Lead Architect - Life Insurance

JR United Kingdom; Bath; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mutual pension provider is embarking on a significant transformation and seeks Senior Solutions Architects to lead the development of a new architecture function. In this hands-on leadership role, you'll shape strategy while remaining closely tied to technology, guiding the modernization of legacy systems into scalable, user-focused solutions.

Benefits

Full board backing

No reliance on third-party vendors

Minimal politics and strong alignment from board to tech team

Qualifications

• Proven experience in solutions architecture within the Insurance Industry.
• Strong track record of modernising legacy systems into scalable, microservices-based platforms.
• Deep knowledge of design patterns and architectural governance.

Responsibilities

• Own the solutions architecture for your domain including applications and cloud infrastructure.
• Guide the modernization of legacy platforms into microservices.
• Define and implement architecture patterns and development standards.

Skills

Solutions architecture

Microservices architecture

Cloud-native practices

Stakeholder communication

Architectural governance

Job description

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Nixor is proud to be supporting a leading mutual pension provider at the very start of a significant, multi-year transformation programme. They’re building a brand-new architecture function from scratch, and this is your opportunity to be one of the first senior hires — joining right at the start and helping to define how things are done from day one.

They are looking for Senior Solution Architects Or Lead Architects with Insurance industry (ideally Life Insurance) backgrounds.

With full board backing, a clearly defined strategy, and no reliance on third-party vendors, this is a rare opportunity to join a large-scale enterprise at day zero of its transformation journey.

About the Role

As a Senior Solutions Architect, you'll take technical ownership of a critical business domain — Pensions, Protection, or Closed Book. You’ll guide the transition from legacy systems to a modern, cloud-native, microservices architecture, with a specific focus on solutions that serve the Pensions business unit.

This role blends hands-on architecture with strategic leadership. You’ll work in close partnership with business and enterprise architects, product owners, engineers, and C-suite stakeholders to shape scalable, secure, user-focused platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the solutions architecture for your domain (applications, cloud infrastructure, integration, and security)
• Guide the modernisation of legacy platforms into a decoupled, event-driven microservices estate
• Define and implement architecture patterns, development standards, and observability practices
• Act as the go-to technical authority for your business unit
• Engage with senior stakeholders to ensure architecture aligns with wider strategy and goals
• Mentor developers and junior architects, fostering a high-performing engineering culture

Why Join?

• Be in at the beginning of building a brand new team.
• Huge Impact as you will own the technical landscape for your domain.
• Clear direction, no third-party constraints, and full in-house ownership
• Minimal politics, strong alignment from board to tech team
• Tech-first and user-centric approach from day one

We’re looking for experienced Senior Architects with:

• Proven experience in solutions architecture with the Insurance Industry
• A strong track record of modernising legacy systems into scalable, microservices-based platforms
• Deep knowledge of design patterns, cloud-native practices, and architectural governance
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

This is a hands-on leadership role — ideal for someone who wants to shape strategy but also stay close to the technology.

Interested?

This is your chance to join one of the UK’s most ambitious architecture transformations — with the scale of a large enterprise and the agility of a start-up team.

To find out more or apply, contact the team at Nixor today.