/monitoring, and vulnerability-driven remediation planning.
• Documentation & Roadmaps: Produce and maintain architecture artifacts – reference architecture, decision records, standards documents, and roadmaps – and present recommendations to IT leadership and firm stakeholders.
• AI Strategy & Enablement: Advise on and help govern the responsible adoption of AI tooling and platforms, including Microsoft Copilot, Azure OpenAI, vendor-integrated AI capabilities, and workflow automation opportunities that improve productivity while protecting firm and client data.
• AI Governance & Risk Controls: Define architecture patterns, guardrails, and review criteria for AI solutions, including data residency, model and vendor risk, prompt and output handling, training-data exposure, access controls, auditability, retention, and human oversight appropriate for a legal environment.
• Collaboration: Partner with infrastructure, applications, security, and practice-technology teams to ensure architectural alignment and to guide project-level solution design.

Qualifications:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for technical teams and firm leadership alike.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgment in balancing security, cost, and operational supportability.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and build consensus across infrastructure, security, applications, and practice-technology teams.
• Confidence presenting and defending architectural recommendations to IT leadership and governance bodies such as the ARB.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and exercise discretion with confidential client and firm information.

Experience:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in enterprise infrastructure, including demonstrated experience as an enterprise, solutions, or infrastructure architect operating within an enterprise architecture governance framework.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Expertise across legacy Microsoft environments: Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS/DHCP, Windows Server, file/print services, and on-premises Exchange, including modernization and hybrid integration.
• Strong architecture experience with Microsoft Azure (landing zones, networking, Entra ID, governance) and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Demonstrated experience designing enterprise networking and firewall architectures across on-premises and cloud.
• Demonstrated experience with data governance and information protection including Microsoft Purview Information Protection, Microsoft 365, and Entra Suite capabilities.
• Working knowledge of security frameworks and Zero Trust principles, including identity governance and Conditional Access.
• Demonstrated understanding of enterprise AI architecture and governance with hands-on exposure to AI-enabled productivity and automation platforms such as Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, Azure OpenAI, and Power Platform.
• Experience in a law firm, professional services, or similarly regulated, confidentiality-sensitive environment, with familiarity with ethical walls and Outside Counsel Guidelines (OGC).
• Familiarity with legal-industry platforms such as iManage, including knowledge-search and document-intelligence capabilities, and with virtual desktop (AVD) and endpoint-management (Intune, Jamf) technologies.
• Relevant certifications, such as Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Solutions Architect, TOGAF, or comparable network/security credentials.

Gibson Dunn will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of local law.

Compensation & Benefits:

The annual compensation range for this position is $175,000 - $220,000. The salary offered within this range will depend upon qualifications and other operational considerations.

Benefits offered for this position include health care; retirement benefits; paid days off, including sick time, and vacation time; parental leave; basic life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; as well as discretionary, performance-based bonuses.