At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead architectural strategy and guide a talented team through transformation.
- Company: Crown Agents Bank, a growing UK bank connecting emerging markets globally.
- Benefits: Hybrid working, competitive pension plan, life assurance, and private medical insurance.
- Other info: Join a collaborative team driving significant change in financial infrastructure.
- Why this job: Shape the future of payments and FX in emerging markets with innovative technology.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in architecture, especially in Payments or FX environments.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 120000 € per year.
Crown Agents Bank is a vastly growing and regulated UK bank that connects emerging and frontier markets to the rest of the world, using FX and payments technology. We are transforming the way payments and FX move through emerging markets, reducing friction so that more money gets to those who need it. Emerging markets payments are usually challenging, expensive, unreliable and opaque. Our solutions help fix these pain points. Ultimately, we connect traditionally hard-to-reach regions to global financial infrastructure, giving access to the best prices and the fastest, most reliable settlement.
We are seeking a visionary Head of Architecture based in London to lead the Bank's architectural strategy and play a pivotal role in our multi‐year transformation toward an agentic, intelligence‐driven Target Operating Model (TOM). You will own the end‐to‐end enterprise architecture, modernise our design principles, and guide a talented team of architects through this evolution.
You will lead a small team of enterprise and domain architects and report directly to the CTO, working within a collaborative Technology Leadership Team. Technology is foundational to our transformation, and architecture plays a central, integrative role in re‐platforming the Bank for an intelligent future.
As Head of Architecture, you will:
- Define and own the current‐state, transitional, and target‐state architectures across business, data, applications, and technology domains.
- Design and implement the architecture needed to support an agentic, AI‐enabled Target Operating Model, including autonomy layers, orchestration patterns, and human‐in‐the‐loop principles.
- Update the architecture function with modern workflows, flexible governance, and streamlined guardrails for continuous delivery.
- Lead, mentor and develop a high‐performing architecture team, fostering modern engineering practices and capability maturity.
- Shape strategic technology roadmaps, partnering with senior stakeholders to identify transformational opportunities across Payments, FX, Data, AI, and Platform domains.
- Lead complex, multi‐disciplinary change across legacy and modern systems, driving architectural simplification and scalable patterns.
- Work closely with engineering and change teams to deliver measurable business outcomes, translating architectural intent into practical execution frameworks and incremental value.
Responsibilities:
- Develop enterprise architecture models, reference architectures, and standards aligned to our agentic TOM.
- Champion event‐driven, microservices‐based, cloud‐native architectures and their associated patterns.
- Foster adaptive design, engineering excellence, and feedback‐driven evolution across teams.
- Govern architectural decisions pragmatically—balancing innovation, technical debt, and regulatory expectations.
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior executives on strategic technology decisions and business‐architecture alignment.
Qualifications:
- Proven experience leading architecture functions in high‐change, transformation‐heavy environments.
- Deep expertise in Payments, FX, or high‐scale transaction‐processing platforms.
- Strong communication and stakeholder‐influencing skills with senior leadership.
- Experience working across modern and legacy technologies, including pathways for modernisation.
- Comfortable in regulated environments with strong cross‐functional engagement.
- Familiarity with architecture frameworks such as TOGAF, ArchiMate, or similar.
Highly Desirable:
- Experience with AI, agentic architectures, intelligent orchestration, or autonomous workflows.
- Experience in cross‐border FX and payments.
- Background in systems engineering, data architecture, or platform engineering.
- Technical degree required.
Additional Information:
- Hybrid working (4 days on-site)
- Contributory personal pension plan: - Minimum: Employee 2% and Employer 7%. Employer matches contributions in 1% increments to a maximum of: Employee 5% and Employer 10%
- Life Assurance – 4 times annual salary
- Group Income Protection
- Private Medical Insurance – this may include cover for partner and or children at company cost. Cover includes Optical, Dental and Audiology
Head of Architecture in London employer: Crown Agents Bank Ltd.
Crown Agents Bank is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in London where innovation meets purpose. As the Head of Architecture, you will lead a talented team in shaping the future of payments and FX technology, while benefiting from a collaborative culture that prioritises employee growth and development. With a strong focus on modern engineering practices and a commitment to employee well-being, including a generous pension plan and private medical insurance, CAB provides a rewarding and meaningful career path for those looking to make a significant impact in emerging markets.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Architecture in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that Head of Architecture role.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your expertise! Prepare a portfolio or case studies that highlight your experience in Payments, FX, and architecture. This will help you stand out during interviews and demonstrate your value to Crown Agents Bank.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors to refine your answers and boost your confidence. Focus on articulating your vision for an agentic, AI-enabled Target Operating Model.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows your genuine interest in joining Crown Agents Bank and being part of our transformative journey.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Architecture in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in architecture, especially in payments and FX. We want to see how your skills align with our mission to transform emerging markets!
Showcase Your Vision:As a Head of Architecture, we’re looking for someone who can lead and inspire. Use your application to share your vision for architectural strategy and how you would approach modernising our design principles.
Highlight Team Leadership:Don’t forget to mention your experience in leading teams! We value mentorship and collaboration, so share examples of how you've developed high-performing teams in the past.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss any important updates from our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Crown Agents Bank Ltd.
✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid grasp of enterprise architecture principles, especially those relevant to payments and FX. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with the bank's transformation goals and how you can contribute to their agentic, AI-enabled Target Operating Model.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Head of Architecture, you'll be leading a team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully mentored and developed teams in the past. Highlight your ability to foster modern engineering practices and how you've driven architectural simplification in previous roles.
✨Understand the Regulatory Landscape
Crown Agents Bank operates in a regulated environment, so it's crucial to demonstrate your familiarity with compliance and regulatory expectations. Be prepared to discuss how you've navigated these challenges in your previous positions and how you can apply that knowledge here.
✨Engage with Strategic Vision
Articulate your vision for the future of architecture within the bank. Discuss how you would shape strategic technology roadmaps and identify transformational opportunities across various domains. Show that you can think big while also being pragmatic about execution.
