At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the architecture direction for customer and omnichannel technology at New Look.
- Company: Join New Look, a leading fashion retailer with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 40% staff discount, private healthcare, and extra leave on your birthday.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for continuous improvement and career growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of retail technology and enhance customer experiences.
- Qualifications: 10-12 years in architecture with a strong retail or ecommerce background.
As Group Architect for Customer & Omnichannel at New Look, you will be responsible for shaping and leading the architecture direction for New Look's customer and omnichannel technology landscape. You will ensure that architecture decisions support our business strategy, customer experience ambitions, technology strategy and operational requirements. You will work closely with senior business stakeholders, product leaders, delivery teams, engineering teams, architects and external partners to translate customer and omnichannel needs into clear architecture direction, roadmaps, standards and delivery guidance. You will lead the Solution Architects aligned to the Customer & Omnichannel portfolio, ensuring that solution designs are robust, consistent, scalable, secure and aligned to the wider enterprise architecture.
Responsibilities
- Architect Leadership: Lead, manage and develop the Solution Architects aligned to the Customer & Omnichannel portfolio. Set clear expectations for architecture quality, stakeholder engagement, delivery support and documentation standards.
- Solution Assurance: Provide oversight and assurance for solution designs, options assessments, high-level designs, key design decisions, architecture decision records and non-functional requirements. Ensure that solution decisions align with the portfolio architecture, enterprise standards and agreed guardrails.
- Collaborate with Stakeholders: Work closely with various departments and external vendors to understand their needs and translate them into practical architecture guidance. Engage with senior and C-level stakeholders where required to ensure the architecture meets business needs and strategic technology requirements.
- Delivery Support: Work with product owners, delivery managers, engineering leads and suppliers to ensure that architecture support is provided at the right point in the delivery lifecycle. Ensure architecture risks, dependencies and decisions are understood early and managed effectively.
- Governance Architecture: Own the Customer & Omnichannel architecture position for architecture review and Design Authority activity. Ensure that material decisions are evidence-based, traceable and aligned to enterprise architecture principles.
- Standards and Patterns: Define and maintain relevant reference architectures, standards, patterns and guidance for the portfolio. Ensure these are practical, reusable and understood by Solution Architects and delivery teams.
- Exception Management: Review architecture exceptions within the portfolio. Ensure deviations are documented, justified, time-bound, owned and supported by an agreed remediation path.
- Architecture Framework Contribution: Contribute to the ongoing development of New Look's architecture framework, governance process, artefact templates, catalogue model and architecture community.
- Technology Assessment and Innovation: Evaluate new and emerging technologies that could improve customer, colleague or operational outcomes. Ensure recommendations are aligned to New Look's business strategy, technology strategy and architecture principles.
- Proofs of Concept: Lead or support proof-of-concept activity where evidence is needed to validate material architecture options. Ensure outcomes are documented and used to inform decision making.
- Supplier and Platform Assessment: Support supplier, SaaS and platform assessments. Ensure selected solutions align with architecture direction, security expectations, integration needs, operational requirements and commercial constraints.
- Responsible Use of AI Tools: Use approved AI tools to support research, synthesis, documentation, review and option analysis. Ensure AI-generated outputs are validated before they are used in decisions, artefacts or stakeholder communication.
- AI-Enabled Architecture: Assess AI-enabled capabilities within the Customer & Omnichannel portfolio for privacy, security, explainability, supportability, customer impact and operational risk. Ensure AI use cases follow the appropriate data, security, legal and architecture governance routes.
- Continuous Improvement: Stay updated with relevant architecture, retail, customer experience and technology trends. Continuously seek opportunities to improve New Look's architecture direction, delivery support and technology landscape.
- Continuous Review and Improvement: Continuously review and improve the Customer & Omnichannel architecture to ensure it remains aligned to business strategy, customer expectations, delivery realities and operational needs.
Who You Are
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, business technology or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Master's degree or relevant specialist certifications such as TOGAF, BCS, Azure, agile or product certifications are preferred.
- At least 10–12 years of experience in enterprise, portfolio, product or solution architecture, with a proven track record in shaping and delivering technology change.
- Retail, ecommerce or omnichannel experience is strongly preferred.
- Architecture Strategy: Experience defining target architectures, roadmaps, transition states and design guardrails across a complex business or technology portfolio.
- Customer & Omnichannel Architecture: Strong understanding of customer-facing and cross-channel architecture, including ecommerce, mobile, stores, customer identity, service experience and fulfilment journeys.
- Architecture Principles: Demonstrable experience of architecture principles, standards, design patterns, architecture views, solution modelling and systems behaviour.
- Solution Translation: Ability to translate business strategy, customer outcomes and future-state capabilities into practical architecture requirements and delivery guidance.
- Integration Awareness: Good understanding of API, event, batch and service interaction patterns, and how they affect customer and omnichannel architecture.
- Data and AI Awareness: Knowledge of security and resilience, cloud and platform usage, and data governance within an architecture context.
- Cloud and Platform Awareness: Good understanding of modern cloud, SaaS, commerce, mobile, content, CRM and service platforms.
- Solution Modelling: Knowledge of different architecture and solution modelling approaches, such as C4, UML and ArchiMate.
- Technology Trends: Stay current with emerging technologies relevant to retail and omnichannel.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to engage stakeholders at all levels, including executive leadership.
- Leadership Skills: Experience leading teams of architects and collaborating with cross-functional delivery.
- Vendor Management: Ability to evaluate and manage third-party technology vendors and platforms.
- Analytical and Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills with a focus on balancing technical, business, and operational constraints.
- Communication and Collaboration: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical ideas for business audiences.
- Financial Acumen: Ability to build and manage budgets for architecture initiatives.
- Organisational Savvy: Understanding of enterprise architecture frameworks and governance structures.
- AI Literacy: Understanding of AI concepts, governance, and potential use cases across business functions.
Benefits
- 40% staff discount plus friends & family discounts throughout the year.
- Access to our reward platform for external discount and offers.
- Private pension scheme.
- Profit‑related bonus scheme.
- Option to join our Healthcare Private Medical Scheme.
- Virtual GP access for you and your children – allows you to speak to a doctor at a time and date that suits you.
- All employees are covered by our life assurance policy from day one.
- Unlock extra leave with our buy‑more holiday scheme.
- Celebrate YOU! Enjoy an extra paid day off on your birthday each year.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, and shared parental leave (eligible after 2 years service).
- Spread the cost of your commute with interest‑free season ticket loans.
- Do your bit for the environment and save money with our Cycle2Work scheme.
- We are proud to partner with the Retail Trust and Fashion & Textile Children's Trust.
Group Architect - Customer & Omnichannel in City of Westminster employer: New Look
At New Look, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters collaboration and innovation. As a Group Architect for Customer & Omnichannel, you will benefit from a supportive environment that prioritises professional growth, with access to extensive training and development opportunities. Our comprehensive benefits package, including generous staff discounts, private medical schemes, and enhanced parental leave, ensures that our employees feel valued and empowered to thrive both personally and professionally.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Group Architect - Customer & Omnichannel in City of Westminster
✨Get Your Portfolio Game On Point
As an aspiring architect, your portfolio is your golden ticket. Make sure it's not just a collection of your best work, but tells a story about your design process and creative thought. Showcase a range of projects, from conceptual sketches to final renderings—think of it as a visual CV!
✨Slide into Networking Events
Architecture thrives on community connections, so keep an eye out for local architecture meetups, exhibitions, and lectures. These events are gold for meeting industry professionals, and who knows? You might just bump into someone from New Look who can give you the insider scoop on their hiring process!
✨Learn the Software Inside Out
Make sure you're up to speed with design software like AutoCAD, Revit, and SketchUp. Being able to discuss your proficiency during interviews can really set you apart. Plus, if you can mention particular projects where you’ve used them, you’ll demonstrate both skill and practical experience.
✨Refine Your Interview Skills
Interviews for architecture roles can get quite technical, so practice answering questions about your design process and decision-making strategies. Prepare for potential design challenges they might put forward in interviews—show them you can think on your feet and come up with innovative solutions!
We think you need these skills to ace Group Architect - Customer & Omnichannel in City of Westminster
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Design Skills:Architecture is all about creativity and technical skills, so make sure your portfolio is front and centre! Include a range of your best projects, showcasing different styles and techniques. Don't forget to explain your design process and the challenges you overcame for each project – it gives hiring managers a glimpse into your thought process!
Tailor Your CV to Architecture:When putting together your CV, highlight relevant experience in architectural design software, like AutoCAD or Revit. Plus, if you have any internships or coursework that involved real-world projects, be sure to mention them. We want to see not just what you've done, but how it relates directly to this role at New Look!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to express your passion for architecture and what drew you to New Look. Talk about specific projects or values of theirs you admire, and how you see yourself contributing to their team. We want to feel your enthusiasm – let it shine through your words!
Use Professional Terminology:Don't shy away from using industry-specific jargon that demonstrates your expertise! Terms like 'sustainability', 'scale', and 'aesthetics' can not only show your knowledge but also help you connect with the hiring team. Just ensure it's done in a way that's relatable and not overly technical, so we can see your passion clearly!
How to prepare for a job interview at New Look
✨Master the Technical Questions
In an architecture interview, be ready to tackle some technical questions about building codes, design principles, and software like AutoCAD or Revit. Brush up on your knowledge of materials and components, as you might even face scenarios to solve during the interview that showcase your problem-solving skills in real-time.
✨Bring Your Portfolio to Life
Your portfolio is your golden ticket! Make sure it not only showcases your best work but also highlights your design thinking process, from sketches to final outputs. During the interview, be prepared to discuss the projects in detail—what challenges you faced, how you overcame them, and what you learnt.
✨Demonstrate Your Passion for Sustainability
In today's architecture landscape, sustainability is key. Be sure to highlight any projects that involved eco-friendly designs or your understanding of sustainable practices. This will show that you’re not just familiar with the trends but are genuinely passionate about creating a better future through your designs.
✨Engage with Your Interviewers
Architecture is a collaborative field, so showing that you're a team player is essential. When conversing with the interviewers, actively listen and respond to their ideas. This isn’t just about you showing off your skills, but also about connecting and demonstrating how well you’d fit into their team at New Look.
