At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead architectural direction for airline operations, ensuring tech aligns with enterprise goals.
- Company: Join easyJet, a leading low-cost airline connecting millions across Europe.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, bonus potential, flexible benefits, and discounted travel for friends and family.
- Other info: Hybrid working policy and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Shape the future of aviation technology in a vibrant, inclusive workplace.
- Qualifications: Experience in architecture roles and strong stakeholder management skills required.
We are easyJet – a FTSE-250 listed, £multi-billion low-cost airline that serves tens of millions of customers every single year. If you’re reading this, you have probably already been an easyJet customer, and you’ll know that there is no more iconic (or Orange!) travel brand in Europe. We fly more than 1,207 routes, connecting 38 countries across Europe, and employ more than 18,000 colleagues. We’re on a mission to make low-cost travel easy – and whatever your role here, you’ll connect millions of people to what they love using Europe’s best airline network, great value fares, and friendly service. What makes us easyJet? Our Promise Behaviours – we are Safe, Bold, Welcoming and Challenging. Four Behaviours. One Spirit. One easyJet.
We are seeking a Lead Architect to join our Airline Operations team. This pivotal role is accountable for the architectural integrity, direction, and outcomes within a defined Airline Operations Mission (e.g. Crew, Airports, Flight Operations, or Engineering).
You will define and evolve target-state architecture, standards, and guardrails, ensuring technology change aligns with enterprise direction while enabling teams to make effective local decisions.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide architectural direction and decision guidance within the Mission scope, acting as the escalation point for significant cross-product, cross-domain, or enterprise impact.
- Define architectural standards and guardrails, supporting teams in consistent application.
- Establish patterns, constraints, and design principles for adoption across product teams.
- Facilitate architecture reviews and design discussions, ensuring alignment with strategic direction.
- Assess and support teams with deviations from agreed standards.
- Identify and drive migration of capabilities to shared Airline Operations Platform services.
- Identify emerging technology trends and ensure readiness for future requirements, including AI, automation, and platform evolution.
Role Requirements
- Experience working across senior leadership, architecture communities, and product delivery teams.
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including those outside direct authority.
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Balance strategic thinking with practical delivery considerations and trade-offs.
- Familiarity with observability platforms, telemetry, event streaming, and modern data architectures.
- Knowledge of automation frameworks, digital operations platforms, and emerging technology trends.
- Experience with cloud-native architectures and platform engineering approaches.
- Understanding of identity federation and third party/partner access management.
- Experience implementing AI-enabled operational capabilities or predictive analytics solutions.
- TOGAF, ArchiMate, or equivalent architecture certification.
- Experience operating within product-centric technology organisations.
Key Technical Skills
- Significant experience in Domain Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, or Lead Architecture roles.
- Ability to define architectural strategies, technology roadmaps, and target architectures.
- Experience operating above solution-level architecture, providing governance across multi-product architecture landscapes, and managing build/buy/platform decisions at scale.
- Experience evolving legacy solutions and reducing or eliminating technical debt using industry patterns.
- Establishing architecture standards, governance frameworks, and assurance processes.
- Strong understanding of distributed systems, cloud platforms, APIs, integration patterns, and event-driven architectures.
- Familiarity with observability platforms, telemetry, event streaming, and modern data architectures.
- Knowledge of automation frameworks, digital operations platforms, and emerging technology trends.
- Understanding of data architecture, operational data platforms, and analytics ecosystems.
- Experience with cloud-native architectures and platform engineering approaches.
- Understanding of identity federation and third-party/partner access management.
- Experience implementing AI-enabled operational capabilities or predictive analytics solutions.
Desirable Skills
- Experience within aviation, airline operations technology environments, or demonstrable comparable experience.
- Knowledge of areas such as crew rostering, integrated control centres, departure control systems (DCS), passenger processing, baggage operations, airport operational systems, frontline workforce technology, flight planning, flight deck systems, aircraft maintenance, or engineering supply chain.
Why Join Us?
You’ll be part of a forward-thinking team, driving architectural excellence and innovation in airline operations. If you’re passionate about technology, leadership, and shaping the future of aviation, we’d love to hear from you.
Please note that this role does not meet the criteria for visa sponsorship, and we are therefore unable to consider applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK.
What You’ll Get In Return
At easyJet, we pride ourselves on a vibrant and inclusive workplace culture that supports and rewards innovation and excellence.
We Offer
- Competitive base salary
- Annual bonus potential.
- 25 days holiday, pension scheme, life assurance, and a flexible benefits package.
- Discounted staff travel scheme for friends and family
- Annual credit for discount on easyJet holidays
- ‘Work Away’ scheme, allowing you to work abroad for 30 days a year
- Electric vehicle lease salary sacrifice scheme
Location & Hours of Work
We operate a hybrid working policy of 40%-60% of the month spent with colleagues.
Reasonable Adjustments
At easyJet, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse customers we serve across Europe. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds. If you require specific adjustments or support during the application or recruitment process, such as extra time for assessments or accessible interview locations, please contact us at ma.recruitment@easyjet.com.
We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure accessibility and accommodation
Business Area
Information Technology (IT)
Primary Location
United Kingdom-London-London Luton Airport
Organisation
Information Technology (IT)
Schedule
Full-time
Unposting Date
Ongoing
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Lead Architect (Mission) - Airline Ops in Luton employer: Easyjet
easyJet is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where innovation and sustainability are at the forefront of our mission. As a Future Fuels Manager based in Luton, you'll benefit from a strong focus on employee growth, competitive bonuses, and excellent travel perks, all while contributing to our ambitious sustainability goals. Our collaborative culture encourages you to build meaningful relationships with industry leaders, ensuring your role is both impactful and rewarding.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Architect (Mission) - Airline Ops in Luton
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Easyjet or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Easyjet.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Easyjet.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Easyjet that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Architect (Mission) - Airline Ops in Luton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Easyjet.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Easyjet and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Easyjet
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Easyjet uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
