Lead Architect (Distributed Systems)

TL;DR

Lead Architect (Distributed Systems): Creating the conditions for effective architectural decision-making across teams within a global media organization with an accent on system optimization, sustainability, and enabling team autonomy. Focus on simplifying complexity, modernizing platforms, and establishing paved roads for engineering excellence.

Location: London, UK (Flexible working available)

Salary: £85,000 – £100,000 (plus London Weighting Allowance and 15% bonus)

Company

A globally renowned media company that produces and distributes sought-after TV, audio, and digital content.

What you will do

• Facilitate architectural thinking and decision-making across teams rather than owning decisions centrally.
• Support engineers and tech leads in evaluating trade-offs regarding scalability, operability, cost, and resilience.
• Establish and evolve architectural principles, patterns, and "golden paths" to streamline decision-making.
• Align business goals, product strategy, and technology direction in collaboration with leadership.
• Coach and mentor engineers and tech leads in architectural thinking.

Requirements

• Must be based in or able to work from London, UK.
• Strong experience designing and evolving distributed systems.
• Deep understanding of architectural trade-offs including coupling, cohesion, and scalability.
• Familiarity with evolutionary architecture practices and modern engineering (CI/CD, observability, cloud-native).
• Proven ability to influence without authority and guide discussions across multiple teams.

Nice to have

• Experience working in large-scale digital or media organisations.
• Familiarity with modern product operating models and outcome-driven delivery.
• Exposure to financial planning, vendor management, or commercial technology decisions.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible 35-hour working week with 26 days annual leave (plus bank holidays).
• Defined pension with up to 10% employer contributions.
• Comprehensive health and wellbeing support, including 24/7 remote GP access and life assurance.
• Commitment to sustainability and a values-led, inclusive, and diverse corporate culture.
• Opportunity for career development within a purpose-driven environment.