Enterprise Architect -must hold an Active SC and eligible for DV in Bristol

We are a Global Recruitment specialist that provides support to clients across EMEA, APAC, US and Canada. We have an excellent job opportunity for you.

Location: Bristol BS34 7QE | Hybrid, 60% on site

Duration: 31/03/2026

Pay rate: 716 GBP/day inside IR35

Contractor must hold SC Clearance & DV Eligible.

Role Description:

The enterprise architect will play a pivotal role in shaping and governing the end-to-end technology landscape, ensuring it is secure, resilient, and aligned with the organization's strategic objectives. This individual will provide architectural leadership across IT infrastructure, applications, and cybersecurity domains, with a strong emphasis on secure-by-design principles and NIST Risk Management Framework compliance. The role requires effective communication with senior client stakeholders and the ability to influence technical decisions through sound governance and evidence-based architectural rationale.

Key Responsibilities:

• Architectural Leadership: Leading a team of Architects across multiple disciplines (Infra, Apps, Cyber). Define, maintain, and evolve enterprise-level conceptual architecture designs covering infrastructure, applications, and cybersecurity domains. Translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and cost-effective architectural solutions. Provide strategic direction on on-premise infrastructure strategies.
• Cyber Security & Secure by Design: Embed Secure by Design principles throughout the product lifecycle. Ensure architecture and solution designs comply with NIST controls, regulatory requirements, and internal cyber security policies. Collaborate with information architecture, security, risk, and compliance teams to assess architectural risk and apply appropriate mitigation measures.
• Governance & Assurance: Lead architectural governance forums, ensuring all solutions align with enterprise standards and security frameworks. Establish and maintain an architecture governance model that promotes alignment, traceability, and transparency in decision-making. Act as a design authority in major programmes, ensuring consistency and quality across project workstreams.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Influence and advise senior client stakeholders (including CxOs) on architectural decisions, trade-offs, mitigations, and implications. Prepare and present complex technical arguments in a clear, compelling, and business-aligned manner. Serve as a trusted advisor to both technical teams and business leaders.
• Continuous Improvement: Monitor emerging technologies, security trends, and architectural best practices. Drive innovation and continuous improvement in architecture methodologies, frameworks, and tooling. Mentor solution architects, engineers, and junior team members to elevate architectural maturity within the organisation.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Experience in enterprise architecture roles, ideally in complex, regulated environments.
• Expertise in IT infrastructure architecture (e.g., networks, servers, storage, virtualisation), application architecture (e.g., integration, APIs, data), and cyber security architecture (e.g., identity & access management, threat modelling, security controls).
• Strong working knowledge and application of NIST Risk Management Framework, Secure by Design, and architecture standards.
• Proven experience leading architecture governance in large-scale transformation programmes.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and influence C-level and senior stakeholders through clear communication and strategic thinking.

Desirable Skills and Qualifications:

• Background in risk management, security assurance, or information governance is advantageous.

Key Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Gravitas and credibility when operating at senior stakeholder level.
• Collaborative and influential leadership style.
• Strong organisational awareness and commercial acumen.
• Able to build strong and positive relationships with client and third party stakeholders.

If you are interested in this position and would like to learn more, please send through your CV and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible. Please note, candidates are often shortlisted within 48 hours.