Principal Architect

Premier Inn; Dunstable; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare: BUPA

Discounts: Premier Inn stays

Annual incentive: up to 30%

Job summary

Whitbread is seeking a Principal Architect to lead the architecture strategy for infrastructure, cloud and AI-enabled technology services at Whitbread Court, Dunstable. You will shape platforms to be secure, resilient and scalable, guiding strategic decisions and roadmaps.

You will influence senior stakeholders, collaborate with architecture, engineering, security and product teams, and drive adoption of AI, automation and intelligent infrastructure across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in infrastructure, cloud or platform architecture within large enterprises.
• Deep knowledge of Azure, AWS and hybrid cloud platforms.
• Strong understanding of networking, security, resilience and platform engineering.
• Experience creating target architectures, roadmaps, governance and standards.
• Knowledge of AI, Generative AI, AIOps and automation technologies.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate complex tech into business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategic architecture for Whitbread's infrastructure, cloud and platform estate.
• Define architecture principles, design standards and technology roadmaps.
• Provide governance and technical leadership across major programmes and investments.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and develop AI, automation and intelligent infra strategies.

Skills

Infra/Cloud Arch

Azure

AWS

Hybrid cloud

Networking & Security

AI & AIOps

Stakeholder influence

Job description

At Whitbread, we're transforming how technology powers some of the UK's most recognised hospitality brands. We're looking for a visionary Principal Architect - Infrastructure, Cloud & AI to define and lead the architecture strategy for our cloud, infrastructure and AI-enabled technology services.

This is a high-impact leadership role where you'll influence enterprise-wide technology decisions, shape long-term roadmaps, and ensure our platforms remain secure, resilient, scalable and ready for the future. You'll play a key role in helping Whitbread unlock the value of emerging technologies including AI, Generative AI, Automation and AIOps.

Role: Principal Architect - Infrastructure, Cloud & AI

Contract Type: Permanent, Full time

Location: Whitbread Court, Dunstable (3 days hybrid)

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Healthcare: Family BUPA healthcare
• Discounts: Up to 60% discount on Premier Inn stays and 25% discount on our Restaurant brand
• Annual Incentive of up to 30% Bonus

Check out all our benefits here: https://www.whitbreadcareers.com/about-us/benefits/

What you’ll be doing:

You'll own the strategic architecture for Whitbread's infrastructure, cloud and platform estate, driving technology direction across areas including cloud platforms, networks, hosting, end user computing, platform engineering and AI-enabled operations.

Working closely with architecture, engineering, security and product teams, you'll define architecture principles, design standards and technology roadmaps, while providing governance and technical leadership across major programmes and investments. You'll also evaluate emerging technologies and develop practical strategies for adopting AI, automation and intelligent infrastructure capabilities across the organisation

What you’ll need:

• Significant experience in Infrastructure, Cloud or Platform Architecture within a large, complex enterprise environment.
• Deep knowledge of Azure, AWS, hybrid cloud platforms and modern infrastructure services.
• Strong understanding of enterprise networking, security, resilience and platform engineering principles.
• Experience creating target architectures, technology roadmaps, governance frameworks and architectural standards.
• Knowledge of AI, Generative AI, AIOps, automation technologies and responsible AI practices.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes.