Lead Architect – Financial Wellbeing, Loans & Cards
End Date: Wednesday 06 May 2026
Salary Range: £126,523 - £148,850
We support flexible working – click here for more information on flexible working options.
Flexible Working Options
* Hybrid Working
* Job Share
Job Description Summary
We’re investing in simplifying, modernising and transforming our technology landscape and we are looking for two Lead Architects – one for Personal Unsecured Lending (including credit cards, loans and financial wellbeing) and one for Colleague Channels to drive this change.
We’re recruiting two Lead Architects to join our Consumer and Digital Architecture team – one aligned to Consumer Lending platforms and the other to Consumer Relationship platforms. Each role plays a critical part in delivering technology strategy across areas central to the Group’s growth.
These roles define, uphold and communicate the Technology Strategy and direction to support the Group’s vision and strategic intent, with a clear focus on the capabilities needed to ensure long‑term success aligning the Technology agenda with the Group’s Strategy.
You’ll shape and own the architecture strategy for your platform area, providing strong architectural leadership and thought partnership to business and technology change teams. Building trusted relationships will be key, as you influence decisions, align with wider Group strategy, and drive effective, well‑governed delivery. As a senior leader in the architecture community, you’ll work confidently with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders and Executives, to turn strategic ambition into real outcomes.
Responsibilities
* Propose the architectural strategy for Loans, Cards and Financial Wellbeing or Colleague Channels and manage its development and/or delivery, in line with the Technology strategy and the Consumer Lending / Relationships strategy.
* Drive the definition of architecture roadmaps, guardrails and patterns to drive change over the medium and long term against our Technology Strategy. Ensure that Roadmaps meet the needs of significant customers relating to complex, often customised products and services.
* Bring together business design, customer outcomes, a deep understanding of the Loans, Cards and Financial Wellbeing architecture or Colleague Channels and the Technology Strategy to drive the right enterprise outcome.
* Set the direction for change management in the platform to enable major change programmes, taking personal responsibility for a few business‑critical projects.
* Define governing policies and have a presence at governance forums to ensure the roadmaps, guardrails and patterns are effectively adhered to, in line with Group and Technology strategies.
* Have deep knowledge of AI with experience that spans strategy, architecture, governance, and delivery at scale.
* Act as a business partner to board members and senior internal business leaders to ensure technology delivers on business outcomes.
* Conduct external research to stay at the top of industry best practice, including technology, customer and product trends and utilise this knowledge when delivering business design activities to enable overall corporate strategy.
* Effectively lead a team of architects specialising in Personal Unsecured Lending or Colleague Channels to ensure the architecture is driven in line with the group and technology strategy.
Qualifications
* Proven track record in an Architect role, having successfully helped drive the architecture vision and strategy.
* Experience in business skills such as corporate governance, business control, solution development, and design.
* Technical knowledge of Public/Private Cloud, APIs, traditional hosting and event‑driven architectures.
* Architectural expertise, including feasibility assessments and road‑mapping.
* Agile mindset, digital approach, strong communication, leadership and alignment with company values. Demonstrated collaborative, approachable style and ability to build strong relationships and break down barriers.
* Passion & energy, ownership of one’s work/portfolio & drive to deliver value to customers & clients.
* Gravitas and impact to operate at a director level. Strong storytelling skills, both written and verbally, in how you present communication recommendations in line with priorities.
About Working For Us
We focus on inclusivity every day, building an organisation that reflects modern society and celebrates diversity in all its forms.
We want our people to feel they belong and can be their best, regardless of background, identity or culture.
We were among the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package and a dedicated Working with Cancer initiative.
We especially welcome applications from under‑represented groups.
We’re disability confident; if you’d like reasonable adjustments to be made to our recruitment processes, just let us know.
Benefits
* Generous pension contribution of up to 15 %
* Annual bonus award, subject to Group performance
* Share schemes including free shares
* Benefits that can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
* 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top
* Range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies
Join our journey and be part of shaping the financial services of the future.
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