Service Architect

Hiring: Services Architect – Financial Services

📍 Location: Hybrid (2–3 days onsite in London)

🕒 Contract Length: 6 Months

📃 IR35 Status: Outside IR35

📌 Start Date: ASAP

We’re looking for an experienced Services Architect to join a dynamic transformation programme within the financial services sector. This is a pivotal contract role focused on shaping, defining, and governing service architecture across a complex technology and business change landscape.

You’ll bring deep experience designing scalable, secure, and cost-effective services—working at the intersection of architecture, delivery, and operations to ensure service components are fit for purpose and align with enterprise strategy.

🎯 Key Responsibilities:

• Define and evolve service architecture models, standards, and patterns across business-critical platforms
• Lead the design and specification of end-to-end service models, including SLAs, OLAs, KPIs, and support frameworks
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, technical architects, service managers, and delivery teams to ensure architectural alignment
• Support and govern transition states for new or transformed services (from design through to Day 2 operation)
• Provide risk and impact assessments for changes to service architecture
• Ensure compliance with internal governance and external regulatory standards specific to financial services

✅ Skills & Experience Required:

• Proven experience as a Services Architect (or similar role) within financial services or other regulated industries
• Deep understanding of service design, ITIL, service lifecycle management, and operational readiness
• Strong capability in designing services for hybrid cloud/on-prem environments
• Ability to bridge technical, operational, and business perspectives effectively
• Comfortable operating within complex, multi-vendor delivery environments
• Experience working with Enterprise and Solution Architects, as well as Service Transition/Operations teams
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills at all levels