Principal Architect (Tech Asset) in Manchester

The Principal Domain Architect is a senior technical leader responsible for ensuring the architectural integrity, resilience, and maintainability of DCC's in-service technology systems. This role safeguards that existing systems remain aligned with enterprise architecture standards, risk management frameworks, and strategic objectives throughout their lifecycle.

Operating across multiple domains, service providers, and stakeholder groups, the Principal Domain Architect combines deep technical expertise with strong leadership and engagement skills to uphold configuration control, drive asset management maturity, and maintain system resilience. This is a pivotal role in ensuring DCC's systems remain serviceable, supportable, and compliant — enabling the organisation to deliver critical national services reliably and securely.

You're a self-starter with a strong work ethic, capable of operating autonomously while collaborating across diverse teams. You combine deep technical acumen with business insight and are comfortable influencing senior stakeholders and suppliers to drive accountability and excellence.

How you will contribute to transforming energy and shaping the future:

• Asset Management & Oversight: Define and govern the asset management architecture and strategy, ensuring complete visibility of all production estate assets across software, hardware, and data.
• Risk Identification & Assessment: Champion a proactive, enterprise-wide approach to technology risk management, ensuring that vulnerabilities are identified early and addressed effectively.
• Project Assurance & Delivery: Provide architectural governance for technology updates and refreshes, ensuring new solutions are secure by design and aligned with DCC's technology strategy.
• Incident & Problem Response: Lead the Technology Office representation in post-incident reviews, ensuring credible root cause analysis (RCA) and delivery of corrective actions.
• Cross-Domain Collaboration: Drive alignment and coherence across domain architectures to ensure performance, security, and operational integrity.
• Compliance & Governance: Maintain adherence to regulatory and security obligations (e.g., ISO 27001, GDPR) and ensure architectural governance processes are embedded across delivery teams.

Your skills that will enable us to fulfil our purpose:

• Extensive experience in Enterprise and Solution Architecture, ideally with TOGAF certification or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of IT infrastructure, cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP), and hybrid architecture models.
• Proven expertise in technology risk management, asset lifecycle governance, and configuration management.
• Knowledge of secure architecture design, cybersecurity frameworks, and regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, ISO 27001).
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills across both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience integrating systems across diverse platforms using APIs, middleware, and data transformation techniques.
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical, commercial, and operational priorities to drive sound architectural decisions.

Understanding of the UK Smart Meter Implementation Programme and the energy sector's regulatory and operational landscape. Familiarity with DCC licence conditions, the Smart Energy Code (SEC), and key industry stakeholders (DESNZ, Ofgem, SECAS). Relevant professional certifications such as CISSP, CRISC, ITIL, or TOGAF.

About the DCC: We're powering Britain's smarter, greener future. Today, we're deeply invested in building a resilient, sustainable smart energy network that drives transformation. Our success is driven by curiosity, ambition, and tenacity. Tomorrow, we see vast opportunities for growth and development, contributing to decarbonisation and the Net Zero mission. We'll continually develop Smart DCC, to fulfil our obligations to consumers, and achieve even more with our customers, partners, and each other. Together, we embrace change, unite in our shared passions and support each other. Working as one team and across our industry, we rise to the challenge to shape Smart DCC, and the future. A career at Smart DCC means being part of something bigger – a dynamic organisation that's not just helping transform energy but also shaping the future. We offer a unique, fulfilling environment where you can thrive today, build tomorrow, and achieve together.

Company benefits: At DCC we reward fairly and recognise fully because our continued success depends on our people. We offer competitive salaries with regular benchmarking, together with bonuses tied to personal and company performance and our core benefits include pension, holidays and private healthcare. We want you to feel respected and able, so we also offer a competitive 8 days per month hybrid work policy together with other flexible benefits that you can tailor to your needs. This is meaningful work, with meaningful reward.

Your application to help shape what's next: Choose 'Apply now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you. 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 Stephanie.Owen@peregrineresourcing.com. Join the DCC, a dynamic organisation where every day brings a chance to make a difference.