Senior Information Architect

Career Guide

A Senior Information Architect designs and improves how information is organized, labeled, and found across websites, apps, and internal tools. The goal is to make content and features easy to navigate, searchable, and consistent, while aligning with user needs and business goals.

Key Responsibilities

Define information structures for products and platforms
Create and maintain site maps and navigation models
Design and govern taxonomy standards
Design and govern metadata standards
Set naming conventions for labels and categories
Improve search findability through content structure and tagging
Plan and run content audits to identify gaps and duplication
Partner with UX designers to align structure with screen flows
Partner with content teams to improve clarity and consistency
Partner with engineering to support implementation feasibility
Conduct user research focused on findability and comprehension
Establish governance processes to keep structures consistent over time
Document decisions and share standards across teams
Mentor junior information architects and cross functional partners

Top Skills for Success

Information Architecture

Taxonomy Design

Metadata Strategy

Navigation Design

Content Modeling

Search Experience Design

Content Audit

User Research

Data Literacy

Stakeholder Management

Workshop Facilitation

Documentation

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Information Architect

Content Strategist

UX Designer

UX Researcher

Technical Writer

Librarian

Transition Opportunities

Principal Information Architect

UX Architect

Design Systems Lead

Content Design Lead

UX Strategy Lead

Product Design Manager

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Governance DesignContent ModelingSearch AnalyticsChange ManagementDesign Systems CollaborationAccessibility Fundamentals

Development SuggestionsBuild a portfolio case study that shows the full arc from research to structure to rollout. Practice creating a taxonomy with clear rules, examples, and governance. Partner with analytics teams to measure search success and navigation outcomes. Get comfortable leading workshops and documenting decisions so teams can scale your work.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 85,000 to 115,000

Mid LevelUSD 110,000 to 150,000

Senior LevelUSD 145,000 to 200,000

Growth Trend

Steady demand, with increased hiring in large digital products, content heavy platforms, and organizations improving search, self service, and knowledge management.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

GoogleMicrosoftAmazonAppleMetaSalesforceAdobeShopifyServiceNowIBMAccentureDeloitte

Industry Sectors

TechnologyEnterprise SoftwareEcommerceFinancial ServicesHealthcareMedia and StreamingGovernmentConsulting

Recommended Next Steps

Create two portfolio case studies focused on navigation redesign and taxonomy design

Run a content audit on a real product area and produce a clear recommendation summary

Practice tree testing and improve labels based on results

Draft a taxonomy governance guide with roles, review cadence, and change process

Strengthen collaboration with engineering by documenting implementation requirements

Benchmark salaries locally and prepare negotiation points based on scope and impact