The short answer
Hire an enterprise architect when the question is which systems and standards the whole estate should converge on. Hire a solutions architect when the question is how to design and deliver one system or programme. Many projects need both, in sequence: the enterprise architect for a short decision phase, the solutions architect through delivery.
Hiring for this?
Conntal places enterprise architects on contract, contract-to-hire or direct hire, each screened by a practitioner before you see a CV.
Hiring for this? See how we vet enterprise architects
The two titles overlap in practice and are used loosely in job ads. The distinction that matters for a hiring decision is scope: how much of the organisation the person is expected to decide for. Get it wrong in one direction and you hire someone who cannot get traction with executives; get it wrong in the other and you hire someone who designs a roadmap while nobody designs the system.
Side by side
| Dimension | Enterprise architect | Solutions architect |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Technology strategy, portfolio, roadmap and standards across the whole organisation [1][2] | One system or a defined programme within that landscape [1][2] |
| Level | Strategic, across business, information, application and technology architecture [2] | Tactical, working a specific business problem [2] |
| Typical output (our reading) | Target state, roadmap, standards, review-board decisions | Design for the system, integration patterns, cutover plan |
| Main counterpart (our reading) | Executives and architecture review board | Engineering leads and the delivery team |
| UK contract day rate, median [3][4] | £670 (10th to 90th percentile £506 to £875; 295 quoted) | £625 (£492 to £788; 1,239 quoted) |
| US contract rate, vendor-published [1] | $110 to $180 an hour (KORE1) | No separate figure on that page |
| How hires usually fail | A technologist who cannot get traction at the executive table [1] | Handed enterprise-wide decisions the role was never scoped to make (our reading) |
The Open Group's TOGAF framework does not define a “solution architect” role at all, so the boundary is drawn by industry practice rather than by the standard [2]. That is why job titles blur: Conntal's own enterprise architect role page covers solution, integration, data and cloud architect titles as well.
Which one for which project
Match the architect to the decision you are stuck on. The table below is our scoping judgement from the platforms we vet for, not a survey; use it to frame a brief.
| Project | Start with | Then bring in | How long, in shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integration programme: many systems, several teams, a multi-year target state | Enterprise architect, to fix integration principles, ownership and the target state | A solutions architect per workstream once scope is set | EA front-loaded then part-time governance; solutions architects for the life of each workstream |
| Cloud migration of a defined application portfolio | Enterprise architect only if the portfolio needs rationalising first | Solutions architect per migration wave | EA for the rationalisation decision; solutions architects wave by wave |
| Messaging re-platform, for example moving off a legacy broker | Solutions architect with messaging depth, who can answer whether to rebuild at all | Enterprise architect for a short decision gate if the change crosses teams or standards | Solutions architect through design, cutover and stabilisation; EA review at the gate |
| Single new system or service | Solutions architect | None | Design phase through go-live |
| Estate-wide standards, M&A rationalisation or a technology strategy refresh | Enterprise architect | Solutions architects only when standards turn into projects | Time-boxed strategy phase, then governance |
Our enterprise architect screen tests exactly this boundary. The scenario is one that a pure roadmap thinker fails:
A client wants an event-driven rebuild of a batch settlement process. Their team has never run a broker in production and the regulator requires replayable audit evidence. What do you recommend?
A senior answer asks what breaks today before designing what replaces it, names the operational cost of a broker the team cannot run, treats replayable audit evidence as a constraint with retention and immutability implications, and is willing to recommend not rebuilding. A mid answer starts from the target architecture and works backwards to justify it. That judgement is what separates an architect who has carried a decision through delivery from one who stops at the diagram.
Contract, fractional or full time
| Model | Fits when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | A defined phase: a target-state design, an assessment or a portfolio rationalisation. KORE1 describes a six-month contractor for portfolio rationalisation as a typical example [1] | Knowledge leaving at the end; plan the handover and the decision record before it starts |
| Fractional (part-time contract) | The decisions are real but do not need a full week. KORE1 cites a fractional architect at 20 hours a week on a transformation programme [1] | Availability at decision points; agree which decisions the architect owns up front |
| Contract-to-hire | You are unsure if the role is permanent, or want to see the architect work with your teams first | The conversion terms; agree the window and the fee before starting |
| Full time or direct hire | The role owns the review board and the roadmap on an ongoing basis | A permanent hire for a project-shaped need is expensive to unwind |
What it costs
Published pay data for these titles is thin. UK contract ads put the median enterprise architect day rate at £670 and the solutions architect rate at £625, a gap of about 7 percent, with far more solutions architect ads (1,239 quoted rates against 295) [3][4]. KORE1 prints $110 to $180 an hour for US contract enterprise architects, depending on industry and clearance [1]. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate enterprise or solutions architect occupation; its nearest, computer network architects, had a median annual wage of $134,050 in May 2025, about $64 an hour before benefits [5].
Conntal's indicative from-rates ($80 an hour nearshore or offshore, $120 onshore) are for senior contract engineers. We scope architect roles on the brief and do not claim those figures apply unchanged. Architecture roles also carry more stakeholder time than most, so we look harder at working-day overlap; nearshore usually works and offshore is situational.
How we compared
- Definitions: the scope and level distinction comes from the Open Group and 2013 FEAPO definitions as summarised in a public reference [2], and from KORE1's description of how the roles differ in hiring [1].
- Pay: ITJobsWatch UK contract data for both titles over the same six months [3][4], KORE1's published US range [1] and BLS for the nearest official occupation [5]. None is a US benchmark for either title.
- Project fit: the project table is Conntal's judgement from the platforms our practitioners screen for. It is labelled as such and not a survey result.
- Conflict of interest: Conntal places enterprise architects. We have tried to say where a solutions architect, or no architect, is the better answer.
This is the published screen for enterprise architects. The role page carries the scenario, the full rubric and the technologies we screen on.
Hiring for this?
Conntal places enterprise architects on contract, contract-to-hire or direct hire, each screened by a practitioner before you see a CV.
Sources
- [1] KORE1, Enterprise architect staffing (scope, failure modes and contract rates). Page last updated 30 July 2026; retrieved 31 October 2026.Vendor-published — not an independent benchmark
- [2] Wikipedia, Solution architecture (secondary summary of Open Group, Gartner and FEAPO definitions; notes TOGAF does not recognise the role). Retrieved 31 October 2026.Industry survey
- [3] ITJobsWatch, Enterprise Architect contract rates, UK. Six months to 30 October 2026; retrieved 31 October 2026.Primary source
- [4] ITJobsWatch, Solution Architect contract rates, UK. Six months to 30 October 2026; retrieved 31 October 2026.Primary source
- [5] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer Network Architects. May 2025 wage data; retrieved 31 October 2026.Primary source
Go deeper with the engineers who run it
Conntal is the staffing arm of AceMQ. When you need the platform supported rather than a person placed, these are the pages to read.
Related questions
What is the difference between an enterprise architect and a solutions architect?
Scope. An enterprise architect works across the whole organisation on strategy, portfolio, roadmap and standards. A solutions architect designs a single system or defined programme inside that landscape. Neither title is formally defined by TOGAF for the solutions role, so job ads use them loosely and the brief should state the decisions the person will own.
Which do I need for a cloud migration or integration programme?
Usually both, in sequence. An enterprise architect fixes the target state, ownership and standards in a short, front-loaded phase. Solutions architects then design each workstream or migration wave through delivery. For a single system or a messaging re-platform, a solutions architect with platform depth often comes first.
Should I hire a fractional or contract enterprise architect?
Contract suits a defined phase such as a target-state design or portfolio rationalisation. Fractional suits real decisions that do not need a full week, such as 20 hours a week on a transformation programme. Hire full time when the role owns the review board and roadmap on an ongoing basis. Agree up front which decisions the architect owns.
How much does a contract enterprise architect cost?
UK contract ads put the median day rate at £670 for the six months to 30 October 2026. KORE1 publishes $110 to $180 an hour for US contract enterprise architects, depending on industry and clearance. Conntal scopes architect roles on the brief, so send a role brief for a rate.