Enterprise Architect - 6âMonth Contract (Outside IR35)
Location: Central London (Hybrid, 3 days onsite)
Day Rate: Flexible
We're looking for an experienced Enterprise Architect to support a major transformation programme, providing architectural leadership across business, data, applications, integration, AI and technology domains. This role requires someone who can shape strategy, guide delivery teams, and introduce modern, scalable, secure architectural practices across a diverse organisation.
The Opportunity
As the Enterprise Architect, you'll take ownership of the organisationâwide architectural vision-ensuring technology, data, integration, and AI capabilities work cohesively to enable the business strategy. You'll define futureâstate architecture, build pragmatic roadmaps, and provide expert guidance across multiple programmes.
A strong focus of this contract will be designing and governing integration and AIâenabled architecture, leveraging modern integration platforms (iPaaS), APIâfirst design, and cloud technologies.
You'll work closely with senior stakeholders across functional leadership teams, regional groups, and schoolâlevel operations.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Architecture Leadership
* Establish and maintain the enterprise architecture direction and principles.
* Build targetâstate roadmaps that support both longâterm transformation and incremental delivery.
* Ensure architecture aligns with business goals around scalability, resilience, security, cost efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
Integration & iPaaS Architecture
* Lead the organisation's integration strategy and reference architecture.
* Set standards for APIâled, eventâdriven, and SaaS integration patterns.
* Govern usage of modern iPaaS technologies (e.g., MuleSoft, Boomi, Azure Integration Services).
* Reduce pointâtoâpoint integrations and improve reuse of integration services.
Architecture Governance
* Define enterpriseâlevel standards, principles, and guardrails.
* Review solution designs to ensure alignment with enterprise, data, integration, security, and AI standards.
* Support lifecycle governance for key technology and integration platforms.
Portfolio & Transformation Support
* Provide architectural insight to the portfolio team during planning cycles.
* Identify opportunities for application consolidation and improved platform utilisation.
* Enable agile and productâbased delivery teams through reusable patterns and platforms.
AI & Intelligent Systems Architecture
* Establish the architectural standards for AI and ML solutions.
* Guide teams on model lifecycle, data pipelines, and cloudânative AI services.
* Ensure AI solutions are secure, ethical, governed, and able to integrate with enterprise platforms.
* Help the organisation move from experimentation to reliable, scalable AI delivery.
What You'll Bring
Essential
* 8+ years in architecture roles, ideally as an Enterprise or Lead Architect.
* Strong background in complex, integrationâheavy environments.
* Deep knowledge across business, application, data, integration, AI, and technical architecture.
* Handsâon experience with major platforms such as Salesforce, Sitecore, Microsoft Dynamics, or SuccessFactors.
* Expertise in APIâled integration, eventâdriven architectures, SaaS ecosystems, and public cloud (Azure/AWS/GCP).
* Excellent communication and stakeholderâinfluencing skills at senior level.
* Ability to balance architectural vision with practical delivery.
Desirable
* Understanding of AI/ML architecture, data pipelines, and model deployment approaches.
* Awareness of generative AI platforms and integration methods.
* Familiarity with frameworks like TOGAF (not essential).
* Knowledge of ethical AI principles, governance, and risk management.
