Architect & Delivery Lead (68018)

Hitachids; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Industry-leading benefits

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

Hitachids is seeking a senior Architecture & Transformation leader to define and own the end‑to‑end technical architecture and operating model across all service towers. You will steer a three‑phase programme, manage timelines and risks, and drive strategic decisions across IAM, cloud, and security across London, Singapore, and Australia.

You will build governance, define roadmaps, and lead offshore delivery teams, delivering cost savings and ROI through automation and standardisation.

Qualifications

• 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 patterns, microservices, event‑driven design.

Responsibilities

• Define and own end‑to‑end architecture and operating model across six service towers.
• Lead a three‑phase transformation programme: Stabilise → Optimise → Transform.
• Make architectural decisions across IAM, Cloud, SRE, Network, Data, and Security.

Skills

Broad infrastructure knowledge

Cloud, networking, security

IAM, SRE, operations

IaC, CI/CD, DevSecOps

TOGAF, enterprise architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

ServiceNow

Grafana

ELK stack

Datadog

Dynatrace

Ansible

Terraform

Job description

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‑corrects 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

We help take care of your today and tomorrow with industry‑leading benefits, support, and services that look after your holistic health and wellbeing. We're also champions of life balance and offer flexible arrangements that work for you (role and location dependent).

We are 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. If 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.