At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead architecture for a high-volume transactional platform and drive technical standards.
- Company: Established UK software business with a mission-critical platform.
- Benefits: Up to £100,000 salary, excellent benefits, and fully remote work.
- Other info: Opportunity to influence engineering practices without direct management.
- Why this job: Be the technical authority shaping the future of a complex system.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in C#, .NET, Azure, and legacy system decomposition.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 100000 £ per year.
Fully Remote
Salary: Up to £100,000 + excellent benefits
Contract: Permanent
Start: ASAP - 4 weeks notice maximum for this one
Eligibility: No sponsorship - you must hold a British passport or Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR)
Requirement: Seeking a senior architect or principal-level professional with a proven track record of breaking down complex legacy platforms. Must have a solid background in Azure and C#/.NET, no exceptions.
Non-Negotiables - Please only apply if you have ALL of the following:
- Core Technologies: C# and .NET (Framework and modern), SQL Server at scale, Azure (cloud experience essential), RabbitMQ, Redis, CI/CD
- Able to read any part of a large codebase to understand what it does (you will not write production features day-to-day)
Environment:
- Significant experience as a senior architect or principal engineer on a complex, multi-year platform - not greenfield
- Proven experience evolving a live system under delivery pressure
- Hands-on with gradual decomposition of legacy systems: strangler patterns, service boundary definition, data migration sequencing
- Experience operating in a regulated environment (PCI DSS, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials or equivalent)
- Proven ability to influence without authority - you have driven standards adoption across teams that did not report to you
Key Skills:
- Ability to point to a forum, guild, or chapter model you have run and the outcomes it produced
- Strong written and verbal communication across registers - whiteboard with engineers, plain-language summary with commercial stakeholders
- Experience mentoring and growing senior engineers so their judgement develops under your influence, not their dependency on you
- Comfortable defining engineering standards, integration patterns, and cross-service contracts that reflect real practice
Role Overview:
This is an exclusive role to Optimal, and a brand-new, high-impact hire for an established, profitable UK software business running a mission-critical, high-volume transactional platform that processes billions of transactions in a regulated environment. You will be the senior-most individual contributor in the engineering function and the person accountable for technical coherence across the whole platform. Your job is to stand up the architecture function from scratch: the target architecture, the ARB process, the Architecture Guild, and the engineering standards that shape how the whole org builds. This is not a line-management role, and it is not a hands-on feature-development role. It is the technical authority the engineering teams unify behind - a practitioner who reads code, joins design sessions, and gets standards adopted through influence, not command. The function already has strong Principal Engineers, Tech Leads, and a Principal Security Engineer. Your job is to channel that capability into one coherent direction.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and maintain a living 12-24 month target architecture: what stays, what moves, when, and what the service boundaries are
- Build the ARB process - templates, cadence, and the culture where decisions are recorded, traceable, and asked for rather than worked around
- Run the Architecture Guild as your channel for driving standards into teams that do not report to you
- Sequence decomposition: a principled backlog of which parts of the monolith to tackle first, in what order, and why
- Drive the pivot from infrastructure-level monitoring to outcome-based SLOs (latency, error rate, user impact)
- Partner with the Principal Security Engineer on technical security posture
- Publish engineering standards - coding conventions, integration patterns, observability, cross-service contracts - developed with the senior engineers so they reflect real practice
- Support technical hiring: calibration, interview panels, and shaping the technical bar
Nice to Have:
- Experience in regulated, payments-adjacent, or similarly compliance-heavy product domains
- Defining and driving an SLO-based observability posture across multiple services
- Hands-on microservices / AKS / Kubernetes at production scale
- Architecture certification (TOGAF, Azure Solutions Architect, or equivalent)
- Background in AppSec or secure design review
If you tick all of the above and you thrive on influence over authority, we would love to hear from you.
Head of Architecture | C# /.NET | Legacy Decomposition | Azure employer: Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd
As a leading technology firm, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that empowers our employees to thrive. With fully remote working options available across the UK, we offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and ample opportunities for professional growth, ensuring that our team members can achieve their career aspirations while enjoying a healthy work-life balance.
Contact Details:
Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Architecture | C# /.NET | Legacy Decomposition | Azure
✨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 Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd 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 Head of Architecture | C# /.NET | Legacy Decomposition | Azure
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 Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to express your passion for architecture and what drew you to Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd. 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 Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd
✨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 Optimal IT Recruitment Ltd.
