Hybrid System Level Architect – Director

at Aptiv

• Job title: System Level Architect – Director
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: $152,000 - $220,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: Cloud, Cyber Security
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Troy, United States

About the role

• Senior Technical Leader defining and governing end-to-end architecture for automotive product ecosystems. Collaborating across global teams to drive strategic alignment and technical excellence.

Responsibilities

• Define the global system architecture vision, principles, domains and standards across product lines.
• Ensure architectural decisions align with long‑term business strategy, technology roadmap, and customer experience goals.
• Lead system‑level architecture reviews, establishing consistent global governance.
• Partner with Product Management, Product Engineering, New Technologies Group, Cybersecurity and Engineering Delivery Organization teams to design integrated solutions.
• Translate complex business requirements into cohesive system‑level designs that span software, hardware, interfaces, and data flows.
• Act as the senior technical authority in global product planning forums.
• Drive the evolution of modular, interoperable product platforms.
• Oversee the definition of APIs, data models, interoperability standards, and system boundaries.
• Ensure new components integrate seamlessly into existing architectures.
• Identify emerging technologies and assess their fit within the global product ecosystem.
• Develop multi‑year architectural roadmaps, including refactoring strategies, platform migrations, and modernization initiatives.
• Promote architectural innovation that enhances product scalability, security, and performance.
• Ensure architectures support reliability, maintainability, global regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity standards.
• Collaborate with quality engineering and cybersecurity teams to embed best practices into system designs.
• Present architectural strategies and trade-offs to senior and executive stakeholders.
• Guide engineering leaders in decision making and technical prioritization.
• Provide thought leadership, mentoring, and coaching to global architecture and engineering communities.

Requirements

• 10+ years in system architecture, solution architecture, embedded systems, platform engineering, or equivalent.
• Proven experience architecting complex, multi‑component systems in a global product environment.
• Strong understanding of software architecture patterns, cloud platforms, connectivity, data architecture, and integration frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to lead without direct authority across diverse global teams.
• Excellent communication skills for both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Benefits

• Private health care effective day 1 of employment
• Life and accident insurance
• Paid Time Off (Holidays, Vacation, Designated time off, Parental leave)
• Relocation assistance may be available
• Learning and development opportunities
• Discount programs with various manufacturers and retailers
• Recognition for innovation and excellence
• Opportunities to give back to the community
• Tuition Reimbursement