Principal Enterprise Architect

ASTRAZENECA UK LIMITED; Macclesfield; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global pharmaceutical company is seeking a Principal Enterprise Architect to ensure architecture decisions align with business ambitions and IT strategy in the pursuit of sustainability. This role involves strategic planning and immediate solution design projects, making a significant impact in supporting the company’s mission. Candidates should have a relevant technical degree and experience in leading innovative solutions. Flexibility is incorporated in the working environment, with a minimum expectation of three days per week in the office.

Qualifications

• Experience as an enterprise architect authoring and completing architecture roadmaps.
• Experience developing and managing relationships with third-party suppliers.
• Strong networking skills with good internal/external links.

Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to ensure architecture decisions support business and IT strategy.
• Participate in architecture assessments and reviews.
• Document and share knowledge and standard methodologies.

Skills

Enterprise architecture design

Technological innovation

Change leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Relevant technical degree or equivalent

Master's or equivalent experience

Job description

Are you ready to inspire change and make a significant impact? At AstraZeneca, we are committed to delivering life‑changing medicines while embedding sustainability into every aspect of our work. The Principal Enterprise Architect in Sustainability will play a pivotal role in ensuring architecture decisions align with business ambitions and IT strategy. This position focuses on strategic planning over a 1–5‑year horizon, as well as immediate solution design projects. You will be instrumental in developing architecture standards, technology strategies, and roadmaps that support our mission to tackle the biggest sustainability challenges of our time, and provide enterprise design thinking and support across Business, Application, Integration, Cloud, Data & Analytics, and AI/ML domains.

Responsibilities

• Lead efforts to ensure architecture decisions support business and IT strategy, ensuring compliance with AZ standards, blueprints, and roadmaps.
• Participate in architecture assessments and reviews, contributing as a lead reviewing architect or domain expert.
• Document and share knowledge and standard methodologies to develop the architecture capability and practice.
• Be accountable for developing architecture standards, technology domain strategies, roadmaps, and blueprints.
• Define and update “Transition” and “To‑Be” architectures applying AZ guiding principles.
• Support solution development efforts from portfolios, participate in IT initiatives, and provide guidance for better planning and decision‑making.
• Maintain a view of current and future state architecture within defined focus areas.
• Develop architecture building blocks to support enterprise architecture implementation.
• Lead or actively participate in enterprise domain teams and working groups.

Qualifications

• Relevant technical degree or equivalent.
• Experience as an enterprise architect authoring and completing architecture roadmaps.
• Experience producing application strategies/roadmaps for a global enterprise.
• Experience with rationalisation, consolidation, and integration of technology across business domains.
• Experience with large justification phase work – product evaluation, case formulation.
• Experience developing and influencing business strategies with multi‑functional team impact.
• Experience developing and leading innovative solutions.
• Proven experience of leading change and challenging approaches/ideas.
• Experience developing and managing relationships with third‑party suppliers.
• Experience designing complex technology solutions aligned to enterprise roadmaps.
• Experience in designing AI/ML solutions.
• Strong networking skills with good internal/external links.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and relationship‑building skills.
• Ability to interpret and communicate technical information into business language.
• Awareness of marketplace developments and their relevance to AZ.
• Ability to work well in diverse, multinational teams and influence others positively.
• Open mind to learning new skills and capabilities.
• Ability to follow agile and incremental architecture approaches.
• Strong analytical skills on architecture trade‑offs.

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Demonstrate initiative, strong customer orientation, and cross‑cultural working.
• People development experience.
• Budget management experience.
• Master’s or equivalent experience and/or professional certification.
• Experience in sustainability initiatives in large organisations.
• Good understanding of industry technology trends regarding Agentic AI.
• Good eye for business.
• Understanding of the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry.

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life‑changing medicines. In‑person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace, and challenge perceptions. That’s why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn’t mean we’re not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

AstraZeneca offers an environment where technical skills meet emotional intelligence. Join a team of highly qualified professionals who are persuasive communicators with empathy. We focus on the human impact of changes we drive, leading to complete solutions for the business. With the freedom to explore innovative technologies, there’s never a dull moment as you create a significant footprint through continuous learning and growth.