Lead Architect - Life Insurance

ZipRecruiter; Wilmslow; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading mutual pension provider as a Senior Solutions Architect and play a key role in transforming their architecture function. You will be responsible for shaping technical solutions for the Pensions domain, transitioning legacy systems to modern, user-focused platforms, and leading a new team in an agile environment.

Benefits

Opportunity to build a brand new team

Tech-first approach with full in-house ownership

Minimal politics and strong alignment from board to tech team

Qualifications

• Proven experience in solutions architecture with the insurance industry.
• Strong track record of modernizing legacy systems.
• Deep knowledge of design patterns and cloud practices.

Responsibilities

• Own the solutions architecture for the domain.
• Guide modernization of legacy platforms to microservices architecture.
• Mentor junior architects and foster high-performing culture.

Skills

Solutions architecture

Microservices

Communication

Job description

Job Description

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-, 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- 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.