At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape enterprise-wide technology strategy and drive innovation in retail and hospitality.
- Company: Leading UK retailer and hospitality client undergoing major transformation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £110K, car allowance, bonus, and flexible work options.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on technology that drives business growth and customer experience.
- Qualifications: Expertise in application architecture, cloud migration, and agile methodologies required.
The predicted salary is between 110000 - 110000 € per year.
Leading UK retailer and hospitality client now undergoing a significant business and technology transformation. This is a pivotal hire within a newly evolving architecture function, offering the opportunity to shape enterprise-wide strategy during a large-scale cloud and operating model transformation.
As Enterprise Architect, you will operate as a senior individual contributor, working across domains with tech leads and engaging closely with C-suite stakeholders. This is a highly visible, commercially focused role - not hands-on engineering but defining how technology enables the business to grow and compete.
The IT enterprise architect will develop and define our technology strategy, working alongside our strategic vendors to set direction, drive innovation, stretch thinking and ensure we are constantly benefiting from the best technology across all areas of our business landscape, including corporate, head office and operations.
Reporting to the director of IT strategy and architecture, you will be responsible for the design and engineering principles associated with the delivery and operational health of our technology landscape, as well as the broader technology governance process.
Key Accountabilities- Assist leadership team and strategic partners in the setting of our technology strategy, architecture and engineering principles for our technology function - in collaboration with relevant specialist technical leads.
- Facilitate business and IT alignment, connecting strategy to execution, through a collaborative, supportive and consultative manner - driving our digital business strategies to balance innovation and growth.
- Translate and guide execution of business strategy to achieve our targeted business outcomes by leading the development of an implementation roadmap for enterprise architecture.
- Drive innovation through active horizon-scanning of emerging technologies and the business ecosystem for major disruptive technology and non-technology trends (trendspotting) that affect our markets and business.
- Lead analysis of our future-state capabilities and future (and current) technology environment, to detect critical gaps and opportunities and recommend solutions for improvement to drive our business towards its targeted outcomes.
- Support our technology partners in delivering change in line with our overall technology strategy of creating modular, cloud-first solutions.
- Develop and implement core technology governance frameworks for technologists across our business and its partners.
- Own, build and maintain the enterprise roadmaps, such that it is easily communicated to partners and the wider technology functions.
- Define repeatable patterns, tools and approaches for all teams - ensure that all solutions designed target our cloud-first architecture.
- Agree, document and publish architecture principles, tools and frameworks to ensure our technology is managed and nurtured as a series of value-creating ecosystems.
- Develop strong relationships and collaborative ways of working at all levels across internal and external stakeholders.
- Provide and track the holistic view of our technology ecosystems and work with internal and external teams to evolve them as necessary.
Technical Knowledge & Experience:
- An expert practitioner with experience of overseeing end-to-end application architecture, preferably in a similar multi-site, omnichannel, enterprise scale business within the retail or hospitality sector.
- Experience in cloud migration and application modernisation programmes.
- Experience in agile ways of working, DevSecOps, SRE and continuous delivery.
- Comfortable defining migration patterns and green-field architectures, and crucially where the two intersect.
- Ability to identify software or technology opportunities and drive the introduction of new tools and processes across teams and disciplines.
- Proven leader in innovation and sought out for their engineering and solution design skills to drive the organisation's digital business strategies.
- Expert in their core discipline and skilled in several other areas, with experience and knowledge of several domain and product areas.
- Experience in setting strategic direction as well as leveraging external expertise alike.
- Mastery of all components of enterprise architecture, business & IT principles and processes.
- Strong consulting skills such as targeted communications, engagement management, stakeholder management and business development.
- Experience in the broader consumer commercial landscape - including how technology can be used to enable enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, data insights and cost optimisation.
- Experience of various operating models such as project-centric and product-centric and different types of agile principles, methodologies and frameworks, especially those designed to be scaled at the enterprise level.
- Vendor - and technology neutral - seeks to achieve targeted business outcomes than for personal preferences, or in vested personal preferences of other business and IT leaders.
- Stays on top of tech trends, experimenting with, and learning new technologies.
- A strong focus on enablement, creating patterns, toolsets and best practice allowing for a true 'as-a-service' capability across applications, software engineering, integration and data.
- Deep architecture focus, ensuring technologies are used, purchased and developed appropriately.
- Analytical: Takes a logical approach to analysis of information to draw accurate conclusions.
- Business acumen: Robust understanding of how a multi-site business operates with awareness of key challenges and risks.
- People management: Able to achieve high levels of performance through teams; sets clear objectives and guides and motivates team members to succeed.
- Influencing and persuading: Confident relationship building skills with proven ability to influence and negotiate effectively at senior levels.
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, communicating effectively at all levels.
- Facilitation: Able to facilitate teams' and individual thinking processes.
- Prioritisation: Effectively manages own and team's workload against competing demands.
- Problem solving: Excellent problem solving, with ability to probe and establish real issues and identify correct solutions.
- Numerate and analytical: Is extremely confident with numbers and takes a logical and methodical approach to the analysis of information.
- IT literate: Strong Excel skills and experiences; able to create effective presentations and documents; high level of ability in Word; experience and knowledge of modern reporting systems.
This position offers a basic salary up to £110K + car allowance + bonus and excellent package. The role requires 4 days a week in the West London office with Fridays WFH.
Enterprise Architect - Retail & Hospitality Tech in London employer: Ventula Consulting
As a leading UK retailer and hospitality client, we pride ourselves on fostering a dynamic work culture that encourages innovation and collaboration. Our employees benefit from a competitive salary package, including a car allowance and bonus, alongside opportunities for professional growth within a transformative environment. With a focus on technology strategy and enterprise architecture, this role offers the chance to make a significant impact while enjoying a flexible work arrangement that includes working from home on Fridays.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Enterprise Architect - Retail & Hospitality Tech in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the retail and hospitality tech space. Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out to potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your expertise! When you get the chance to chat with hiring managers or during interviews, make sure to highlight your experience with cloud migration and application modernisation. Share specific examples of how you've driven innovation in past roles – it’ll set you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Be proactive! If you see a role that excites you, don’t wait for the perfect moment. Apply through our website and follow up with a friendly email expressing your enthusiasm. It shows initiative and can help keep your application top of mind.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare for those tricky questions! Brush up on your knowledge of enterprise architecture principles and be ready to discuss how you would align business strategy with technology execution. Practising your responses will help you feel more confident and articulate during interviews.
We think you need these skills to ace Enterprise Architect - Retail & Hospitality Tech in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Enterprise Architect role. Highlight your experience in cloud migration and application modernisation, as well as your ability to drive innovation. We want to see how your skills align with our tech strategy!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills:This role is all about collaboration and influencing at senior levels. Use your application to demonstrate your people management and stakeholder engagement skills. Share examples of how you've successfully led teams or projects in the past.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to communicate your achievements and experiences. We appreciate a well-structured application that makes it easy for us to see your strengths!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Ventula Consulting
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
As an Enterprise Architect, you need to be well-versed in cloud migration, application architecture, and the latest tech trends. Brush up on your knowledge of agile methodologies and DevSecOps, as these will likely come up during discussions. Be prepared to share specific examples of how you've applied this knowledge in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
This role is all about shaping technology strategy, so demonstrate your ability to connect business goals with IT solutions. Prepare to discuss how you've previously aligned technology initiatives with business outcomes, and think about how you can drive innovation in a retail or hospitality context.
✨Build Relationships Before You Walk In
Since you'll be engaging with C-suite stakeholders, it's crucial to show that you can build strong relationships. Research the company’s leadership team and their backgrounds. If possible, connect with them on LinkedIn before the interview to establish rapport and show your genuine interest in the role.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect to face scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and ability to handle real-world challenges. Think through potential gaps in technology ecosystems or disruptive trends in the retail and hospitality sectors, and be ready to propose actionable solutions that align with the company's strategic vision.
