At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and document innovative IT services that meet business needs and enhance user experience.
- Company: Join Standard Life, a leading retirement specialist with a customer-first approach.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous leave, private medical cover, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Embrace a culture of curiosity and connection while enjoying excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by bridging business needs and technology in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in IT service design and knowledge of frameworks like ITIL and TOGAF.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 75000 £ per year.
We’re looking for a Service Architect to join our Service Architect, Design and Transition team in Enterprise Technology. If you’re looking for a new challenge with an organisation committed to putting customers first, aiming high and working together, you’ll thrive here.
The core part of the role is to produce end-to-end service designs for strategic technology initiatives, integrating architecture, security, operations, supplier, resilience, and support requirements into a single consumable service model.
Job Type: Fixed term contract for 18 months
Location: Birmingham, Telford and Edinburgh. Hybrid working
Flexible working: All roles are open to part-time, job-share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process.
Closing Date: 09/09/2026
Salary and Benefits: Between £65,000-75,000 plus an indicative bonus range of 16-32%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.
Who are we? We’re Standard Life, a retirement specialist focused entirely on retirement savings and income. We champion the belief that everyone’s journey to and through retirement can be better, and for more than 200 years, we’ve been helping our customers plan and prepare for their financial futures. Life today is increasingly complicated, uncertain and unpredictable. People move through different careers, face unexpected moments and navigate important choices. We offer our colleagues flexibility, trust and benefits that work for whatever life brings. In return we expect curiosity, connection, accountability and high standards. We make room for what matters - so you can bring your best, every day.
The role: The Service Architect and Designer is responsible for the strategic planning, design, and governance of IT services to ensure they meet business needs and are aligned with organizational objectives. This role bridges business requirements and technical implementation, ensuring that services are well-architected, scalable, and efficient throughout their lifecycle.
Key Accountabilities Of This Role:
- Design and document IT services, including infrastructure, application, and support components, ensuring they meet functional and non-functional requirements.
- Ensure services are designed for scalability, resilience, and operational excellence.
- Collaborate with business stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into service designs.
- Develop detailed service design packages, including SLAs, OLAs, capacity planning, security requirements, and performance metrics.
- Establish and maintain service architecture and design standards, ensuring alignment with industry best practices such as ITIL, COBIT, and TOGAF.
- Serve as a liaison between technical teams and business leaders, ensuring clear communication of service architecture and design decisions.
- Continuously review and optimise service designs to improve cost-efficiency, user experience, and reliability.
- Identify potential risks associated with service designs and propose mitigation strategies.
What are we looking for?
- Strong knowledge of ITIL service design and architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman).
- Demonstrable experience in designing and delivering enterprise-grade IT services.
- Proficiency in identifying and addressing risks and inefficiencies in service designs.
- Proven ability to align service designs with organisational goals and long-term IT strategies.
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern IT environments (e.g., microservices, containerization).
- Highly organised with the ability to multitask and effectively manage changing and competing priorities.
- Financial Services experience desirable.
We Want To Hire The Whole Version Of You. We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you. If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.
Find out more about working at Standard Life: Guide for Candidates: standardlifeplc.pagetiger.com/guideforcandidates Find or get answers from our colleagues: www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/talk-to-us
Service Architect & Designer in Birmingham employer: Standard Life plc
Standard Life plc is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters collaboration and innovation within the Cash Management & Oversight team. With flexible hybrid working arrangements between Telford and Birmingham, employees enjoy a strong benefits package, including a discretionary bonus and opportunities for professional growth, making it a rewarding place to build a career in cash management.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Architect & Designer in Birmingham
✨Get Involved in Tech Meetups
If you're looking for a temporary gig in IT consulting, tech meetups can be a goldmine. They’re perfect for meeting potential employers and showcasing your skills in person. Don't just show up—share your ideas and engage in discussions. That's how we can make ourselves memorable!
✨Leverage Your University’s Resources
University career services are often buzzing with opportunities tailored for temporary roles in IT consulting. Go to workshops, job fairs, and networking events. It's a chance to connect with employers who are eager to find fresh talent like us, so don’t let it slip away!
✨Show Your Skills with Micro-Projects
Create mini-projects or case studies that demonstrate your problem-solving skills or innovative solutions in IT. Sharing these on platforms like GitHub or personal blogs can showcase your abilities when connecting with potential employers or during interviews. Trust us, it makes a strong impression!
✨Apply Directly through Our Website
When you spot an opening at Standard Life plc that excites you, don’t miss out on applying through our website directly. You won't just stand out in a sea of applicants; you’ll show that you’re proactively interested in their work. Plus, it's always good to simplify the process as much as possible!
We think you need these skills to ace Service Architect & Designer in Birmingham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Tech Skills:In IT consulting, showcasing your technical skills is essential. Make sure your CV lists relevant programming languages, software tools, or methodologies you've worked with. If you've tackled specific projects or have certifications (like AWS or Cisco), bring those to the forefront. We're always keen to see how you can apply your skills to solve problems!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:For a temporary role at Standard Life plc, it's important to express your adaptability and eagerness to learn. In your cover letter, highlight how your past experiences have prepared you for quick integration into new teams and projects. A personal touch showing your excitement for the specific challenges at Standard Life plc can make all the difference!
List Relevant Projects:If you’ve worked on consulting projects or tech rollouts, don’t hesitate to mention them! Detail the challenges you faced, your contributions, and the outcomes. This practical experience showcases your ability to deliver value in a short time frame, which is key for a temporary role in IT consulting.
Keep It Concise and Impactful:Given the temporary nature of the role, our hiring team at Standard Life plc will appreciate a clear, concise application. Make your CV scannable with bullet points and emphasise your most relevant experiences. We want to see your capability at a glance, so aim for brevity without sacrificing detail!
How to prepare for a job interview at Standard Life plc
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
In IT consulting, you’ll often face complex issues that need quick solutions. Be ready to discuss past experiences where you tackled problems head-on, ideally using specific frameworks or tools. Think about how you can highlight your analytical thinking and decision-making process during the interview.
✨Brush Up on Relevant Technologies
Make sure you’re familiar with key technologies relevant to the role at Standard Life plc. This might include project management tools, CRM software, or any specific programming languages they use. Being able to speak confidently about these can set you apart from other candidates.
✨Emphasise Your Adaptability
Being in a temporary role often means you need to hit the ground running. Prepare to showcase your ability to adapt to new environments and workflows. Maybe think of examples where you’ve quickly learned new systems or collaborated with diverse teams to achieve results in tight deadlines.
✨Pitch Your Consulting Mindset
Consulting is all about understanding client needs and delivering effective solutions. Present yourself as someone who can think strategically and provide actionable insights. Talk about how you plan to gather requirements and communicate findings to non-technical stakeholders at Standard Life plc.
