Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect - 6‑Month 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 organisation‑wide architectural vision-ensuring technology, data, integration, and AI capabilities work cohesively to enable the business strategy. You'll define future‑state architecture, build pragmatic roadmaps, and provide expert guidance across multiple programmes.

A strong focus of this contract will be designing and governing integration and AI‑enabled architecture, leveraging modern integration platforms (iPaaS), API‑first design, and cloud technologies.

You'll work closely with senior stakeholders across functional leadership teams, regional groups, and school‑level operations.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Architecture Leadership

* Establish and maintain the enterprise architecture direction and principles.
* Build target‑state roadmaps that support both long‑term 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 API‑led, event‑driven, and SaaS integration patterns.
* Govern usage of modern iPaaS technologies (e.g., MuleSoft, Boomi, Azure Integration Services).
* Reduce point‑to‑point integrations and improve reuse of integration services.

Architecture Governance

* Define enterprise‑level 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 product‑based 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 cloud‑native 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, integration‑heavy environments.
* Deep knowledge across business, application, data, integration, AI, and technical architecture.
* Hands‑on experience with major platforms such as Salesforce, Sitecore, Microsoft Dynamics, or SuccessFactors.
* Expertise in API‑led integration, event‑driven architectures, SaaS ecosystems, and public cloud (Azure/AWS/GCP).
* Excellent communication and stakeholder‑influencing 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.