Architecture Team Lead

Forvis Mazars LLP; Bolton; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Forvis Mazars in the UK seeks an experienced IT Architecture Team Lead to shape the maturity of the UK Architecture function. You will define architectural direction, align technology decisions with business priorities, and establish governance for secure, scalable solutions.

You will collaborate with UK and Group IT, Security, Data and Supply Chain teams to drive roadmaps, major programmes and value-led outcomes. Strong leadership and strategic influence are essential.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading IT Architecture in a complex organisation.
• Experience establishing architecture governance, standards, design authorities and decision frameworks.
• Experience partnering with senior stakeholders to translate strategy into technology outcomes.
• Track record enabling delivery through architectural leadership and risk management.
• Experience coaching and developing architects or technical specialists.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the architecture vision, principles, standards and guardrails for the UK estate.
• Translate business strategy into target-state architectures and practical roadmaps.
• Lead architecture governance, including TDA, design reviews and exception management.
• Provide pragmatic architecture guidance to programmes, projects and change initiatives.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders to influence technology decisions and priorities.
• Maintain architecture documentation, roadmaps and decision records with high quality.
• Drive continuous improvement of architecture practices, governance and tooling.
• Manage architecture demand and prioritisation to maximise value.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of architecture professionals.
• Embed security, resilience, data and compliance considerations into decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Architecture governance

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Clear communication

Tools

TOGAF

ITIL

COBIT

HLD/LLD artefacts

Job description

Forvis Mazars is a leading global professional services network providing audit & assurance, tax, and advisory services. Forvis Mazars in the UK spans 14 offices across the nation and has over 3,400 professionals, with 190 partners. We have a clear purpose and a shared commitment to shape a better future.

You’ll join a collaborative and inclusive team where you're supported to grow your skills, explore new opportunities, and contribute from day one. You'll work with a diverse client base, develop meaningful connections, and gain experience that extends beyond your local team. Together, we grow, belong and impact.

About the team

Our Business Services team is a collective of strategic, innovative and forward-thinking professionals who enable the success of our firm. Bringing together teams across People & Culture, Marketing & Communications, IT, Operations, Finance, and Quality & Risk Management, we ensure Forvis Mazars has the right technology, tools, processes and support services to deliver exceptional client experiences and drive future growth.

As part of our IT function, you'll play a critical role in shaping the technology landscape that supports our people, our clients and our business ambitions.

About the role

We're looking for an experienced IT Architecture Team Lead to lead and continue to improve the maturity of our UK Architecture function.

This is a strategic leadership role with a strong delivery focus. You'll be responsible for defining architectural direction, ensuring technology decisions align with business priorities and establishing governance that enables secure, scalable and resilient technology solutions.

Working closely with UK and Group IT teams, business leaders, Security, Data, Operations, Change Management and third-party suppliers, you'll help shape technology roadmaps, support major programmes of work and build a mature architecture capability that delivers real business value.

Key responsibilities include:

• Defining and maintaining the architecture vision, principles, standards and technology guardrails across the UK estate.
• Translating business strategy into target-state architectures, practical roadmaps and delivery priorities.
• Leading architecture governance processes, including Technical Design Authority (TDA), design reviews and exception management.
• Providing pragmatic architecture guidance to programmes, projects and change initiatives.
• Building strong relationships with business stakeholders to understand operational priorities and influence technology decisions.
• Establishing and maintaining high-quality architecture documentation, including roadmaps, design documents, decision records and reference architectures.
• Driving continuous improvement of architecture practices, governance processes, tooling and standards.
• Managing architecture demand and prioritisation to ensure resources focus on the highest-value initiatives.
• Leading, coaching and developing a team of architecture professionals.
• Embedding security, resilience, data and compliance considerations into technology decisions from the outset.

What we are looking for

Experience

• Proven experience leading or significantly shaping an IT Architecture function within a complex organisation.
• Strong experience establishing architecture governance, standards, design authorities and decision-making frameworks.
• Experience partnering with senior business and technology stakeholders to translate strategy into technology outcomes.
• A successful track record of enabling project delivery through practical and risk-based architectural leadership.
• Experience coaching and developing architects or technical specialists.

Technical Knowledge

• Broad architecture knowledge spanning applications, integration, infrastructure, cloud, data, identity, security and operational service management.
• Strong understanding of architecture frameworks and governance practices such as TOGAF, ITIL and COBIT.
• Experience creating and reviewing architecture artefacts including HLDs, LLDs, architecture roadmaps, options assessments and architecture decision records.
• Knowledge of security, resilience, compliance and audit requirements within enterprise environments.

Personal Attributes

• A strategic thinker who can balance long-term vision with operational delivery needs.
• Business-focused and able to understand how technology supports organisational success.
• A strong communicator who can explain complex technical concepts in a clear and engaging way.
• A collaborative leader who builds trusted relationships across technical and non-technical teams.
• Comfortable facilitating governance discussions, constructive challenge and informed decision-making.
• Passionate about quality, continuous improvement and developing high-performing teams.

At Forvis Mazars diversity, equity and inclusion are central to our values. We value our people's unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experience, and know this diversity create better outcomes for our clients. We seek to attract, develop, and retain the best talent, inclusive of sex, ethnicity, disability, socio-economic background, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, and faith. We select candidates based on skills, knowledge, qualifications, and experience and aim to support all our team members to reach their potential. At Forvis Mazars, we promote an environment in which you can grow your skills, belong to a team that values your ideas, and make an impact that matters.