Principal Business Architect

Principal Business Architect
£80,000 - £90,000 plus private healthcare, company car or car allowance and more great benefits (Work Level 4)
12-month fixed term contract
Manchester city centre - in this role you'll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office two or three times per week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We're open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. We'd also welcome applications from candidates interested in a job share arrangement (three days per week). There'll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We're reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Principal Business Architect to join our Digital, Technology & Data team and help us shape how Co-op delivers change across the business. In this role, you'll use business architecture to translate strategic goals into business capabilities, operating models, end-to-end processes and enterprise requirements. Working across a range of initiatives, you'll help ensure change is aligned to business priorities, supports long-term organisational goals and delivers meaningful value for our colleagues, members and customers.

Why this role matters

As a Principal Business Architect, you'll work at the heart of strategic change, providing the insight and structure needed to connect business strategy with successful delivery. This is an opportunity to influence major business decisions, shape how our architecture capability evolves and work with senior stakeholders across the organisation to design the future state of our Co-op. You'll also play a key role in developing our business architecture, analysis and process improvement communities, helping to build capability across the wider team.

What you'll do

* Lead business architecture activities across strategic programmes, business domains and transformation initiatives, ensuring alignment between business strategy and delivery outcomes
* Develop and maintain business capability models, operating models, value streams and architecture artefacts that help shape investment and change decisions
* Conduct business architecture assessments to identify impacts, opportunities and risks across complex change initiatives
* Define and improve end-to-end business processes, ensuring they support standardisation, efficiency and long-term business objectives
* Partner with stakeholders across strategy, technology and business teams to translate business priorities into clear architectural direction and enterprise requirements
* Provide leadership, mentoring and guidance to Business Architects, Business Analysts and Process Improvement colleagues, supporting the development of capability across the practice
* Contribute to the evolution of Co-op's business architecture frameworks, methodologies, standards and tooling
* Promote the use of business architecture across Co-op, supporting strategic planning, decision making and continuous improvement activities

What you'll bring

We're committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you'll need to bring:

* Significant experience in business architecture, operating model design, capability mapping or organisational design within a large and complex organisation
* Strong knowledge of business architecture frameworks, methodologies and techniques, with the ability to apply them to complex business challenges
* Experience shaping and influencing strategic change, translating organisational objectives into business capabilities, processes and requirements
* Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence decision making at senior leadership level
* A collaborative approach, with experience leading, coaching or mentoring others and helping to develop professional capability across teams
* Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and develop practical solutions to complex business problems
* The ability to understand how business strategy, people, processes and technology connect, and use that insight to shape effective business outcomes

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don't meet every requirement. At Co-op, we're committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we're owned by our members. And because we're owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you're not just taking a job, you're joining a movement. We're an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we're powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you'll also receive:

* An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
* 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
* A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
* Private healthcare
* Company car or £6,000 car allowance
* Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
* 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
* Stream - early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
* Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
* 24/7 colleague support service
* Training and support for your development and career progression
* Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you'll belong

We're building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We're proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we'll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion