Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead architectural strategy for innovative financial technology platforms and drive modernisation.
- Company: Global software organisation focused on financial services with a dynamic culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, leadership opportunities, and international collaboration.
- Why this job: Shape the future of financial technology and make a significant impact in a global setting.
- Qualifications: 15+ years in software development and architecture, with strong leadership experience.
- Other info: Opportunity to mentor teams and influence architectural standards across multiple regions.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 108000 ÂŁ per year.
A global software organization serving the financial services industry is conducting a confidential search for a seasoned Head of Architecture. This executive will drive architectural strategy across a suite of complex financial technology platforms. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership skills to shape long‑term product evolution, modernize architectural practices, and guide the organization through continued growth and transformation.
About the Role
The Head of Architecture will function as the senior‑most architectural authority within the company’s investment and financial operations technology portfolio. This leader will define the future‑state architecture, establish modern standards and frameworks, and guide a distributed architecture organization toward building reliable, scalable, secure, and high‑performing software systems for global clients.
Responsibilities
- Architectural Leadership & Strategy (Majority of role)
- Define the organization’s future‑state architecture across multiple software platforms, ensuring technical direction aligns with business strategy and customer needs.
- Lead the architectural roadmap for financial and investment technology solutions, ensuring modern design principles are used across data, application, and integration layers.
- Mature the architecture function by evolving frameworks, methodologies, governance approaches, and engineering best practices.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and trends with potential impact on financial technology, such as cloud‑native architectures, advanced analytics, automation, data platforms, and secure‑by‑design engineering.
- Implement a unified architecture governance model to ensure cross‑product consistency, technical integrity, and alignment with compliance and security requirements.
- Provide leadership and mentorship to architects and technical leaders across multiple regions, fostering knowledge‑sharing, collaboration, and consistent standards.
- Work closely with Product, Engineering, and Executive teams to translate business requirements into scalable technical designs and architectural strategies.
- Proactively identify risks related to scalability, complexity, technical debt, and modernization needs, and lead initiatives to mitigate them.
Qualifications
- 15+ years of experience in software development and architecture, with at least 5 years in a senior or enterprise architecture leadership role within a global or large‑scale technology organization.
- Strong familiarity with technology platforms supporting financial services, investment operations, trading, risk, or related domains.
- Demonstrated success leading architecture teams distributed across multiple geographic locations.
- Deep expertise in modern software architecture, including cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), microservices, API strategy, data architecture, and platform modernization.
- Experience implementing architecture frameworks such as TOGAF or similar.
- Excellent communication skills and proven ability to engage executive stakeholders and simplify complex technical topics.
Education & Certifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- Industry credentials such as cloud architecture certifications or TOGAF are preferred but not required.
Travel: Some international collaboration required.
Seniority level: Director
Employment type: Full‑time
Job function: Information Technology, Software Development and Financial Services
Head of Architecture employer: Confidential
Contact Detail:
Confidential Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Architecture
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the financial tech space and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. A personal recommendation can go a long way in landing that Head of Architecture role.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your expertise! Prepare a portfolio or case studies that highlight your architectural strategies and successful projects. This will give potential employers a clear picture of what you can bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Stay updated with industry trends! Follow the latest developments in financial technology and architecture. Being knowledgeable about emerging technologies will impress interviewers and show you're ready to lead.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We make it easy for you to find and apply for roles that match your skills. Plus, it shows you're serious about joining our team and helps us keep track of your application.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Architecture
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Head of Architecture. Highlight your experience in software development and architecture, especially in financial services, and don’t forget to showcase your leadership skills!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you’re the perfect fit for this role. Mention specific projects where you've driven architectural strategy or led teams, and how that aligns with our vision at StudySmarter.
Showcase Your Technical Expertise: We want to see your deep technical knowledge! Be sure to include any relevant technologies you’ve worked with, like cloud platforms or microservices, and how you’ve applied them in past roles to drive success.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step!
How to prepare for a job interview at Confidential
✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in modern software architecture principles, especially those relevant to financial services. Brush up on cloud platforms like AWS or Azure, and be ready to discuss how you've implemented architectural frameworks like TOGAF in your previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Head of Architecture, you'll need to demonstrate strong leadership capabilities. Prepare examples of how you've led distributed teams, mentored architects, and fostered collaboration across different regions. Highlight your ability to engage with executive stakeholders and simplify complex topics.
✨Align Technical Direction with Business Strategy
Be prepared to discuss how you can align architectural strategies with business goals. Think about past experiences where you’ve successfully defined future-state architectures that meet customer needs and drove product evolution. This will show your understanding of the bigger picture.
✨Stay Ahead of Emerging Technologies
Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in financial technology, such as automation and advanced analytics. Be ready to share your insights on how these technologies can impact architectural practices and how you would evaluate and implement them within the organisation.
