Strategic Architect

M&G; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial services company in Edinburgh is seeking a Strategic Architect for their Life Technology Strategy team. This pivotal role requires a strong background in technical strategy with an emphasis on Digital, Data, and AI. Responsibilities include evaluating the feasibility of strategic initiatives, collaborating with stakeholders, and designing organizational architectures to support business outcomes. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in solution architecture and enterprise principles, excellent communication skills, and the ability to drive innovation.

Benefits

Market-leading pension scheme

38 days annual leave

Private healthcare

Critical illness cover

Generous parental leave

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in technical strategy or solution architecture.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture principles.
• Ability to assess and influence technical fit for strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate technical feasibility of strategic initiatives.
• Provide expert input into business cases and technology roadmaps.
• Design process and organizational architectures.

Skills

Technical strategy

Solution architecture

Stakeholder management

Digital technologies

Data analytics

Artificial Intelligence

Process design

Job description

Overview

Our purpose is to give everyone real confidence to put their money to work. With a heritage dating back more than 175 years, we have a long history of innovation in savings and investments, combining asset management and insurance expertise to offer a wide range of solutions.

Our two distinct operating segments, Asset Management and Life, work together to provide access to balanced, long-term investment and savings solutions.

Through telling it like it is, owning it now, and moving it forward together with care and integrity; we are creating an exceptional place to work for exceptional talent.

We will consider flexible working arrangements for any of our roles and also offer work place accommodations to ensure you have what you need to effectively deliver in your role.

Role

Strategic Architect, Life Technology

We are seeking a highly experienced Strategic Architect to join our Life Technology Strategy team. This is a pivotal, hands-on role that operates as a technical strategist and trusted advisor, working in close partnership with Strategic Consultants and senior stakeholders. Unlike an Enterprise Architect, the Strategic Architect focuses on the technical feasibility, fit, and strategic alignment of new initiatives—ensuring that every major change is both visionary and executable within the broader enterprise context. You will be responsible for evaluating and shaping the technical direction of strategic initiatives, with a particular emphasis on Digital, Data, AI, and emerging technologies. You will also consider process and organizational architecture, ensuring that operating models and ways of working are designed to support strategic outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate the technical feasibility and architectural fit of strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture principles and business objectives.
• Provide expert technical input into business cases, strategic proposals, and technology roadmaps.

Collaboration & Partnership

• Work closely with Strategic Consultants to shape and refine strategic initiatives, translating business vision into actionable technical solutions.
• Act as a bridge between business strategy and technology delivery, ensuring clarity and alignment at every stage.

Innovation & Technology Leadership

• Stay at the forefront of Digital, Data, and AI trends, identifying opportunities to leverage new technologies for competitive advantage.
• Advise on the adoption of innovative solutions, balancing ambition with practical delivery constraints.

Process & Organisational Architecture

• Design and recommend process and organizational architectures that enable strategic outcomes and support new operating models.
• Ensure that technology, process, and people considerations are integrated into all strategic recommendations.

Governance & Best Practice

• Champion architectural best practices, standards, and governance across Life Technology.
• Support the development of reusable frameworks, patterns, and reference architectures.

What Success Looks Like

• Advance Strategic Alignment: Ensure all major technology initiatives are technically feasible, strategically aligned, and positioned for successful delivery.
• Drive Strategic Outcomes: Enable the realization of business strategy through robust technical design, process architecture, and organizational alignment.
• Provide Technical Expertise: Be recognized as a go-to expert for Digital, Data, AI, and technology strategy, supporting the Strategic Consultants and influencing senior stakeholders.
• Foster Innovation: Identify and champion innovative solutions that deliver tangible business value and keep Life Technology at the forefront of the industry.
• Enable Effective Change: Design operating models and processes that support transformation and ensure sustainable, scalable outcomes.

Key Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in technical strategy, solution architecture, or a related field, ideally within Digital, Data, or AI domains.
• Deep understanding of enterprise architecture principles, with the ability to assess and influence technical fit for strategic initiatives.
• Strong track record of partnering with business and strategy teams to deliver complex, cross-functional change.
• Expertise in designing process and organizational architectures to support new operating models.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to drive innovation and deliver strategic outcomes in large, complex organizations.
• Experience with technology governance, standards, and best practice frameworks.

Recruiter - Martyn Jack

Benefits

What we offer:

At M&G, we’re committed to helping you thrive and supporting your wellbeing, both at work and beyond. Our benefits are designed to help you balance your professional and personal life, while planning confidently for your future. Our UK benefits include:

• As a savings and Investments firm we are proud to offer a valuable pension scheme of 18%, with 13% made up of Employer Contributions and 5% Employee Contributions. We also offer Share Save and our Share Incentive Plan, together with access to financial wellbeing and support services - to help give you real confidence to put your money to work.
• Enjoy 38 days annual leave including bank holidays, with the opportunity to purchase up to 5 extra days and additional flexibility through our Time Off When You Need It policy – to balance your work and personal commitments.
• Our market leading Inspiring Families policy includes comprehensive support and paid parental leave covering maternity, adoption, surrogacy, and paternity leave - as supporting families is a core aspect of our inclusive culture.
• Health & Protection cover including Private Healthcare, Critical Illness cover and Life Assurance for you, with family options - for peace of mind.

To explore more about life at M&G and our full benefits offering, remove links and reference to external pages and review as part of internal materials. We have a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture at M&G, underpinned by our policies and our employee-led networks who provide networking opportunities, advice and support for the diverse communities our colleagues represent. Regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability or long term condition, we are looking to attract, promote and retain exceptional people. We also welcome those who take part in military service and those returning from career breaks.

M&G is also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, and we welcome applications from candidates with long-term health conditions, disabilities, or neuro-divergent conditions.

If you need assistance or an alternative means of applying for a role due to a disability or additional need, please let us know by contacting us at: Careers at mandg dot com (formatted in clean text).