Principal Design Architect in London

Together we're building a greener tomorrow. Connecting every home and business to a single, secure smart meter network is a huge undertaking. So you can imagine the scale, variety, and opportunities for the people who'll help us do it.

Smart DCC is seeking an experienced Principal Design Architect to provide technical leadership across our technology landscape. This is a strategic role responsible for defining architecture roadmaps, influencing technology direction, and ensuring solutions are secure, resilient, scalable, and aligned to business objectives.

Working across complex programmes and operational services, you will collaborate with senior stakeholders, architects, suppliers, and delivery teams to shape the future architecture that supports Great Britain's smart metering network.

What you'll be doing:

• Defining architecture strategies, standards, principles, and roadmaps across key technology domains.
• Providing technical leadership and governance for major programmes and technology initiatives.
• Ensuring solution designs align to enterprise architecture, security, resilience, and operational requirements.
• Influencing senior stakeholders and supporting technology investment decisions.
• Leading architectural reviews and assurance activities.
• Driving innovation and identifying opportunities to improve technology capabilities.
• Working with internal teams and external partners to deliver strategic technology outcomes.
• Supporting the evolution of technology platforms and services to meet future business needs.

What we're looking for:

Essential experience:

• Significant experience in Enterprise, Solution, or Design Architecture roles.
• Strong understanding of architecture frameworks and best practices.
• Experience developing architecture strategies and technology roadmaps.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead technical decision-making.
• Strong understanding of cloud technologies, infrastructure, integration patterns, and modern architectures.
• Experience working within complex, large-scale technology environments.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable experience:

• Certification in architecture frameworks such as TOGAF.
• Experience within regulated industries, utilities, critical national infrastructure, or highly secure environments.
• Knowledge of security architecture, resilience, risk management, and technology governance.

Why join us?

At Smart DCC, you'll work on technology that underpins one of the UK's most significant digital transformation programmes. In return, we offer:

• Competitive salary.
• Performance-related bonus.
• Hybrid working.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Private healthcare.
• Annual leave entitlement with the option to buy additional days.
• Flexible benefits tailored to your lifestyle.
• Learning and development opportunities to support your career growth.

Working Pattern:

Hybrid working with attendance at one of our key office locations as required.

Benefits:

While our mission is ambitious, we also prioritise balance, offering flexibility and support to help you thrive both personally and professionally. At DCC we reward fairly and recognise fully because our continued success depends on our people.

We also offer a competitive 8 days per month hybrid work policy for most roles as well as competitive salaries with regular benchmarking, bonuses tied to personal and company performance. Our core benefits include pension, generous leave allowance, private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits that you can tailor to your needs.

As a Disability Confident member, DCC is committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments, need a copy of this job advert in an alternative format, or have any other questions you'd like to ask before applying, please contact.

Join Smart DCC, a dynamic organisation where every day brings a chance to make a difference. We believe in our purpose. Together, we work as one team, always looking for ways to improve and support DCC's role in a low-carbon future.

Act with integrity: We treat everyone with kindness, consideration and respect. We keep our promises to our customers. And if something doesn’t feel right, we speak up.

Be accountable: You can depend on our word. We’re clear about our roles and we take the initiative, while respecting the processes we have in place.

Personal Development: Our training and development opportunities help you be your best self – from regular 1-2-1s all the way up to professional qualifications.

Group income protection: Provides a continuous income if you're unable to work due to illness or injury for more than 26 weeks.

Pension Plans: Our Capita Choice partners will match the salary contributions you make to your pension up to 5%, depending on your plan and time with us.

Flexible Holidays: Need more time off? Increase your standard 25 days of leave by buying extra to rest, spend time with family or satisfy your wanderlust.

Cycle to Work Scheme: We’re big on keeping things green. If you want to cycle to work, we'll loan you the gear through salary sacrifice to make it tax-efficient.

Location: London

Job type: PERMANENT