Principal System Architect

Sky UK; City Of London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in the UK is seeking a skilled individual to drive the technology strategy and architecture. You'll engage with multiple teams to ensure strategic initiatives align effectively, focusing on customer innovations. Candidates must have strong experience in systems architecture and agile methodologies. The role offers a dynamic work environment and significant opportunities for personal and professional growth. Benefits include private healthcare and a generous pension package.

Benefits

Private healthcare

Generous pension package

Discounted mobile and broadband

Wide range of Sky VIP rewards

Qualifications

• Experience working within an agile framework with large teams.
• Proven ability to align systems architecture with agile principles.
• Deep understanding of technology architecture across multiple domains.

Responsibilities

• Define enabler features to drive the technology roadmap.
• Own the technology strategy and systems architecture runway.
• Engage with architecture and engineering teams for alignment.

Skills

Agile methodologies

Strategic thinking

Systems architecture

Strong communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Technology delivery lifecycles

Education

Significant experience in senior architecture or engineering roles

Tools

CRM systems architecture

Job description

This role sits within Enablement Platforms in UK&I Technology reporting into the Head of Software Engineering. We are at the heart of the Sky UK technology landscape that supports every major product and customer experience at Sky, responsible for customer management and engagement platforms powering Sky Glass, Sky Q, Mobile, Broadband & Talk, Sky Protect, and exciting future products. You'll work closely with the wider Architecture, Engineering and Product communities, taking ownership, bridging gaps between teams, championing our platforms, and ensuring the opportunities and benefits for technical and operational simplification are translated into clear, compelling narratives for all levels of stakeholders. We are looking for someone who thinks strategically, thrives on solving complex problems creatively, has an eye for detail, and enjoys helping others succeed. You can balance quality, performance, and maintainability while delivering on time; you enjoy breaking down complex solutions into well‑understood, manageable technology change and you have a proven track record of orchestrating and guiding multiple disciplines and teams to deliver technology change that realises tangible business benefit.

Responsibilities

• Define enabler features to drive the technology roadmap for your agile release train.
• Own the technology strategy and vision and systems architecture runway for your agile release train, informed by the wider technology strategy.
• Engage with wider architecture, engineering and product teams to gain consensus on approach. Participate in relevant technology forums and governance.
• Ensure system architecture is ready for PI planning and work closely with engineering teams to ensure understanding of the capability changes proposed.
• Work closely with solution architecture and engineering to ensure that change to shared capabilities is carefully coordinated and well communicated.
• Take accountability for strategic initiatives, shared capabilities, and cross‑cutting objectives driven from the platform portfolio, while ensuring alignment and effective coordination within the respective product portfolio.
• Work closely with engineering teams throughout each PI to assist in the delivery of the work.
• Support the breakdown of capabilities into features.
• Experience working within an agile framework, at scale with demonstrable experience of how to align systems architecture considerations with agile principles and practices.
• Experience of strong and close communication, collaboration, and team skills with both technology and business stakeholders.
• A deep understanding and proven experience of technology architecture and frameworks including technology change and delivery lifecycles.
• Broad and varied technology experience across architectural domains (eg data, infrastructure, integration, security, customer management, digital, app).
• Significant experience in a systems and engineering design background.
• Significant experience in a senior architecture or engineering role.
• Experience of customer relationship management systems architecture including customer engagement, commerce and fulfilment domains. Line management experience or a willingness to support direct reports.
• Nice to have: Experience in media and/or telecoms industry.

Working in Tech, Product or Data at Sky is about building the next and the new. From broadband to broadcast, streaming to mobile, SkyQ to Sky Glass, we never stand still. We optimise and innovate. Our Osterley Campus is a 10‑minute walk from Syon Lane train station. Or you can hop on one of our free shuttle buses that run to and from Osterley, Gunnersbury, Ealing Broadway and South Ealing tube stations. There's also plenty of bike shelters and showers. On campus, you’ll find 13 subsidised restaurants, cafes, and a Waitrose. You can keep in shape at our subsidised gym, catch the latest shows and movies at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon. Inventive, forward‑thinking minds come together to work in Tech, Product and Data at Sky. It's a place where you can explore what if, how far, and what next.

But better doesn't stop at what we do, it’s how we do it, too. We embrace each other’s differences. We support our community and contribute to a sustainable future for our business and the planet. Just so you know: if your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.

Benefits

There’s one thing people can’t stop talking about when it comes to : the perks. Here’s a taster:

• Sky Q, for the TV you love all in one place
• The magic of Sky Glass at an exclusive rate
• A generous pension package
• Private healthcare
• Discounted mobile and broadband
• A wide range of Sky VIP rewards and experiences

Ground‑breaking projects. Innovative tech. Top innovation. Join our UK&I Technology team and you’ll work across technology projects that drive our TV, broadband, mobile and Sky Connect services. You’ll be at the heart of delivering the technology roadmaps that support our UK and Ireland businesses, with a focus on customer innovations for Sky Glass. That’s not all. You’ll also design, develop and deliver digital services for millions of customers across the UK.