Director of Strategy and Architecture in Stevenage

I am working on behalf of a large, privately-owned infrastructure services organisation that plays a critical role in delivering essential services across the UK. Operating at scale, the business supports a workforce of over 10,000 people and is embedded across sectors including energy, water, transport and telecommunications. The organisation is at a pivotal point in its evolution, accelerating its focus on group-wide transformation, investing heavily in its technology landscape, operating model, and long-term strategic capabilities.

This is a high-impact leadership role for an individual who can build architectural capability in an environment that is evolving quickly and investing seriously in its future technology landscape. The remit is to establish the foundations, create the right level of discipline and ensure that technology strategy develops in a way that supports long-term business growth. The successful individual will be responsible for defining architecture principles, standards and roadmaps, while also remaining close enough to delivery to modernise systems, address capability gaps, and improve integration and automation across the estate.

The broader mandate is to create an environment that can support scalable growth, ensuring technology decisions are not just right for today, but will stand up to the demands of tomorrow. Data, AI and emerging technologies are expected to play an increasingly important role in that journey.

From a profile perspective, this is likely to appeal to an experienced enterprise architecture leader who has worked in a complex or rapidly scaling organisation and has a track record of putting proper frameworks in place in environments where standards, governance or maturity have previously been inconsistent. The role requires broad architectural depth across applications, data, infrastructure, integration, cloud, security and AI/ML, alongside the judgement to know where to prioritise effort for the greatest commercial impact.

The successful individual is likely to be operating currently as a Head of Enterprise Architecture, Chief Architect or in a comparable group-level role within a complex or rapidly scaling organisation. You will bring a proven track record of establishing architecture frameworks in environments where governance, standards and consistency have historically been less defined. From a technical standpoint, you'll bring broad, cross-domain expertise, including strong understanding across applications, data, infrastructure, integration, cloud and security, alongside a working appreciation of AI and machine learning.

Experience working with data platforms and analytics, coupled with an understanding of data governance, will be key in helping the organisation move towards a more insight-driven, future-ready operating model. You'll hold a degree in a relevant discipline such as Information Technology, Computer Science or Business Administration, alongside recognised enterprise architecture framework knowledge (TOGAF) and exposure to cloud environments such as Microsoft Azure.

The role requires someone who can translate architecture into clear, commercially relevant language, influencing senior stakeholders and bringing alignment across diverse parts of the business. The right person will be pragmatic, delivery-oriented and able to balance long-term ambition with the realities of an evolving organisation and active change agenda.

What you'll get in return: Company car (or allowance) and fuel card with a range of EV and hybrid vehicles to choose from, private health care and health care cash plan for you (and your family), discretionary bonus scheme, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, matched or contributory pension scheme.

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.