At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead software architecture and guide a team in digital transformation projects.
- Company: Join Midland Heart, a supportive housing organisation making a real impact.
- Benefits: Flexible working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment with a focus on innovation and inclusivity.
- Why this job: Shape the future of technology while helping people find affordable homes.
- Qualifications: Experience in software architecture and leading development teams required.
We're looking for an experienced Architect (Software Development) to provide technical leadership, architectural oversight and strategic direction across major software development, re‑platforming and digital transformation initiatives. This is a high‑impact leadership role where you'll guide technology choices, champion modern engineering practices and help deliver secure, scalable, digital services for our colleagues and tenants.
About The Role
Reporting to the Director of Digital and Technology, you'll lead the architectural design and technical direction for software products and platforms, ensuring our solutions are secure, maintainable and aligned to our wider digital strategy and enterprise architecture. You'll also line‑manage and develop a small team of Software Developers, creating the conditions for high performance, continuous improvement and innovation.
What You'll Be Doing
- Lead architectural design and technical oversight for software re‑platforming and digital transformation initiatives, applying secure‑by‑design and zero‑trust principles.
- Own architecture, tools and technology choices across digital products, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, secure and maintainable.
- Lead and develop a software development team, encouraging modern engineering practices, collaboration and continuous learning.
- Define and embed coding standards, architectural patterns, quality gates, CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code practices.
- Collaborate with Product, Design and delivery teams to shape technical roadmaps, assess feasibility, identify risks and support smooth agile delivery.
- Work closely with Cyber Security to ensure risk is understood, managed and designed into solutions from the outset.
- Review and assure code delivered by external providers before release into production, ensuring it meets architectural, security and quality expectations.
- Provide hands‑on expertise for live service support, including debugging, root‑cause analysis and resolution of complex technical issues.
What We're Looking For
You’ll be an accomplished technical leader with solid experience in software architecture, solution design and modern software delivery. You’ll bring the confidence to guide technical direction, the curiosity to explore better ways of working, and the communication skills to make complex technical concepts accessible to a range of stakeholders.
Key experience you'll have includes:
- Software architecture, solution design and technical leadership.
- Delivery of large‑scale re‑platforming, modernisation or digital transformation projects.
- Leading, coaching and managing software developers.
- Using AI‑powered development tools, such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor or Claude Code, to improve productivity and accelerate delivery.
- Awareness of accessibility standards such as WCAG and how to embed these into engineering practices.
As a smart working organisation, you can expect a balance of working from the office (Birmingham, Bath Row) and from home. Typically, you'll be working from the office 3 days per week and 2 days per week from home.
Who is Midland Heart?
We're one team working together for our tenants. A large, ambitious housing organisation providing people with an affordable place to call home. We value people from all walks of life and strive to create an inclusive environment where you can grow your career and make an impact. We expect a lot from our people, but in return, you'll find a supportive and rewarding workplace where great people thrive.
We are proud to have recently been named in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026 list, within the Big Organisations category (The Times).
Interested? Click on "Documents" below for a full Role Profile. Applying is easy – simply register on our candidate portal and upload a current CV and covering letter setting out why you're interested in the role and how your skills and experience meet what we're looking for. Please note, we cannot accept an application without a cover letter. The closing date is Sunday 12th July however we encourage you to apply early as we may close before this date, dependent on the volume of applications that we receive.
We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss any adjustments you might need in order to be successful in this role.
Architect (Software Development) employer: Midland Heart
Midland Heart is an excellent employer, offering a supportive work culture that prioritises employee well-being and professional growth. With competitive salaries, comprehensive healthcare benefits, and the provision of tools and a van for your role, you will have everything you need to succeed while making a meaningful impact in the Birmingham community.
