Lead Architect - Managed Services
Manchester
£100,000 - £110,000 + bonus + perm benefits
Need to be SC eligible
We are looking for a seasoned Managed Services Lead Architect to take architectural ownership of a large, complex client account undergoing significant transformation.
This is a senior, client-facing role where you will own the end-to-end architecture of contracted services, act as the ultimate technical authority on the account, and ensure the long-term integrity, stability, and evolution of the technology landscape.
What You'll Be Doing
* Own and govern the end-to-end account architecture across Managed Services contracts
* Provide architectural governance of change, ensuring quality, compliance, and adherence to standards
* Define and maintain future-state architectures, roadmaps, and transition plans aligned to client needs and contractual commitments
* Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, building strong and credible relationships
* Provide direction and guidance to Domain Architects and Engineers, acting as a technical role model
* Balance innovation with operational stability, ensuring solutions are supportable, secure, and commercially viable
* Collaborate closely with delivery, commercial, and service leadership to manage risk and cost to serve
What We're Looking For
* You will be a senior architect who has operated successfully in large Managed Services environments, with experience that includes:
* Proven ownership of end-to-end architecture for complex, multi-technology estates
* Experience operating as a Lead or Account Architect within Managed Services or outsourcing contracts
* Strong understanding of contracts, commercials, SLAs, and service economics
* Confidence working with Legacy platforms alongside modern cloud and digital technologies
* Excellent stakeholder management skills, with credibility at senior client and executive level
* A pragmatic mindset - able to make sound architectural decisions within real-world constraints