Architect & Delivery Lead (68018)

Hitachi Digital Services; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Industry-leading benefits

Job summary

Hitachi Digital Services in London is seeking a senior technology leader to own architectural direction across six service towers and drive a large-scale transformation programme. You will govern end-to-end architecture, deliver across Stabilise → Optimise → Transform, and manage timelines, risks, and dependencies with a global, offshore delivery footprint.

You will set the technology strategy for IAM, Cloud, SRE, Network, Data, and Security, chair governance forums, and shape the programme

Qualifications

• 12+ years in technology leadership spanning infrastructure, cloud, and software engineering.
• 5+ years leading large-scale IT transformation or managed services programmes (50+ FTE).
• Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings (30%+), team optimisation, and reliability improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as both a hands-on architect and a programme delivery leader.
• Architecture certifications: TOGAF, AWS/Azure Solutions Architect Professional, or equivalent.
• Programme management credentials: PMP, PRINCE2, SAFe Programme Consultant, or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the end-to-end technical architecture and target operating model across all six service towers.
• Lead the three-phase transformation programme (Stabilise → Optimise → Transform), managing timelines, milestones, risks, and dependencies.
• Make architectural decisions across IAM, Cloud, SRE, Network, Data, and Security, ensuring coherence and alignment with business objectives.
• Establish and chair the Architecture & Engineering Governance board, providing technical assurance across all workstreams.
• Own the programme roadmap, resource plan, and financial model — tracking cost savings, team reduction trajectory, and ROI.
• Drive stakeholder management across client leadership, retained organisation, and offshore delivery teams in London, Singapore, and Australia.
• Define the automation strategy and prioritise cross-tower automation initiatives for maximum cost and quality impact.
• Establish SLA/KPI frameworks, performance dashboards, and outcome-based metrics for all towers.
• Lead the offshore migration strategy: governance model and knowledge transfer approach.
• Manage programme risks, issues, and escalations — proactively identifying blockers and driving resolution.
• Chair weekly steering committees, produce executive reporting packs, and present transformation progress to C-level stakeholders.
• Drive vendor and tool selection, standardising across the programme and eliminating redundant tooling.
• Build and lead high-performing distributed teams, fostering engineering excellence and accountability.
• Define the continuous improvement factory model to sustain the transformation beyond the initial programme.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication

Commercial acumen

Decisive under ambiguity

Cultural leadership

Conflict resolution

Infrastructure

Cloud

Networking

Security

IAM

SRE

Data engineering

TOGAF

Cloud-native

Microservices

Event-driven design

AWS

Azure

GCP

SRE observability

Zero Trust

RBAC/ABAC

PMP/PRINCE2/SAFe

FinOps

ITSM

Grafana

ELK

Datadog

Dynatrace

Ansible

Terraform

Education

TOGAF

AWS/Azure Solutions Architect Professional

PMP

PRINCE2

SAFe Programme Consultant

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

ServiceNow

Grafana

ELK

Datadog

Dynatrace

Ansible

Terraform

Job description

Hitachi Digital Services is a global digital solutions and transformation business focused on accelerating innovation and technology across urban, environmental and industrial spaces.

Job Description

This role leads a large-scale transformation programme, owning architectural direction, governance, and delivery across six service towers.

Mandatory Skills

Broad and deep technical knowledge across infrastructure, cloud, networking, security, IAM, SRE, and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the end‑to‑end technical architecture and target operating model across all six service towers.
• Lead the three‑phase transformation programme (Stabilise → Optimise → Transform), managing timelines, milestones, risks, and dependencies.
• Make architectural decisions across IAM, Cloud, SRE, Network, Data, and Security, ensuring coherence, reusability, and alignment with business objectives.
• Establish and chair the Architecture & Engineering Governance board, providing technical assurance across all workstreams.
• Own the programme roadmap, resource plan, and financial model — tracking cost savings, team reduction trajectory, and ROI.
• Drive stakeholder management across client leadership, retained organisation, and offshore delivery teams in London, Singapore, and Australia.
• Define the automation strategy and prioritise cross‑tower automation initiatives for maximum cost and quality impact.
• Establish SLA/KPI frameworks, performance dashboards, and outcome‑based metrics for all towers.
• Lead the offshore migration strategy: define which roles move offshore, governance model, and knowledge transfer approach.
• Manage programme risks, issues, and escalations — proactively identifying blockers and driving resolution.
• Chair weekly steering committees, produce executive reporting packs, and present transformation progress to C‑level stakeholders.
• Drive vendor and tool selection, ensuring standardisation across the programme and eliminating redundant tooling.
• Build and lead high‑performing distributed teams, fostering a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Define the continuous improvement factory model, ensuring the transformation sustains beyond the initial programme.

Technical Skills & Expertise

• Broad and deep technical knowledge across infrastructure, cloud, networking, security, IAM, SRE, and data engineering.
• Expert‑level understanding of IaC, CI/CD, DevSecOps, GitOps, and platform engineering principles.
• Architecture frameworks: TOGAF, cloud‑native architecture patterns, microservices, event‑driven design.
• Cloud platform expertise across AWS, Azure, and/or GCP at enterprise scale.
• SRE principles: SLI/SLO/error budgets, observability, chaos engineering, and resilience patterns.
• IAM and security architecture: Zero Trust, RBAC/ABAC, PAM, compliance frameworks (SOX, GDPR, ISO 27001).
• Programme management methodologies: Agile at scale (SAFe, LeSS), waterfall, hybrid delivery models.
• Financial modelling: FinOps, TCO analysis, business case development, and outcome‑based commercial models.
• Tooling breadth: ITSM (ServiceNow), monitoring (Grafana, ELK, Datadog, Dynatrace), automation (Ansible, Terraform), and collaboration platforms.

Soft Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional leadership presence — inspires confidence at C‑level while earning respect from engineering teams.
• Outstanding stakeholder management across client, retained org, and delivery partner ecosystems.
• Strategic thinker who translates business objectives into technical roadmaps and actionable delivery plans.
• Excellent communication: can articulate complex technical concepts to non‑technical executives and vice versa.
• Strong commercial acumen — understands P&L impact, margin management, and outcome‑based pricing.
• Decisive under ambiguity — makes sound judgements with incomplete information and course‑cancels when needed.
• Cultural leadership: builds inclusive, high‑performing teams across geographies and organisational boundaries.
• Conflict resolution and negotiation skills across complex, multi‑party environments.

Qualifications & Experience

• 12+ years in technology leadership spanning infrastructure, cloud, and software engineering.
• 5+ years leading large‑scale IT transformation or managed services programmes (50+ FTE scope).
• Proven track record of delivering measurable cost savings (30%+), team optimisation, and reliability improvements.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as both a hands‑on architect and a programme delivery leader.
• Architecture certifications: TOGAF, AWS/Azure Solutions Architect Professional, or equivalent.
• Programme management credentials: PMP, PRINCE2, SAFe Programme Consultant, or equivalent.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.

Desirable / Nice to Have

• Experience in managed services transitions and operating model transformations for global financial services clients.
• Published thought leadership in SRE, platform engineering, or IT transformation.
• Experience with AI/ML‑driven operations (AIOps) and emerging automation technologies.
• ITIL 4 Managing Professional or Strategic Leader certification.

Benefits

• Industry‑leading benefits and flexible arrangements that support work‑life balance.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We’re proud to say we’re an equal opportunity employer and welcome all applicants for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, age, disability status or any other protected characteristic. Should you need reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know so that we can do our best to set you up for success.