Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Sr Director of Enterprise Systems leads the global strategy, execution, and operational excellence of enterprise business systems across three core pillars: Integrations & Middleware, Platforms, and Enterprise Architecture & Standards.
This role is responsible for delivering a secure, scalable, and high-performing enterprise applications ecosystem spanning ERP, HRIS, CRM, Anaplan, Data Lakehouse, Engineering systems, Atlassian, ServiceNow, and adjacent enterprise platforms.
These components are the driving factors behind operational scale, data integrity, automation, and cross-functional business enablement. Success in this role equates to resilient business systems, trusted enterprise data, streamlined workflows, and strong alignment between technology capabilities and business strategy.
As a senior IT leader, the Sr Director establishes the technical vision, governance models, integration strategy, and operational frameworks that power core enterprise platforms. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in enterprise application ecosystems, enterprise architecture, and system integrations, along with a proven ability to modernize complex environments while building high-performing teams.
What you'll do:
Enterprise Applications Strategy & Leadership
* Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for Enterprise Applications across three pillars: Integrations & Middleware, Platform
Management, and Enterprise Architecture & Standards.
* Establish multi-year transformation strategies for ERP, HRIS, CRM, FP&A (Anaplan), ITSM (ServiceNow), Engineering systems, and enterprise data platforms.
* Align enterprise application capabilities with corporate growth, operational scalability, compliance, and digital transformation initiatives.
Integrations & Middleware
* Own enterprise integration strategy, including APIs, middleware, event-driven architectures, and data synchronization across core platforms.
* Establish scalable, resilient integration frameworks to support ERP, HRIS, CRM, Data Lakehouse, and Engineering ecosystems.
* Lead modernization of legacy integrations toward API-first and service-oriented architectures.
* Implement governance standards for data consistency, observability, monitoring, and integration reliability.
Platform Management
* Oversee operational ownership and lifecycle management of ERP, HRIS, CRM, Anaplan, Data Lakehouse, Engineering systems, Atlassian, ServiceNow, and related enterprise platforms.
* Establish governance models for system configuration, change management, release cycles, and platform performance.
* Drive automation, process optimization, and technical debt reduction across enterprise systems.
* Manage vendor relationships, contracts, licensing strategies, and cost optimization initiatives.
Enterprise Architecture & Standards
* Define enterprise application architecture standards, integration patterns, and data governance frameworks.
* Establish cross-platform design principles to ensure interoperability, security, and scalability.
* Lead architecture review boards and system design governance processes.
* Partner with Security and Infrastructure teams to ensure compliance, risk mitigation, and regulatory alignment.
* Operational Excellence & Leadership
* Build, mentor, and scale high-performing enterprise applications and architecture teams.
* Define KPIs for system uptime, integration reliability, data quality, user adoption, and operational efficiency.
* Oversee departmental budgeting, forecasting, and financial management.
* Provide executive-level reporting on application health, modernization progress, risk posture, and ROI metrics.
Participate in major incident leadership and enterprise system escalation management as required
Required qualifications:
* 12+ years of experience in enterprise IT or business systems, with 5+ years in senior leadership roles overseeing Enterprise Applications or equivalent functions.
* Demonstrated experience leading ERP, HRIS, CRM, and enterprise platform teams in complex, regulated environments.
* Deep expertise in enterprise integration architectures (APIs, middleware, data pipelines).
* Strong understanding of data platforms, lakehouse architectures, and enterprise analytics ecosystems.
* Experience establishing enterprise architecture standards and governance frameworks.
* Proven experience managing large SaaS and enterprise software vendor portfolios.
* Strong financial acumen with budget ownership and cost optimization experience.
* Exceptional communication skills with demonstrated ability to partner with executives and cross-functional leaders.
Preferred qualifications:
* 15+ years of progressive IT experience with at least 7 years leading multi-functional enterprise application teams.
* Experience leading enterprise-wide ERP implementations or major system transformations.
* Experience implementing AI-driven automation within business systems.
* Strong background in ITIL-based service management, DevOps for enterprise systems, or agile transformation frameworks.
* Experience supporting regulated or security-sensitive environments with strict compliance requirements.
* Experience operating in high-growth and rapidly scaling enterprise environments.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
