Head of Systems & Architecture

We are looking for a Head of Systems and Architecture, a senior technology leadership role accountable for shaping and governing the organisation’s overall technology landscape. This role bridges strategy and execution—ensuring that both the current-state systems and future-state architecture align with business objectives, support agility and resilience, and provide a foundation for innovation and growth. This position leads two direct reports: one focused on operational systems and landscape management, and one focused on architecture and design. The role plays a critical part in strategic planning, delivery assurance, vendor alignment, and enterprise-wide technology governance.

Key responsibilities and primary deliverables

Strategic Technology & Architecture Leadership

• Define and own the enterprise technology and architecture vision in alignment with organisational goals.
• Lead the development of a scalable, secure, and future-ready technology landscape that supports evolving business needs.
• Partner with business and executive leadership to ensure technology enables business outcomes such as growth, efficiency, innovation, and customer success.

Current-State Systems Management (through direct report)

• Oversee the health, performance, and resilience of the existing technology landscape, including infrastructure, core platforms, and enterprise applications.
• Ensure systems are maintained, supported, and optimized for availability, security, and compliance.
• Provide strategic direction for lifecycle management, technical debt reduction, and platform modernization efforts.

Architecture and Design Oversight (through direct report)

• Govern enterprise architecture standards, principles, and roadmaps across application, data, infrastructure, integration, and security domains.
• Ensure new systems and solutions are designed to meet both immediate requirements and long-term strategic goals.
• Lead or sponsor architecture review boards and ensure design governance across key projects.

Business Alignment & Technology Planning

• Translate business strategies into technology investment plans and roadmaps.
• Identify capability gaps and propose technology-led solutions to unlock new business value.
• Drive prioritization of architectural and technical initiatives based on business impact and urgency.

Team Leadership & Organisational Development

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of architects and systems leads.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across the technology function.
• Mentor team members and champion technical leadership within delivery teams.

Governance, Risk & Vendor Oversight

• Ensure that systems and architecture meet internal standards, security, compliance, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee vendor relationships and ensure technology suppliers are aligned with architecture strategy and value delivery.
• Maintain strong governance processes to manage change, control risk, and ensure accountability across architecture and systems domains.

Technology Enablement & Innovation

• Act as a thought leader on emerging technologies, digital transformation trends, and enterprise architecture evolution.
• Promote adoption of modern delivery practices (e.g., cloud-native, API-first, DevOps, automation) to enhance agility and innovation.
• Identify and support proof-of-concept initiatives that test or demonstrate architectural shifts and new technologies.

Skills profile

• 10+ years in senior technology roles, including responsibility for systems and architecture leadership.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional technology strategy and enterprise architecture.
• Experience managing both legacy and modern technology environments in a large or complex organisation.
• Strong understanding of enterprise systems, cloud platforms, integration strategies, and architectural best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate technical concepts into business impact.
• Experience in IT governance, vendor management, and change management.
• Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF, Zachman) and modelling tools.
• Cloud certification (AWS, Azure) or enterprise architecture credentials.
• Experience leading technology transformation or digital enablement programs.
• Background in regulated or high-compliance sectors (e.g., finance, healthcare, government).