Enterprise/Infrastructure Architect

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

Job summary

A leading company is seeking an experienced Enterprise Architect to drive technology strategies in Consumer Banking & Payments. This role focuses on innovation in Cards and Payment Gateways, emphasizing strong technical leadership and strategic governance to align business outcomes with technology direction.

Qualifications

• Expertise in the Cards & Payments industry.
• Proven experience in enterprise solutions for financial services.
• Strong communicator with technical understanding.

Responsibilities

• Define technology strategy and target architectures for Cards and Payment Gateways.
• Collaborate with CIOs and stakeholders for technology alignment.
• Lead architecture governance and ensure compliance.

Skills

Cloud platforms

Microservices

APIs

Data transformation/ETL

Monitoring tools

Infrastructure and Security

Communication

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, focusing on Cards and Payment Gateways. This contract runs until the end of December 2025, requiring a strategic thinker with deep technical knowledge and a passion for innovation in financial services.

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.