Solution Architecture Practice Lead

Our Technology teams are right at the heart of what we do. Surrounded by some of the best Architects in the industry, you'll bring your own ideas to the business - helping to shape the experience of our customers as part of a forward-thinking team.

As the Solution Architecture Practice Lead within Primark's Architecture Team, you will be responsible for driving the practice of solution architecture across our organisation. Reporting to the Chief Architect, you will provide strategic direction, thought leadership, and mentorship to solution architects, enabling them to deliver high-quality and scalable technology solutions.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with business goals and driving innovation through effective solution design. Additionally, you will manage the resource allocation and development of solution architects, optimizing their performance and ensuring the successful delivery of architectural solutions.

If you are passionate about technology, possess excellent leadership and architectural skills, and have a strong background in solution architecture, you will be an ideal fit for this role.

What You'll Get
The world is changing and it's important we support our colleagues. People are at the heart of what we do at Primark so it's essential we provide the right environment for you to perform at your best. That's why we offer benefits that put you first.

Some of our benefits are:

• 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more.
• Flexible Working, the opportunity for an early Friday finish, and a subsidised cafeteria.
• Primark Perks – Discounts with some local partner businesses to our offices.

What You'll Do:
In your role, you'll collaborate with different people across a range of skill sets. Here's a flavour of your day-to-day:

• Lead the solution architecture practice and establish standards, frameworks, and guidelines aligned with Primark's technology strategy.
• Provide strategic guidance and mentorship to solution architects and foster the reuse of components, patterns, and techniques within a composable architecture framework.
• Manage the resource and task allocation of solution architects and drive the development and maintenance of solution architecture artifacts.
• Conduct solution reviews and ensure compliance with architectural standards and best practices.
• Stay up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in solution architecture and advocate for their adoption within Primark.
• Represent the solution architecture practice as part of the architecture leadership team and be the owner of any architectural and project risks and/or issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, business stakeholders, enterprise architects, vendors, partners, and security and information risk functions to define, align, communicate, and implement solution architecture.
• Build, manage, and mentor a high-performing team focused on delivering the technology strategy for Primark and fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing among solution architects.
• Share an engaging and inspiring vision with the team and provide clarity and a sense of direction to enable working towards common goals and build talent and succession plans for the team.

What You'll Bring
Here at Primark, we want everyone to feel valued – so please bring your authentic self to work, of course with some other key experience and abilities for this role in particular:

• Proven experience as a senior solution architect or a similar role, with a strong track record of designing and delivering complex technology solutions.
• Solid understanding of solution architecture principles, frameworks, and best practices, with hands-on experience in solution design.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and developing a team of solution architects.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• In-depth knowledge of modern software architectures, including microservices, APIs, cloud computing, and data analytics.
• An affinity for the mission and vision of the Technology function and a passion to play a key role in shaping and achieving the success of the function.
• Creative and analytically minded, with a passion for turning data into storytelling and actionable insights.
• Creates trusted relationships and collaborates across multi-functional teams to successfully drive business objectives.
• Excellent attention to detail and an ability to analyse and interrogate high volumes of data as well as demonstrating an ability to focus on higher level overview.
• Proven ability in managing sensitive matters whilst ensuring all Primark information remains confidential to the business.

Ready? Good - because we can't wait to see what you can offer. You'll be joining a team of diverse, passionate, and talented individuals where you'll truly belong, collaborating on projects that will shape the future of our industry. If you're excited about this role but don't meet all the criteria, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or another one, and our recruitment team can determine where your skills may fit in at Primark.

Apply to be part of our future and we'll help you develop yours.

If you need any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request during your recruitment journey, such as extended time or breaks between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, mobility access, or assistive technology please contact your talent acquisition specialist.

All offers of employment are subject to background checks, including the right to work, reference education and for some roles criminal, and financial checks. If you have any concerns please reach out to our talent acquisition team to discuss.

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