Senior Architect

BDO UK; Essex; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading accountancy and business advisory firm seeks an IT Architecture professional to manage a team and drive innovative solutions. You will lead architectural design, enhance team performance, and ensure compliance with standards while collaborating with stakeholders to align technology with business goals.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in IT, focusing on architecture and solution design.
• Experience managing people, including performance reviews and coaching.

Responsibilities

• Act as the people manager for a team of IT architects, providing guidance.
• Lead the ongoing development of the IT Architecture function.
• Monitor current solution portfolio to identify deficiencies.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Interpersonal Skills

Negotiation

Tools

Microsoft Technologies

Job description

Ideas People Trust

We're BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today's changing world.

We work with Britain's economic engine—ambitious, entrepreneurial, high-growth businesses—and directly advise their owners and management teams.

We'll broaden your horizons

To ensure our services and applications are fit for the modern market, our IT team collaborates across departments, developing, exploring, and implementing innovative ideas that shape the future of accounting, tax, and business consulting. They maintain the technology that keeps us advancing, testing and adopting new financial technical solutions to drive us forward. You could be part of this too. In an IT role at BDO, you'll join a team that acts as the backbone of our business. No matter your background or skillset, we'll provide the training and support you need to succeed.

We'll help you succeed

Our clients trust us because of the quality of our advice, which stems from a thorough understanding of their business gained through close collaboration and building long-term relationships.

You'll be proactive and capable of managing your tasks independently, while also collaborating effectively with colleagues and communicating regularly with senior managers, directors, and partners to support business success. You'll be encouraged to identify opportunities to improve our services and add value for our clients.

In this busy and rewarding environment, you will:

• Act as the people manager for a team of IT architects, providing guidance, mentorship, and performance management.
• Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment aligned with organisational goals.
• Coordinate workload prioritisation with stakeholders and manage team resources to deliver projects effectively.
• Facilitate training and development to enhance technical and professional skills.
• Lead the ongoing development of the IT Architecture function.
• Provide technical leadership and governance for IT projects, ensuring compliance with standards and policies.
• Understand BDO's business drivers and capabilities to design enterprise systems that support strategic outcomes.
• Monitor the current solution portfolio to identify deficiencies and areas for improvement.
• Define principles, standards, and solution patterns to align technology decisions with the future architecture vision.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into architectural designs.
• Evaluate and select software standards and services, designing configurations as needed.
• Engage with leadership to communicate opportunities, costs, and risks associated with platform decisions.
• Provide strategic influence across projects to implement cost-effective solutions for complex business problems.
• Ensure IT Architecture is recognized as a valuable asset to BDO.

You'll be someone with:

• Proven experience in IT, focusing on architecture, solution design, and system implementation in migration or greenfield projects.
• Experience in IT Architecture roles with success in designing and implementing enterprise solutions.
• Experience managing people, including performance reviews, coaching, and workload management.
• Leadership in cross-functional teams and stakeholder collaboration.
• Experience with large-scale enterprise environments, focusing on scalability, reliability, and security.
• Preferably, experience with Microsoft technologies in IT environments.
• Proven skills in vendor/partner management and architecture definition.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation, and negotiation.
• Understanding of application development methodologies and infrastructure architecture.
• Ability to work effectively with both in-house and outsourced development teams.

We value authenticity and support your personal and professional growth. Our agile working policies and state-of-the-art collaboration spaces foster a flexible, inclusive environment where you can thrive and build your network.