Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture
Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture

Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture

Hounslow Full-Time 43200 - 72000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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Heathrow Airport

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead architecture strategy for customer and corporate systems, ensuring seamless digital experiences.
  • Company: Join Heathrow, the world's most iconic airport, filled with unique opportunities and diverse cultures.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salaries, performance bonuses, generous leave, private health insurance, and flexible hybrid working.
  • Other info: Work in a collaborative environment with opportunities for personal growth and impactful projects.
  • Why this job: Be part of a team transforming aviation while promoting sustainability and enhancing passenger experiences.
  • Qualifications: Proven leadership in enterprise architecture, especially in customer-facing or corporate systems, ideally in aviation.

The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.

Operating at SFIA Level 7 (Set Strategy, Inspire, and Mobilise), this role ensures the technology strategies support superior passenger experience, commercial innovation, and effective enterprise operations. This role provides architectural leadership across digital platforms that engage passengers, retail partners, staff, and stakeholders, including customer apps, loyalty platforms, CRM, HR, finance, procurement, and corporate systems. The postholder ensures these systems are integrated, secure, scalable, and aligned to both operational and business strategies.

The Head of Customer and Corporate Architecture leads the development of architecture principles and frameworks that underpin the delivery of seamless digital journeys, omni-channel experiences, and modern corporate capabilities. The role balances customer-centric design with robust enterprise integration, data privacy, and regulatory compliance. This role works closely with senior leaders across Digital, Commercial, HR, Finance, and Operations to shape transformation programmes, digital service enhancements, and continuous improvement initiatives. The postholder also leads a team of architects and actively participates in enterprise architecture governance.

Responsibilities
  • Defining and lead the architecture strategy for customer-facing and corporate systems, aligned with airport-wide objectives and following Enterprise architecture principles and guidelines.
  • Developing enterprise-wide standards for digital customer platforms, CRM, loyalty, e-commerce, corporate and self-service systems.
  • Establishing and govern the architectural frameworks for corporate IT systems such as ERP, HRMS, finance, and procurement platforms.
  • Ensuring interoperability, scalability, and performance across digital customer and corporate solutions.
  • Collaborating with commercial and digital teams to design and deliver innovative passenger and stakeholder experiences.
  • Supporting integration of customer and corporate systems with operational platforms and partner technologies.
  • Ensuring compliance with cybersecurity, privacy, and industry regulatory standards across the architecture landscape.
  • Contributing to digital and business transformation programmes, providing architectural direction and assurance.
  • Leading, mentoring, and managing a team of architects working across customer and corporate technology domains.
Qualifications
  • Proven experience in enterprise or solution architecture leadership across customer-facing and/or corporate systems.
  • Strong understanding of CRM, ERP, HR, finance, digital experience, and self-service technologies.
  • Experience delivering architecture for passenger or customer-centric environments, ideally in aviation or transport sectors.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead digital and business transformation initiatives with significant enterprise impact.
  • Familiarity with architecture frameworks such as TOGAF and relevant certifications (e.g., TOGAF, BCS, ITIL).
  • Ideally, you’ll have experience of Salesforce Service, Commerce & Marketing Clouds.
  • Experience of Oracle Fusion products.
  • SFIA: Technology Strategy and Planning (ITSP) - Level 6.
  • SFIA: Governance (GOVN) - Level 6-7.

There’s something so special about working at the world’s most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities. Every day, you’ll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and end the day buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore. It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we’re working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability. Join us on that journey and we’ll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there’s no place like Heathrow.

Our rewards

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we’ll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we’ll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you’ll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.

Working Location

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You’ll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

Sustainable Travel to work

Heathrow’s Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.

Equal Opportunities

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger - not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.

About the Team

Together, we’re working to welcome millions more passengers, while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability. At Heathrow, you can be part of this - providing solutions that make every journey better for millions each year. That means ensuring we meet the changing needs of the passengers, colleagues and partners who use our airport to work, travel, trade, shop, eat, explore and connect. Our Solutions team covers project management, process improvement, business change, technology, cyber defence, masterplanning, infrastructure and procurement. It brings together people with the skills to deliver prestigious and often large-scale projects, from transforming terminals to making big reductions in our carbon emissions. Every day will test your skills and give you the opportunity to make your mark. You might be working with the technology and data that power our city within a city, driving vital commercial agreements with everyone from retailers to airlines, or improving the unique infrastructure that includes everything from 200 buildings to 250 HV substations. It’s a collaborative environment, where you can rely on the support of the experts around you as you take on projects you’ll both take pride in and feel passionate about.

Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture employer: Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that thrives on diversity and innovation. With competitive salaries, generous benefits, and a commitment to employee growth through varied learning opportunities, you will be supported in achieving your career ambitions while contributing to a sustainable future in aviation. The hybrid working model provides flexibility, allowing you to balance professional and personal life effectively, all within the dynamic environment of one of the world's most iconic airports.
Heathrow Airport

Contact Detail:

Heathrow Airport Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture

✨Tip Number 1

Network with professionals in the aviation and transport sectors. Attend industry events or webinars where you can meet people who work in similar roles. This can help you gain insights into the company culture and expectations, making you a more attractive candidate.

✨Tip Number 2

Familiarise yourself with the latest trends in enterprise architecture, especially those related to customer-facing systems. Being knowledgeable about current technologies and frameworks like TOGAF will show your commitment to staying ahead in the field.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've led digital transformation initiatives in previous roles. Highlighting measurable outcomes from these projects can demonstrate your ability to drive significant enterprise impact.

✨Tip Number 4

Research Heathrow's current digital services and corporate systems. Understanding their existing architecture and any recent changes can help you tailor your discussions during interviews, showing that you're proactive and genuinely interested in the role.

We think you need these skills to ace Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture

Enterprise Architecture Leadership
Customer-Centric Design
Digital Transformation
Integration of Corporate Systems
CRM and ERP Systems Knowledge
Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Compliance
Architectural Frameworks (TOGAF)
Team Leadership and Mentoring
Stakeholder Engagement
Agile Methodologies
Problem-Solving Skills
Strategic Planning
Interoperability and Scalability
Communication Skills
Commercial Acumen

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in enterprise or solution architecture, particularly in customer-facing and corporate systems. Use specific examples that demonstrate your leadership in digital transformation initiatives.

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for enhancing passenger experiences and your understanding of the aviation sector. Mention how your skills align with the responsibilities outlined in the job description, such as developing architectural frameworks and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Highlight Relevant Qualifications: Clearly list any relevant certifications, such as TOGAF or ITIL, and your familiarity with architecture frameworks. This will show your commitment to professional development and your capability to lead in this role.

Showcase Leadership Experience: Emphasise your experience in leading teams and mentoring architects. Provide examples of how you have successfully collaborated with senior leaders across various departments to drive transformation programmes and improve digital services.

How to prepare for a job interview at Heathrow Airport

✨Understand the Role Thoroughly

Before the interview, make sure you have a deep understanding of the Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture role. Familiarise yourself with the key responsibilities and how they align with the company's objectives, especially in terms of technology strategies and customer experience.

✨Showcase Relevant Experience

Prepare to discuss your previous experience in enterprise or solution architecture, particularly in customer-facing and corporate systems. Highlight specific projects where you led digital transformation initiatives and how they had a significant impact on the organisation.

✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills

As this role involves leading a team of architects, be ready to share examples of how you've successfully managed teams in the past. Discuss your mentoring style and how you inspire others to achieve their best work, especially in a collaborative environment.

✨Prepare for Technical Questions

Expect technical questions related to architecture frameworks like TOGAF, as well as your familiarity with CRM, ERP, and other relevant technologies. Brush up on these topics and be prepared to explain how you've applied them in real-world scenarios.

Head of Customer & Corporate Architecture
Heathrow Airport
Location: Hounslow
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