Infrastructure Architect

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you. Our IT Service exists to deliver an excellent service for its users, enabling world-class teaching, learning and research at Newcastle University. We are committed to expanding our knowledge and expertise with a strong focus on the training and development needs of our people. Your contribution will help shape the future of education and contribute to ground-breaking projects through IT innovation.

Salary: £47,389 to £56,535 per annum, (with potential for market factor supplement)

Closing Date: 30 August 2026

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced IT Architect (Infrastructure Architect) to join and strengthen our established Architecture Team within the IT Service. This role is responsible for shaping and evolving the infrastructure architecture that underpins the University’s digital services, ensuring our platforms are resilient, secure, scalable and fit for the future. You will provide technical leadership across infrastructure domains, working closely with technical specialists, service delivery teams, suppliers and senior stakeholders. The Architecture Team sits within the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and works alongside Project Management, Business Analysis, Technical Operations and Service Delivery functions. Together, we support major transformation programmes and continuous improvement initiatives, prioritised through the University’s Technology Portfolio Board, with a strong focus on outcomes, sustainability and long‑term value.

As an Infrastructure Architect, you will:

• Develop and maintain a holistic infrastructure architecture roadmap aligned to the University’s strategy
• Define architecture principles, standards and reference architectures, ensuring consistency and value across the technology landscape
• Lead architectural reviews of solutions and change initiatives, providing clear recommendations and options
• Explore and assess the introduction of new and emerging technologies
• Maintain current and target state architecture models using appropriate tooling
• Act as a trusted architectural advisor to projects, programmes and senior stakeholders

This is a permanent role based in Newcastle upon Tyne, offering flexible hybrid working and an attractive benefits package.

About you

We are looking for an architect who can demonstrate the following essential qualities:

• Experience working as an Infrastructure Architect, or significant experience designing, integrating and managing complex infrastructure solutions in a large enterprise environment
• Broad knowledge of enterprise IT architecture, including:
• Cyber and information security (e.g., NIST)
• Project and programme delivery approaches (e.g. PRINCE2, Agile)
• Experience producing high-level architecture models that describe current and future state environments
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to translate business requirements into viable, cost-effective technical solutions
• Experience contributing to technology roadmaps, standards and governance processes
• The ability to communicate and influence effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders

What we offer

We will support you and invest in your ongoing professional development, offering:

• A mature and collaborative Architecture function
• Opportunities to shape infrastructure strategy at organisational scale
• Time and support for learning, certification and professional growth
• A supportive environment that values innovation, evidence-based decision-making and continuous improvement

Ready to help architect the future of our digital platforms?

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.