Enterprise/Infrastructure Architect

JR United Kingdom; Bedford; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the financial services sector is seeking an experienced Enterprise Architect to lead technology strategy in Consumer Banking & Payments. This contract role focuses on Cards and Payment Gateways, requiring deep technical knowledge and innovation drive. Responsibilities include strategy definition, governance, and alignment with business outcomes, essential for driving compliance and ensuring secure, scalable design.

Qualifications

• Expertise in Cards & Payments industry with market knowledge.
• Proven experience in end-to-end enterprise solutions in financial services.
• Hands-on support for solution architects and development teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and own technology strategy and architectures for Cards and Payment Gateways.
• Evaluate trends and present findings to senior stakeholders.
• Lead architecture governance process and ensure compliance.

Skills

Expertise in Cards & Payments

Cloud platforms

Microservices

Data transformation/ETL

Monitoring tools

Infrastructure and Security

Strong communication skills

Job description

Enterprise Architect

Location: Northampton (Hybrid 2 days onsite)

Contract Duration: Until 31st December 2025

Day Rate: Up to £410 per day Inside IR35

Security Clearance: Candidate must be eligible for BPSS

Role Overview: We are seeking an experienced Enterprise Architect to lead the development and ownership of technology strategy and architecture across key domains within Consumer Banking & Payments – with particular focus on Cards and Payment Gateways. This is a contract opportunity running until the end of December 2025, requiring a strategic thinker with deep technical knowledge and a passion for innovation in the financial services sector.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and own the technology strategy, roadmaps, and target architectures for domains such as Cards and Payment Gateways.
• Collaborate with CIOs, Business Architects, and stakeholders to align business outcomes with technology direction.
• Evaluate industry trends and emerging technologies, presenting findings to senior stakeholders and building proof of concepts as needed.
• Lead the architecture governance process – from conceptual designs to technical solution validation.
• Drive compliance with enterprise policies, ensuring secure, scalable, and resilient system designs.
• Partner with engineering and operations teams to ensure architectural alignment with strategic objectives.
• Maintain oversight of technical debt and continuously refine architectural standards and patterns.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Expertise in the Cards & Payments industry, with knowledge of market trends, innovations, and challenges.
• Proven experience designing and delivering end-to-end enterprise solutions in a financial services environment.
• Real-world experience in defining and implementing enterprise-wide technical strategies.
• Deep technical knowledge, including:
• Cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure)
• Microservices, messaging, APIs
• Data transformation/ETL
• Monitoring tools
• Infrastructure and Security
• Understanding of:
• Secure systems and software design
• High-availability/resilient system architectures
• Multi-data-centre deployments
• Strong communicator with the ability to translate complex technology into clear business language.
• Hands-on ability to support solution architects and development teams with critical issue resolution.