Chief Architect in Swindon

The Chief Architect is the technical conscience of the Openwork technology function. This is a hands‑on, deeply technical role: you will own the architectural strategy for the entire estate, set and enforce the standards that govern how Openwork builds and assembles technology, and be the final word on whether what is being designed is coherent, secure, and fit for the long term.

Openwork is executing an assemble architecture strategy — API‑first, cloud‑native, vendor‑core where it makes sense, and AI‑ready throughout. For our new digital proposition this means ensuring best of breed vendors are orchestrated into a coherent, scalable platform. Alongside this, we need to navigate the removal of a significant legacy estate. The Chief Architect will define how that integration works, hold the line on architectural integrity across every programme, and ensure that the choices made today do not create the legacy debt of tomorrow.

This is not a role for someone who draws boxes on slides and delegates the hard thinking. You will be in the detail — reviewing designs, challenging decisions, writing ADRs, and making calls. You will also operate at the highest levels of the organisation, translating architectural direction into business outcomes for the CTO, Head of Engineering and Senior leadership teams.

This is a hybrid role, based 3 days a week in the Swindon office.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Own and maintain the Openwork target architecture: a living, versioned artefact that reflects current state, transition state, and target state across all domains.
• Define, publish, and enforce architectural standards, principles, and patterns across the technology function — covering cloud, integration, data, security, and application architecture.
• Act as the architectural authority for the new digital proposition: approve integration designs, gateway patterns, and data flows across key vendors, and the wider Openwork estate.
• Lead the Architecture Review Board and Technical Design Authority (or equivalent governance mechanism): every significant design decision is reviewed, challenged, and approved before build commences.
• Produce and maintain Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) for all material decisions — capturing context, options considered, rationale, and implications.
• Partner with the Head of Engineering on technical quality: architecture and engineering standards are two sides of the same coin; this role sets the architectural half.
• Evaluate new technologies, platforms, and vendors against the assemble architecture strategy — providing clear, evidence‑based recommendations to the CTO.
• Own the adopt‑not‑adapt principle in practice: identify where customisation is being proposed without sufficient justification and elevate or reject accordingly.
• Lead architectural thinking on AI and agentic capability: define patterns for safe, governed adoption of AI across the Openwork platform.
• Actively contribute to the decommissioning strategy under Clean Slate: map legacy dependencies, identify safe removal sequences, and ensure replacement architectures are sound before migration begins.
• Mentor and develop the architecture community within the technology function.

What will you need to succeed?

• Experienced architect – Strong track record operating hands‑on as an enterprise or solution architect within complex, multi‑system environments, with accountability for shaping and upholding architecture standards.
• Modern Azure architecture – Deep experience designing cloud‑native, API‑first and event‑driven solutions on Azure, including integration patterns and scalable platform design.
• Technical breadth and depth – Practical experience across modern application design (.NET, microservices), data platforms, AI‑led architectures, and engineering practices such as DevSecOps and infrastructure‑as‑code.
• Security and regulation – Good understanding of security‑by‑design, identity and access management, and designing within regulated environments (ideally financial services).
• Commercial and stakeholder focus – Able to connect architecture decisions to business outcomes and communicate clearly with both senior stakeholders and technical teams.
• Relevant industry insight – Experience within regulated sectors, with financial services or platform‑based businesses particularly beneficial.
• Leadership and approach – Brings sound judgement, clear thinking and a collaborative style; able to challenge constructively, support others, and continuously improve how architecture is delivered.

At The Openwork Partnership, we’re a dynamic, fast‑paced, and growing business with huge ambition. This is all made possible by the brilliant people who are part of The Openwork Partnership family. We’re investing heavily in our colleagues, continuously striving to give them the platform to develop personally and professionally and reach their full potential. We’re also very proud of our culture, as one of the Best 100 Large Companies to work for in 2022. The Openwork Partnership values, and respects individuality and we are committed to building an inclusive culture and environment which truly recognises and celebrates our colleague’s individual differences and identities – just like our financial advice, for us, it’s personal. We believe everyone can make a difference and your race, religion, disability, and gender will never be a barrier. At Openwork, we have a strong ethic of care for each other where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will bring your best self to work if you are trusted to choose when, where and how you do it.