Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Head of Enterprise Architecture to join our Group Technology Team in Milton Keynes. You will be responsible for leading the enterprise architecture function across Connells Group. You will guide, support, and influence business and technology teams to ensure that technology decisions align with and drive key business outcomes, delivering optimal value for the organisation.
The Head of Enterprise Architecture plays a pivotal role in shaping the future technology landscape for the business, collaborating closely with technology teams and other architects. You will be instrumental in fostering integration and efficiency across company networks, services, and business applications to enable business growth, mitigate risks, and provide clear architectural artefacts to support informed decision-making.
Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, maintain, and govern the enterprise and technical architecture framework, providing clear guidance and standards to ensure all solution architectures are robust and fit for purpose.
• Facilitate alignment and storytelling between business and IT teams, ensuring shared understanding of the future state.
• Support the creation of business IT strategy roadmaps and strategic initiatives through visualisation and analytical techniques.
• Lead the technical design authority, collaborating with architects from all domains to ensure architectural solutions are thoroughly documented, approved, and aligned to business needs.
• Support architects, engineering, infrastructure, and delivery teams in delivering high-quality solutions through minimum viable architectures.
• Support and evolve the future technology blueprint for Connells Group.
• Support the consolidation of technology across the group, working closely with development, infrastructure directors, and architects.
• Benchmark and compare best-in-class technologies from the market, leveraging Group technology partnerships where beneficial.
• Engage with key internal stakeholders and external suppliers to drive technology innovation.
• Oversee technical due diligence for all new acquisitions within the group.
• Lead solution architects in articulating the future state for business areas or strategic initiatives through a consultative, partnership-driven approach.

Experience and Skills Required:

• Experience of enterprise architecture or systems architecture development, including the following disciplines: business analysis, applications/systems engineering, data architectures and technical architectures.
• Track record of operating at senior levels of an organisation and translating technology into simple business language.
• Practical experience of one or more architecture frameworks and any associated architecture development methods, including TOGAF certified or equivalent.
• Knowledge of business ecosystems, SaaS, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), SOA, APIs, open data, microservices, event-driven IT and predictive analytics.
• Understanding of business models, operating models, financial models, cost-benefit analysis, budgeting and risk management.
• Understanding of various operating models such as customer-centric and product-centric and also different types of agile principles, methodologies and frameworks, especially those designed to be scaled at the enterprise level.
• Preferably educated to graduate level with a bachelor's degree

Connells Group UK is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.
CF00741

Skills Required