Lead Architect (Fintech)

TL;DR

Lead Architect (Fintech): Defining and communicating the technology strategy for personal unsecured lending platforms with an accent on cloud infrastructure, APIs, and event-driven architectures. Focus on driving large-scale modernization, ensuring governance alignment, and influencing business outcomes at the executive level.

Location: Must be based in the UK (Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, or Halifax) with a 40% office attendance requirement.

Salary: £124,653 - £146,650

Company

A major UK-based financial services organization dedicated to simplifying and modernizing banking technology for millions of customers.

What you will do

• Propose and manage the architectural strategy for loans, credit cards, and financial wellbeing platforms.
• Define architecture roadmaps, guardrails, and patterns to ensure long-term platform scalability.
• Partner with board members and senior business leaders to align technology delivery with corporate strategy.
• Lead a team of specialized architects to drive architectural standards across business-critical projects.
• Represent technology interests in governance forums to ensure compliance with group-wide strategies.
• Stay updated with industry trends in finance, customer products, and emerging technologies.

Requirements

• Proven track record in an architect role leading vision and strategic initiatives.
• Technical expertise in Public/Private Cloud, APIs, and event-driven architectures.
• Experience in corporate governance, solution design, and feasibility assessment.
• Strong leadership, storytelling, and communication skills suitable for operating at a director level.
• Proven ability to build effective relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Must be based in the UK with the ability to attend the office for at least 40% (two days) of the week.

Culture & Benefits

• Generous pension contribution of up to 15%.
• Annual performance-based bonus scheme.
• Comprehensive share schemes, including free shares.
• 30 days of annual holiday plus bank holidays.
• Inclusive culture with specific support for wellbeing, menopause health, and parental leave.
• Hybrid working model focused on flexibility and collaboration.