Enterprise Architect in Newcastle upon Tyne

Location: Newcastle (Hybrid)

Salary: £90,000 + 10% Bonus

Shape the Future of an Iconic British Brand

We're partnering with an iconic British brand to appoint an Enterprise Architect - a newly created position that will play a critical role in shaping the future direction of technology across a global organisation. With a rich heritage, a highly recognisable product portfolio, and ambitious plans for growth and transformation, our client is investing heavily in its technology capability. This role offers a rare opportunity to establish Enterprise Architecture from the ground up, creating the frameworks, governance, roadmaps and strategic direction that will underpin the organisation for years to come. If you're looking for a role where you can genuinely influence business outcomes, engage with senior stakeholders, and leave a lasting legacy, this is an opportunity worth exploring.

The Opportunity

Like many successful organisations that have grown and evolved over time, our client operates a diverse technology landscape supporting retail, ecommerce, supply chain, wholesale and corporate functions. As Enterprise Architect, you'll be tasked with understanding the current environment, defining a clear future-state vision, and creating the architectural capability required to bridge the gap. You'll work closely with both business and technology leaders to understand strategic priorities, translate business challenges into technology solutions, and establish the governance needed to support better decision-making across the organisation. This is a highly visible role with significant influence and scope. You'll be expected to balance strategic thinking with practical delivery, helping the organisation move from localised technology decision-making towards a more cohesive enterprise-wide approach.

About You

We're looking for a broad, commercially minded architect who can operate confidently with both business and technology stakeholders. You may already be working as an Enterprise Architect or be a Senior Solution Architect who has operated at enterprise level and is ready for a role with greater scope and influence. You'll likely bring:

• Significant experience within architecture roles in complex end-user organisations.
• A broad understanding of enterprise applications, integrations, cloud technologies, infrastructure and data.
• Experience defining architecture strategy, governance frameworks and technology roadmaps.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate complex concepts in clear business language.
• Experience working with enterprise ERP platforms and integration technologies.
• Knowledge of enterprise architecture methodologies and frameworks such as TOGAF.
• A pragmatic and outcome-focused approach to architecture.
• Experience within consumer goods, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, logistics, distribution or other product-led organisations would be particularly beneficial.

Why This Role?

There are two things that make this opportunity genuinely unique: Firstly, the organisation. You'll be joining one of Britain's most respected and recognisable brands, with a long-standing reputation for quality, innovation and commercial success. Secondly, the challenge. This isn't about maintaining an established architecture function. You'll be defining it. You'll have the opportunity to create the vision, establish the governance, influence investment decisions and help shape how technology supports the business for years to come. For the right architect, opportunities to combine the prestige of a household-name organisation with the chance to build Enterprise Architecture from the ground up are rare.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and lead the Enterprise Architecture function, including architecture principles, standards, governance and best practices.
• Define and maintain current-state and target-state architecture across applications, data, integrations and infrastructure.
• Develop technology roadmaps that support business strategy, growth and transformation objectives.
• Provide architectural leadership across key technology initiatives, ensuring alignment with long-term objectives.
• Build capability maps and architectural artefacts that improve understanding of business capabilities and technology dependencies.
• Work closely with business stakeholders to understand challenges and identify opportunities where technology can deliver value.
• Chair architecture governance forums and support strategic technology investment decisions.
• Define integration patterns, data flows and application interactions across a complex enterprise estate.
• Support vendor selection and management activities within a multi-supplier environment.
• Promote consistency, simplification and reuse across technology platforms and services.