Chief Architect - NGV

National Grid; Warwick; Hybrid; GBP 78,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully electric company car

Private medical insurance

Hybrid working

Generous pension with employer match

Job summary

National Grid Ventures is seeking a Chief Architect in Warwick to shape the technology strategy, define future-state blueprints and govern architecture across a major portfolio. You will lead senior stakeholders, set standards and guide investments, while building a high-performance architecture community.

This hybrid role requires strong commercial acumen and a track record of delivering complex transformations that align with enterprise priorities and long-term value creation.

Qualifications

• Significant architecture leadership experience across enterprise, solution, data and integration architecture.
• Senior technology and architecture leadership in large portfolios or transformations.
• Strong strategic technology perspective spanning infrastructure, data, analytics and delivery governance.
• Ability to connect business ambition with technology execution and roadmaps.
• Commercial and financial awareness to influence tech investment decisions.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Shape NGV's technology landscape with architecture vision and strategic roadmaps.
• Own architectural quality and act as design approval authority for key decisions.
• Influence senior leaders to translate strategy into actionable technology direction.
• Guide major investments and transformation programs for scalable, secure solutions.
• Set architecture standards, governance, patterns and design assurance.
• Lead and strengthen NGV's architecture community across teams.
• Turn emerging tech into opportunities in AI, data, platforms and infra.

Skills

Architecture leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder influence

Mentoring & coaching

Enterprise architecture

Communication skills

Matrix leadership

Leadership in teams

Collaboration

Education

A relevant degree or equivalent

Job description

About us

At National Grid, we keep people connected and society moving. As the energy transition accelerates, we’re building the technology and infrastructure needed for a cleaner, more secure and resilient energy future.

This is a pivotal leadership opportunity within National Grid Ventures (NGV), the commercial arm of National Grid plc. NGV develops, operates and invests in energy projects, technologies and partnerships that are helping shape the future of energy.

We’re looking for an innovative, delivery-focused and commercially minded Chief Architect to shape NGV’s technology strategy, target architecture and architecture capability, influencing major investments and transformation across its portfolio.

So, join us as a Chief Architect and find your superpower.

This role is based in Warwick and operates under a hybrid working model.

About the Role

As Chief Architect for National Grid Ventures, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the technology direction of the business. You’ll set the architectural vision, connecting business ambition, technology strategy and investment priorities to ensure NGV is equipped for the future.

Leading across a high-impact portfolio, you’ll define future-state blueprints and roadmaps, establish architecture standards and governance, and provide strategic direction across major programmes and investments.

Working alongside senior business, digital, technology, product and delivery leaders, you’ll turn strategy into clear architectural direction, helping teams make better technology decisions, deliver effectively and create sustainable enterprise value.

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Enterprise Architecture and Technology Strategy, with a dotted-line relationship to the Chief Information and Digital Officer for NGV, you’ll also provide leadership and direction across NGV’s wider architecture community.

What You'll Do

• Shape the future of NGV’s technology landscape, defining the architecture vision, future-state blueprint and strategic roadmap aligned to business and enterprise priorities.
• Own architectural quality and direction, acting as the design approval authority for key architecture decisions across NGV.
• Influence at the highest levels, partnering with senior business and technology leaders to turn strategic ambition into clear, actionable technology direction.
• Guide major investments and transformation programmes, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, cost-effective and aligned with enterprise standards.
• Set the standards for great architecture, evolving governance, principles, patterns and design assurance to enable consistent, high-quality decision-making.
• Lead and strengthen NGV’s architecture community, guiding Product Line and Solution Architects and driving greater consistency, reuse and alignment across the portfolio.
• Turn emerging technology into opportunity, assessing market trends and innovations to identify where AI, data, platforms, applications and infrastructure can unlock value, improve agility and reduce complexity.
• Protect the long-term technology landscape, ensuring investment decisions minimise unnecessary technical debt, duplication and fragmentation.
• Lead architecture reviews and design assurance, navigating complex trade-offs, identifying risk and providing clear direction to delivery teams.
• Build architecture capability and talent, coaching, mentoring and developing technology professionals across NGV.
• Bring outside thinking in, representing National Grid in relevant industry forums and staying connected to developments across technology, architecture, utilities and digital transformation.
• Set a clear leadership agenda, bringing people together around enterprise priorities and NGV’s strategic ambitions.

About You

You’ll be an accomplished architecture leader who can think strategically, operate commercially and turn complex technology challenges into clear direction and action. Comfortable working at senior levels, you’ll bring the credibility and judgement to influence major decisions, challenge thinking and build alignment across a complex organisation.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Significant architecture leadership experience, with a strong background across enterprise, solution, application, data, integration, business or information architecture.
• Deep experience in senior technology and architecture roles, ideally including leadership across complex portfolios, large-scale environments or major transformation programmes.
• A strong strategic technology perspective, with knowledge spanning areas such as infrastructure, applications, data and analytics, integration and delivery governance.
• The ability to connect business ambition with technology execution, translating complex requirements into practical architectural direction and roadmaps.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness, with the confidence to influence technology investment decisions and ensure they deliver meaningful business value.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, able to bring clarity to complex ideas and engage both technical and non-technical senior stakeholders.
• The ability to lead through influence, building trusted relationships across business, digital, technology, product and delivery teams in a matrix environment.
• An inclusive and collaborative leadership style, with experience coaching, mentoring and developing people across teams and locations.
• A passion for building architecture capability, continually improving ways of working and creating a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
• A relevant degree or equivalent combination of education, professional training and experience.

What you'll Get

• Competitive Salary: circa £78,000 - £110,000 per annum (based on capability, and experience)
• Annual performance incentive: Earn up to 40% of eligible earnings through our performance-related bonus scheme
• Fully electric company car or cash alternative
• Private Medical Insurance for you, with the option to purchase cover for your partner or family through MyBenefits
  

Additional benefits

• 28 days’ holiday plus 8 statutory bank holidays, with the option to buy additional leave and swap up to 3 bank holidays to better fit your personal needs.
• A generous pension scheme with double matching up to 6% of your salary each month. For every £1 you contribute, we’ll contribute £2 - meaning a 6% personal contribution becomes an 18% total pension contribution.
• Life insurance cover of 10x your basic salary
• Flexible benefits such as a cycle scheme, share incentive plan, technology schemes
• Access to apps such as digital GP service for round the clock access to GP video consultations and NHS repeat prescriptions, wellbeing app to support your health and fitness
• Access to Work + Family Space, providing support and resources for work and family life, including paid emergency childcare and eldercare
  

More Information

• This role is offered on a full time basis.
• Based in Warwick, with hybrid working. You’ll primarily work from the Warwick office, with occasional travel to other offices as needed to collaborate with wider teams and stakeholders.
• This role closes on 5th November, however we strongly encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible.
  

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates - we make appointments purely on merit, assessed against objective selection criteria. We support flexible working and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process should you have any physical or mental impairment which may affect your ability to participate in the process.

Please note that in most cases, National Grid is unable to offer sponsorship for employment under the UK points-based immigration system. As such, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship now or in the future under the UK points-based immigration system. However, in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and demonstrable need for specialist skills that cannot be sourced from the local labour market, National Grid may consider offering sponsorship. All applications are welcome from candidates who meet these requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or ethnic origin.