Head of Architecture

HOWDENS JOINERY; England; Hybrid; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading kitchen supplier in the UK is seeking a Head of Architecture to shape the future of enterprise applications. You will lead a high-performing team and set the strategic direction for business systems across multiple functions. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in enterprise architecture and a strong grasp of cloud-native architectures. Competitive salary, car allowance, and excellent pension scheme are offered along with opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Car allowance or company car

Excellent pension scheme

Private healthcare

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Staff discount

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Experience in enterprise architecture leadership, preferably in a vertically integrated organization.
• Demonstrable experience driving architecture strategies for enterprise applications.
• Strong familiarity with modern delivery practices, including DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and microservices.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a high-performing architecture team across multiple sites.
• Define and own enterprise architecture vision and roadmaps.
• Govern architectural standards and champion modern IT practices.

Skills

Enterprise architecture leadership

Cloud architecture and strategies

API-first integration

DevOps practices

Excellent communication skills

Education

Degree in IT or Computer Science

Professional architecture certifications (TOGAF, SAFe, AWS/Azure/GCP)

Job description

Head of Architecture

Head of Architecture

Howdens have an incredible opportunity for the next energetic and driven Head of Architecture to shape the future of our enterprise applications. Setting the strategic direction for business systems spanning sales, service, supply chain, and back-end functions you will drive innovation, efficiency, and value across the organisation.

Based from one of our corporate sites including Raunds, Northamptonshire, Brackmills Business Park, Northampton or Howden in Yorkshire you will be expected to travel and work onsite 4 days per week.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing architecture team based across multiple sites.
• Define and own our enterprise architecture vision and roadmaps
• Partner with senior leaders to align technology with business priorities
• Govern architectural standards and champion modern IT practices
• Introduce innovative, scalable, and secure solutions that fuel digital transformation
• Drive a culture of architectural excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement across the technology organisation
• Ensure adherence to modern IT standards and architectural frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, SAFe, ITIL, ArchiMate, cloud reference architectures)

What we need from you

• Experience working in an enterprise architecture leadership role, ideally within a vertically integrated organisation covering multiple business functions
• Demonstrable experience driving architecture strategies for enterprise applications.
• An excellent influencer and clear communicator
• Deep understanding of modern SaaS, PaaS, and cloud-native application architectures, including multi-cloud and hybrid models
• Strong knowledge of platform-based architectures and API-first integration approaches
• Experience designing and governing architectures for ERP, CRM, supply chain, commerce, and digital service platforms in an integrated ecosystem
• Expertise in cloud architecture and associated security, compliance, and cost-optimisation strategies (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Strong familiarity with modern delivery practices, including DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, and microservices
• Degree in IT, Computer Science, or related discipline; professional architecture certifications (TOGAF, SAFe Architect, AWS/Azure/GCP Architecture) highly desirable

What we can offer you:

• Competitive salary and company bonus
• Car Allowance or Company Car
• Excellent pension scheme (company contribution of up to 12%)
• Private Healthcare for you and your family
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays with the option to buy additional days.
• Staff Discount
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional Reward and Recognition events

About Howdens:

FTSE100 company and the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier Howdens Joinery provides thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 900 depots throughout the UK and Europe – making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we have an ambitious growth agenda.

Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We’re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you.

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