At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead architectural strategies and collaborate with teams to align technology with business goals.
- Company: Join Marks & Spencer, a historic brand innovating in technology for millions of customers.
- Benefits: Enjoy a supportive culture, opportunities for mentorship, and a focus on diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Be part of a team driving digital transformation and architectural excellence in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Expertise in technology architecture, leadership skills, and strong communication abilities are essential.
- Other info: Marks & Spencer values inclusivity and offers support throughout the recruitment process.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
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View more categories View less categories Sector Construction and Building Services Role Professional Contract Type Permanent Hours Full Time
Summary
As an integral member of the M&S Architecture team, you’ll be joining a well-loved, historic brand with technology solutions that serve millions of customers and empower thousands of colleagues every year. M&S is redefining its approach to technology, growing its architecture capability in recognition of the value it provides, ensuring the business continues to differentiate through strategic technology investments.
As a Principal Architect for Technology, you will ensure technology domain capabilities are aligned with business needs and enact business-outcome driven enterprise architecture, with a particular focus on Cloud & Infrastructure. The Principal Architect will collaborate & coordinate technical strategy and facilitate & assist with the prioritisation of delivery.
What you’ll do
You will provide technical leadership and support in guiding architectural strategies across the organisation. As a key advocate for lean-agile principles and customer-centric solutions, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to align technology architecture with business objectives and ensure the delivery of scalable, secure, and efficient systems. Success in this role means driving architectural excellence, fostering innovation, and enabling high-performing teams to thrive. You will work closely with Enterprise Architects, Engineering leaders, and senior partners to define technical roadmaps and maintain alignment between business and technology strategies. Performance will be measured through the delivery of architectural outcomes, alignment with strategic objectives, and team engagement.
Leadership & Technical Strategy
- Direct and lead architects to develop and maintain technical architecture assets
- Define and align architectural direction with business and technology strategy
- Collaborate with Enterprise Architects to evolve enterprise-wide models, including the Business Capability Model, Product Model, Service Domain Model, and Enterprise Data Model
- Apply cross-industry standard processes to create architectural roadmaps that enable strategic business goals and competitive advantage
- Ensure solutions are aligned with Platform architecture, group standards, policies, and the broader Enterprise Architecture
People Management & Development
- Inspire and lead with authenticity and empathy to build high-performing architectural teams
- Act as a mentor and coach within the Architecture Community, fostering collaboration and continuous learning
- Line-manage team members, ensuring effective execution of responsibilities and encouraging improvement
- Lead recruitment and onboarding efforts to build a strong Architecture Community
Collaboration & Cross Functional Engagement
- Delivery of business and architectural outcomes in alignment with organisational objectives
- Adoption of architectural frameworks and standard methodologies
- Positive feedback and engagement from partners, team members, and the broader community
- Development and maintenance of enterprise models, roadmaps, and technical assets
- Contribution to product reliability, scalability, and performance improvements
Operational Excellence
- Contribute to the development and tracking of team goals, achievements and objectives
- Facilitate cross-functional alignment and drive the adoption of engineering and architectural standard processes
- Represent the architecture function in Communities of Practice and internal/external forums, advocating for digital transformation and architectural excellence
- Collaborate with Product and Delivery teams to prioritise work and ensure alignment with organisational goals
- Assuring the technical designs and ensuring it aligns to Architectural principles
Who you are
Technical Competencies
- Technology architecture expertise, including (but not limited to) cloud, infrastructure, integration, networks, service and security.
- Ability to assess new technology and identify technology-based opportunities
Leadership & Management Skills
- Team building and mentoring
- Performance management
- Conflict resolution
- Resource planning
- Decision making
Interpersonal Skills
- Clear communication (technical and non-technical)
- Active listening
- Collaboration
- Emotional intelligence
- Coaching and feedback
Everyone’s welcome
We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re redefining, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re redefining how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.
We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
If you feel you’d benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
Company
Learn more about this company
Visit this company’s hub to learn about their values, culture, and latest jobs.
Enterprise Architect employer: ENGINEERINGUK
Contact Detail:
ENGINEERINGUK Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Enterprise Architect
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarize yourself with the latest trends in cloud and infrastructure technology. Being well-versed in these areas will not only help you understand the role better but also allow you to speak confidently about how you can contribute to M&S's architectural strategies.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight your experience with lean-agile principles and customer-centric solutions. M&S values collaboration and innovation, so be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully implemented these practices in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership skills by discussing your experience in mentoring and building high-performing teams. M&S is looking for someone who can inspire and lead others, so be ready to share your approach to team development and conflict resolution.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss how you've aligned technology architecture with business objectives in past projects. M&S is focused on delivering architectural outcomes that support strategic goals, so demonstrating your ability to bridge the gap between technology and business will set you apart.
We think you need these skills to ace Enterprise Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Take the time to thoroughly read the job description for the Enterprise Architect position. Understand the key responsibilities, required skills, and how your experience aligns with the role.
Tailor Your CV: Customize your CV to highlight relevant experience in technology architecture, cloud solutions, and team leadership. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to drive architectural excellence and foster innovation.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your passion for technology and architecture. Mention how you can contribute to M&S's goals and values, particularly in relation to digital transformation and customer-centric solutions.
Highlight Leadership Experience: Emphasize your leadership and mentoring skills in your application. Provide examples of how you've built high-performing teams and contributed to cross-functional collaboration in previous roles.
How to prepare for a job interview at ENGINEERINGUK
✨Understand the Business Needs
Before your interview, make sure you have a solid understanding of how technology architecture aligns with business objectives. Be prepared to discuss how your previous experiences can help M&S achieve its strategic goals.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Principal Architect, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and inspire teams. Share examples of how you've successfully managed teams, mentored colleagues, and driven architectural excellence in past roles.
✨Familiarize Yourself with Lean-Agile Principles
Since the role emphasizes lean-agile principles, be ready to discuss how you've applied these methodologies in your work. Highlight any specific frameworks or processes you've used to enhance collaboration and efficiency.
✨Prepare for Technical Discussions
Expect to engage in technical discussions about cloud, infrastructure, and security. Brush up on your knowledge of current technologies and be ready to assess new opportunities that could benefit the organization.