At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and evolution of corporate platforms across Finance, HR, and more.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking retail business focused on modernising enterprise capabilities.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborate with senior leaders and drive innovation in a fast-paced setting.
- Why this job: Shape the future of enterprise architecture and make a real impact in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in Solution Architecture and a strong understanding of ERP systems required.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
Design, define, and lead architecture across corporate platforms, including Finance (reporting, audit, and controls), HR, Property, Legal, and other back-office systems, to modernise and evolve enterprise capabilities across the retail business. Provide strategic architectural leadership across ERP, core finance, and corporate platforms, enabling the organization to progressively evolve from legacy systems (e.g. Oracle EBS) toward modern, scalable, and integrated enterprise solutions, while ensuring resilience and stability of the existing estate in the interim. Act as the design authority for corporate platforms, guiding incremental modernisation while shaping the long-term ERP and corporate systems transformation roadmap across the retail business.
Responsibilities
- Provide architectural leadership for ERP and corporate platforms, defining the target-state architecture across Finance, HR, Procurement, Property, Legal, and enterprise back-office systems.
- Own and evolve the ERP and corporate platform roadmap, driving a phased approach that delivers incremental modernisation (e.g. upgrades, automation, optimisation) while shaping longer-term transformation direction.
- Define future-state architecture leveraging modern patterns such as SaaS solutions, modular architecture, API-led integration, and event-driven design where appropriate.
- Translate business strategy, regulatory requirements, and corporate operating needs into scalable, compliant, and resilient architectures.
- Define and govern integration patterns, data flows, and technology constraints across the ERP and corporate ecosystem, including finance (reporting, audit, and controls), HR, payroll, procurement, property, and enterprise reporting systems.
- Ensure ERP and corporate platforms support accurate financial reporting, auditability, and regulatory compliance, including statutory and management reporting requirements.
- Act as the architectural authority for corporate platforms, providing direction and trade-offs to Finance, HR, Technology, and Executive leadership.
- Enable ERP and corporate platforms to support modern operating models, improved automation, and timely business insight, while maintaining strong governance and controls.
- Identify and manage architectural risk across scalability, security, compliance, resilience, and long-term maintainability.
- Uplift architecture and engineering capability through standards, reference architectures, and decision frameworks, enabling consistent and scalable delivery.
Corporate Platform Strategy & Architecture
- Define and evolve enterprise architecture across ERP and corporate platforms, ensuring alignment with business strategy, enterprise architecture principles, and long-term operating model direction.
- Drive adoption of modern, modular ERP and SaaS-based corporate solutions at enterprise scale.
Finance & Corporate Transformation
- Lead architectural direction for the modernisation of Finance, HR, and back-office platforms, enabling incremental transformation of core processes including Record-to-Report, Order-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, Fixed Assets, and Financial Reporting.
- Partner with Finance and HR leadership to simplify and standardise operating models across the enterprise.
Architecture Governance & Decision Authority
- Act as design authority for corporate platforms, defining architecture standards, reference architectures, and key design decisions.
- Own governance across non-functional requirements including security, compliance, scalability, resilience, and regulatory controls.
Technology Selection & Platform Rationalisation
- Evaluate and guide selection of ERP and corporate platforms across Finance, HR, Procurement, Property, and Legal domains.
- Ensure technology choices are aligned to enterprise strategy, cost optimisation, and long-term architectural sustainability.
Integration & Enterprise Data Architecture
- Define enterprise integration patterns and data flows across corporate systems (Finance, HR, Payroll, Procurement, Property, Banking, and enterprise reporting/analytics platforms), ensuring seamless interoperability with operational and retail platforms.
- Enable consistent, trusted, and timely financial and workforce data for reporting and decision-making.
Investment, Business Case & Risk Advisory
- Provide architectural input into business cases and investment decisions, assessing feasibility, risk, regulatory compliance, and alignment with target architecture and roadmap.
Stakeholder Leadership & Advisory
- Act as a trusted advisor to Finance, HR, and senior technology stakeholders, influencing strategic decisions and ensuring alignment between business outcomes and architectural direction.
Innovation & Capability Development
- Monitor emerging technologies across ERP and corporate platforms, driving pragmatic innovation aligned to business value.
- Promote architectural excellence and continuous capability uplift across teams.
Enterprise Architecture & Technology Strategy
- Define and evolve enterprise architecture across Finance and corporate platforms, ensuring alignment with business strategy, operating model transformation, and long-term technology roadmaps.
ERP, Finance & Corporate Systems Expertise
- Deep understanding of ERP ecosystems and core corporate platforms, including Finance (reporting, audit, and core finance processes including AP, AR, GL and reconciliation), HR (HCM), Procurement, Payroll, Property, and Legal systems, and their integration within enterprise architectures.
Integration & Data Architecture
- Design enterprise integration patterns and data flows across complex system landscapes, ensuring consistency, scalability, and trusted enterprise data across finance and corporate domains.
Cloud, Modern Architecture & Delivery Practices
- Apply modern architecture principles including cloud-native design, SaaS platforms, API-led integration, microservices, and DevOps practices to enable scalable and resilient platforms.
Architecture Governance & Risk Management
- Own architectural governance, standards, and decision-making frameworks.
- Identify and mitigate risks across security, compliance, scalability, resilience, and long-term maintainability.
Stakeholder Influence & Strategic Advisory
- Engage and influence senior stakeholders by translating complex architectural concepts into business-aligned decisions, shaping enterprise direction and investment priorities.
Behavioural Competencies
- Systems Thinking & Complexity Management – Simplify complex enterprise landscapes into coherent architecture strategies, ensuring alignment across multiple domains, constraints, and competing priorities.
- Strategic Alignment & Planning – Align architecture direction with enterprise strategy and business outcomes, defining actionable roadmaps that balance short-term delivery with long-term transformation.
- Accountability & Decision Ownership – Take ownership of architectural decisions at enterprise scale, ensuring clarity, consistency, and adherence to agreed principles and standards.
- Business & Commercial Insight – Apply strong understanding of business drivers, financial constraints, and industry trends to shape pragmatic, value-driven architectural decisions.
- Execution Leadership – Drive progress across complex initiatives by enabling clarity, removing ambiguity, and ensuring architectural decisions translate into effective delivery outcomes.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems).
- Significant experience in Solution Architecture and enterprise engineering, with deep expertise across Finance, HR, Procurement, and corporate platforms.
- Proven track record delivering large-scale ERP and finance transformation programmes.
- Strong understanding of end-to-end Finance processes, including Record-to-Report, financial reporting, audit, controls, and regulatory compliance.
- Experience with modern enterprise architecture patterns, including SaaS ERP, cloud-native platforms, APIs, and DevOps practices.
- Demonstrated experience operating in agile, product-led delivery environments at enterprise scale.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead architectural decision-making across complex organisations.
- Experience integrating ERP platforms with broader enterprise ecosystems (HR, payroll, procurement, property, analytics, and operational systems).
Solution Architect in City of Westminster employer: River Island
As a leading retail organisation, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic work culture that champions innovation and collaboration. Our employees benefit from comprehensive professional development opportunities, competitive remuneration, and a commitment to work-life balance, all while being part of a transformative journey towards modern enterprise solutions. Located in a vibrant area, our team enjoys a supportive environment that encourages growth and creativity, making us an exceptional employer for those seeking meaningful and rewarding careers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Solution Architect in City of Westminster
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend relevant meetups, and engage with professionals on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their current projects and challenges, especially in areas like ERP and corporate platforms. This will help you tailor your responses and show that you're genuinely interested.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your experience aligns with the role of a Solution Architect. Highlight your expertise in modernising systems and driving architectural change, as this is key to impressing potential employers.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Solution Architect in City of Westminster
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with ERP and corporate platforms. We want to see how your skills align with the responsibilities outlined in the job description, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Strategic Thinking:In your written application, emphasise your ability to translate business strategies into architectural solutions. We’re looking for candidates who can demonstrate their understanding of modern architecture patterns and how they can be applied to drive transformation.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your writing straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon unless it’s necessary. Make sure your application is easy to read and highlights your key qualifications without fluff.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. This way, you’ll ensure that your application reaches us promptly and you’ll have access to any updates regarding your application status!
How to prepare for a job interview at River Island
✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out
Make sure you have a solid grasp of the architectural principles and patterns relevant to the role. Brush up on modern ERP solutions, SaaS platforms, and integration techniques. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will show that you're not just familiar with the concepts but can also apply them strategically.
✨Prepare Real-World Examples
Think of specific projects where you've successfully led architectural transformations or modernised systems. Be ready to share how you tackled challenges, made decisions, and influenced stakeholders. This will demonstrate your practical experience and problem-solving skills in action.
✨Understand the Business Context
Familiarise yourself with the company's business model and how the architecture aligns with their strategic goals. Knowing how your role as a Solution Architect can drive value for the organisation will help you articulate your vision during the interview.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the company's current architecture, challenges they face, and their vision for future developments. This not only shows your interest in the role but also gives you a chance to assess if the company aligns with your career aspirations.
