Lead Solution Architect

City IT; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

City IT is seeking a dynamic leader for the Solution and Data Architects team, fostering modernisation and driving architecture standards. This role is pivotal in aligning technology strategies with business outcomes and ensures a collaborative approach to building effective solutions. Ideal candidates will possess strong leadership skills in Agile environments and a passion for coaching. Join us in shaping the future of our digital footprint!

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in architecture roles, preferably in a Scaled Agile environment.
• Experience with both High-Level Designs (HLD) and Low-Level Designs (LLD).
• Passionate about coaching and developing people.

Responsibilities

• Leading a team of Solution and Data Architects.
• Defining standards and architecture guardrails for delivery.
• Translating technical vision into action with product and engineering teams.

Skills

Leadership

Architecture Modelling

Scaled Agile

Communication

Tools

ArchiMate

EA Tools

Job description

At City Electrical Factors, we encourage our people to ask questions, create, discover, and learn.

If you're passionate about what you do and think you can contribute, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement listed. Your unique experiences and perspectives could be exactly what we need to grow and innovate.

Let's build something great together!

About CEF:

CEF is a global electrical wholesaler, providing electrical products to people in the industry known for its extensive range of products and commitment to customer service. Founded in 1951 in the United Kingdom, it has since expanded to over 1,000 locations across multiple countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.

We in IT are delivering value to our business and our customers with the innovative solutions that enable our business to better serve our customers today and in the future. We recognise that technology and data are at the forefront of this.

Our Global IT team deliver a portfolio of transformative work, expand our digital options, upgrade and future-proof our systems to place us at the forefront of the marketplace.

To do this, we need talented and creative people across all areas to join us in delivering our evolution to enable our forward-thinking business over the next few years and beyond, and this is where you come in...

What’s the role about?

You’ll be leading a team of Solution and Data Architects, working hand-in-hand with our domain teams, technical leadership and stakeholders across the UK, US and beyond. You’ll be setting standards, driving modernisation, and helping us unlock serious value through tech.

We’re scaling up our digital footprint, modernising legacy platforms and introducing smarter, better ways of working—your architecture guidance will be critical in making that happen.

What you’ll be doing:

• Coaching and growing a team of architects (initially ~5)
• Defining standards and architecture guardrails to support delivery at pace
• Translating technical vision into action, working closely with product and engineering teams
• Bringing our global tech strategy to life with smart, incremental delivery
• Driving adoption of best practices (and helping us stay ahead of the curve)
• Being a key player in aligning architecture with business outcomes

What we’re looking for:

• Proven leadership in architecture roles—ideally in a Scaled Agile environment
• Experience with both HLD and LLD
• Strong experience with ArchiMate, EA tools, and architecture modelling
• A confident communicator who can bridge the gap between business and tech
• Someone who knows how to get buy-in and make architecture feel practical, not abstract
• Passionate about coaching and developing people

Recruitment Process:

• Call with Talent Acquisition (30mins)
• MS Teams call with our Global Head of Technology & Architecture and Team Member (60 Mins)
• Meet with our Director of Architecture & Engineering (30 Mins)