enterprise architecture director (Basé à London)

Colt provides network, voice and data centre services to thousands of businesses around the world, allowing them to focus on delivering their business goals instead of the underlying infrastructure.

Why we need this role

This role is central to shaping Colt’s enterprise architecture strategy, with a strong emphasis on OSS technologies and core networking. As a key architectural leader, you will drive innovation and ensure that our technology landscape remains fully aligned with business goals and future-state capabilities. You will lead a team of talented architects, collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, and define the strategic direction and roadmap that support transformation initiatives across the business. Your deep understanding of OSS platforms, combined with your ability to balance strategic vision and hands-on technical insight, will be critical in delivering scalable and forward-thinking solutions.

We’re looking for someone who thrives on making a real impact — someone who can connect strategy with execution and is passionate about delivering measurable business outcomes through architectural excellence.

What you will do

• Formulate Strategy and Guide Execution
  • Understand disruptive forces and the business’s economic & financial levers that affect transformation, to effectively guide technology investment decisions.
  • Facilitate business and IT alignment through a collaborative, supportive and consultative manner.
  • Formulate, translate, advocate and support strategy to achieve the organization’s targeted business outcomes.
  • Lead the analysis of business and operating models, market trends and the technology industry to determine their potential impact on the enterprise’s business strategy, direction and architecture.
  • Provide perspective on the readiness of the organization to change and innovate.
  • Scan for major disruptive technology and non-technology trends (trendspotting) that affect business.
  • Contextualize technology trends based on social, economic, political and other non-technology trends.
  • Identify technology-enabled innovation opportunities that enable business strategy and deliver expected business outcomes.
• Plan and Manage the IT Portfolio
  • Work closely with the (PMO) project management office to ensure the execution of plans corresponds with the promised outcomes throughout the project or product lifecycle.
  • Present gap analysis and/or IT investment roadmaps that reflect the status of the existing IT estate, namely, its ability to contribute to future-state business capabilities around technological platforms.
  • Lead analysis of the IT environment to detect critical deficiencies and recommend solutions for improvement.
  • Lead the development of an implementation plan for the enterprise architecture based on business requirements and the varying IT strategies for project-driven or product-driven delivery teams.
  • Collaborate with infrastructure, security, data and business process teams to ensure consistency with the enterprise architecture, as well as to identify when it is necessary to modify the enterprise architecture.
• Orchestrate the Delivery of Business Outcomes
  • Work with business leaders to identify key drivers and targeted business outcomes to derive useful business context.
  • Lead analysis of the business’ future-state capabilities and future vs current IT environment to detect critical deficiencies and recommend solutions for improvement to drive the business forward.
  • Ensure the core EA team works closely with extended EA team members across the organization.
  • Ensure the role of EA in the project and product governance setting is one of guidance, advice and oversight.
  • Oversee the documentation of all architecture design and analysis work.
• Develop the EA Practice
  • Create reference architectures focused on detailed integrations, major systems and dependencies between business and IT.
  • Create architectural designs to guide and contextualize solution development across products, services, projects and systems (including applications, technologies, processes and information).
  • Promote the business value of EA as an enabler of strategy formulation, and as support for technology innovation, which drives the organization’s top and bottom lines.
  • Contribute to the maturing of the enterprise architecture practice into a centre of excellence.
  • Plan and manage a talent pool of architects to help deliver the goals, objectives and outcomes of the organization.
  • Assist in building/maintaining a skills inventory, and manage a plan to close the skills gap for EA team members which identifies trainings/coaching required to help them develop and progress in their careers.
  • Participate in industry forums to represent our business and to harness standardisation which will support our business.
• Build and Maintain Relationships
  • Provide consultative advice to business leaders and organizational stakeholders with actionable recommendations to make investment decisions about the next business and operating model of their organization, using technology to make that change happen.
  • Lead and facilitate interaction with business leaders, product managers and product owners in a business-driven conversation over the risks and implications of product decisions.

What we’re looking for

• Experience
  • Strong experience as an enterprise architect, with a clear specialization in OSS (Operations Support Systems) and core networking control.
  • Ten or more years of business experience in strategic and operations planning and/or business analysis.
  • Ten or more years of experience in at least three disciplines, such as business, information, solution or technical architecture, application development, middleware, information analysis, database management or operations in a multitier environment.
  • Certifications required – TOGAF, Certified Architect (CA), Zachmann, SAFE agile.
• Skills
  • Strong knowledge of OSS technology and core networking control.
  • Knowledge of business ecosystems, SaaS, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), SOA, APIs, open data, microservices, event-driven IT and predictive analytics.
  • Familiarity with information management practices, system development life cycle management, IT services management, agile and lean methodologies, infrastructure and operations, and EA and ITIL frameworks.
  • Exceptional soft and interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation and negotiation.
  • Excellent analytical and technical skills.
  • Excellent written, verbal, communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate new ideas and concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Excellent planning and organizational skills.
  • Knowledge of all components of holistic enterprise architecture.
  • Familiarity with basic graphical modeling approaches, tools and model repositories.

What we offer you:

Looking to make a mark? At Colt, you’ll make a difference. Because around here, we empower people. We don’t tell you what to do. Instead, we employ people we trust, who come together across the globe to create intelligent solutions. Our global teams are full of ambitious, driven people, all working together towards one shared purpose: to put the power of the digital universe in the hands of our customers wherever, whenever and however they want. We give our people the opportunity to inspire and lead teams, and work on projects that connect people, cities, businesses, and ideas. We want you to help us change the world, for the better.

Diversity and inclusion

Inclusion and valuing diversity of thought and experience are at the heart of our culture here at Colt. From day one, you’ll be encouraged to be yourself because we believe that’s what helps our people to thrive. We welcome people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, regardless of their gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, neurodiversity, age, marital status, pregnancy status, or place of birth.

Most recently we have signed the UN Women Empowerment Principles which guide our Gender Action Plan and trained 60 (and growing) Colties to be Mental Health First Aiders. Please speak with a member of our recruitment team if you require adjustments to our recruitment process to support you. For more information about our Inclusion and Diversity agenda, visit our DEI pages.

Our benefits support you through all parts of life, for both physical and mental health.

• Flexible working hours and the option to work from home.
• Extensive induction program with experienced mentors and buddies.
• Opportunities for further development and educational opportunities.
• Global Family Leave Policy.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Internal inclusion & diversity employee networks.

A global network

When you join Colt you become part of our global network. We are proud of our colleagues and the stories and experience they bring – take a look at ‘Our People’ site including our Empowered Women in Tech.