Finance Enterprise Architect in Watford

At the heart of everything we do is our vision to change lives every day, and our mission to grow The National Lottery responsibly and champion its impact. We are Allwyn UK, part of the Allwyn Entertainment Group – a multi-national lottery operator with a market-leading presence across the USA and Europe. While the main contribution of The National Lottery to society is through the funds to good causes, at Allwyn we put our purpose and values at the heart of everything we do. Join us as we embark on a once-in-a-lifetime, large-scale transformation journey by creating a National Lottery that delivers more money to good causes.

A bit about the role

Reporting to the Head of Finance Business Systems, the Finance Enterprise Architect will provide senior Finance-facing architecture, process and delivery leadership across the core Finance systems landscape. The role will shape how Finance processes, controls, data and systems operate together across SAP and related enterprise platforms, ensuring solutions are practical, controlled, scalable and aligned to Finance’s transformation priorities. The role will focus on translating Finance business needs into clear operating, process and solution design outcomes across areas such as Procure to Pay, Record to Report, Order to Cash, Treasury, planning, reporting and controls.

What you’ll be doing

• Play a critical role in shaping and delivering Finance’s modern technology and process roadmap from 2025 onwards, including SAP RISE, SAC, Treasury Management, reporting and analytics.
• Lead Finance process design and improvement across P2P, R2R, O2C, Treasury, planning, reporting and related end-to-end data flows.
• Work with Finance stakeholders to clarify requirements, prioritise the Finance systems backlog and translate business needs into pragmatic solution options, delivery plans and acceptance criteria.
• Act as Finance lead for design governance, ensuring proposed solutions support the required Finance operating model, controls, data governance, reporting outcomes and audit expectations.
• Support the Head of Finance Business Systems and SAP Finance Systems Manager in the design, testing, deployment and adoption of Finance WRICEFS.
• Provide Finance delivery leadership across projects, including business readiness, UAT, cutover, hypercare, user adoption, benefits tracking and post-implementation stabilisation.
• Maintain a strong understanding of SAP and non-SAP Finance systems, integrations and reporting tools.
• Support data quality, master data, role-based access, segregation of duties, SAP GRC, MDG reviews and mitigation reporting as required by Finance leadership, regulators and statutory auditors.
• Support the monthly financial close and other critical Finance cycles by ensuring data, reconciliation and reporting issues are understood, prioritised and resolved.
• Identify opportunities to simplify Finance processes, reduce operational risk, improve controls and strengthen the effectiveness of Finance systems delivery.

Core Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the target Finance process and systems architecture, ensuring alignment with the Finance operating model, control framework, enterprise architecture principles and transformation roadmap.
• Translate Finance business requirements into clear process designs, solution options, delivery scope, decision papers and implementation priorities.
• Ensure solution designs support practical Finance operations, measurable business outcomes, robust controls, clear ownership and sustainable support arrangements.
• Identify and document the Finance business impacts of moving from SAP ECC to S/4HANA.

Finance Business Alignment

• Partner with Finance leadership, process owners and operational teams to understand priorities, pain points, control requirements and delivery dependencies.
• Represent Finance requirements in Technology, architecture and delivery forums.
• Guide Finance transformation projects, including SAP ECC to S/4HANA.
• Build trusted relationships across Finance, Technology, project delivery, vendors and business teams.
• Own the Finance process-change agenda for SAP ECC to S/4HANA conversion.

Finance Delivery Leadership

• Lead Finance delivery activity across design, requirements validation, testing, UAT, cutover, business readiness, training, adoption and post-go-live support.
• Challenge and support delivery teams to ensure technical choices are proportionate, finance-led and aligned to the required business outcomes.
• Coordinate delivery dependencies across Finance systems, upstream and downstream processes.
• Drive process improvement by analysing business impact, root causes, control weaknesses and opportunities to simplify or automate Finance activity.

Architecture Governance

• Finance Lead on Architecture review boards and design authority processes.

Technical Awareness

• Maintain sufficient knowledge of SAP, cloud, integration, reporting and data platforms.

Systems Integration & Data Flow Knowledge

• Understand end-to-end Finance data flows between SAP and external systems.
• Support major Finance transformation activity, including SAP modernisation, cloud migration, data migration and adoption of new Finance applications.

Consultative Skills

• Ability to facilitate workshops, define business models, and coach teams on best practices.

Technical Debt Management, Innovation & Future Vision

• Manage IT technical debt within the finance domain.
• Introducing and leading innovative concepts and contributing to strategic and technical roadmap for new services and integrations.

Vendor Relationship Management

• Work with tech vendors to support IT relationships and ensure solutions meet business needs.

Project Delivery

• Collaborate with Project managers, business analysts, and technical teams to ensure alignment of business requirements and successful project delivery.

Implementation Support

• Lead system implementations, testing, and support new system solutions and enhancements.

Transformation

• Drive Finance transformation projects and migrations from SAP ECC to S/4HANA.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to Finance leadership to translate complex business requirements into detailed technical specifications.

Project Governance

• Oversee testing cycles, data migration, and cutover activities.

Role KPIs / Success Measures

• Finance transformation delivery milestones achieved in line with agreed scope, governance approvals, delivery plans and business-readiness criteria.
• Finance process designs and requirements completed to agreed quality standards.
• Reduction in avoidable Finance process friction, manual workarounds, reconciliation issues and recurring service incidents.
• Improvement in Finance data quality, reporting reliability, reconciliation outcomes and audit evidence.
• S/4HANA Finance business impact assessment completed and maintained.
• Finance UAT, cutover and hypercare outcomes delivered with agreed issue resolution.
• Stakeholder confidence maintained through clear decision papers, design recommendations, delivery updates and effective engagement.
• Benefits and adoption tracked after deployment.

About us

At Allwyn, we are dedicated to changing lives and growing the National Lottery responsibly, championing its positive impact on people, places, and the planet.

Innovation - We pride ourselves on it! We’re constantly looking for new ways to excite our customers.

Giving back – Did you know that playing the lottery generates around £30m a week for charities and good causes in the UK?

Sustainability – Our aim is to become a net zero national lottery.

Empowering every voice – We believe in creating a culture where everyone feels they belong.

An inclusive reward offering with wellbeing at the centre.

Benefits include:

• Company Bonus Scheme
• Matched pension contributions up to 8.5%
• 26 days annual leave + 2 Life Days (and bank holidays)
• Single Private Health Cover
• Complimentary Private Medical
• Income Protection
• Flexible Benefits – EV Scheme, Money Coach, Will Writing, Mortgage Advice, Dental and Eye Care Schemes.
• Enhanced Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity, Adoption)
• Wellness Allowance £500
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted Health Assessments
• Volunteering Days
• Matched Funding

We are a Disability Confident Leader which means we’ve taken proactive steps to ensure our workplace is accessible and inclusive for disabled and neurodivergent colleagues and candidates.