Head of Architecture

Date: 14 Oct 2026

Company: DWR Cymru Cyfyngedig Welsh Water Plc

City: Cardiff

Address: Cardiff, Wales, GB, CF3 0LT

Job Requisition Number

9377

Work Type

Permanent

Job Function

IT

Salary Range

Competitive based on experience.

Base

South East Hub

Closing Date

This vacancy will remain open until a suitable number of applications have been received

What you will be responsible for

• The Head of Architecture is a senior member of the Digital Management Team, reporting to the Chief Technology Officer. The role provides enterprise-wide architectural management and takes a guiding role in shaping digital strategy, translating organisational priorities into a coherent target architecture and actionable multi-year roadmap.
• You will guide all elements of architecture across enterprise, business, solution and technical domains, including guiding a community of practice with specialist areas such as cyber security and Operational Technology (OT). You will establish the principles, standards, reference architectures and governance needed to create secure, resilient, interoperable and sustainable digital services.
• Working across executive management, business functions, digital delivery teams and strategic partners, you will connect strategy to execution. You will maintain a clear view of the current and target architecture, guide investment and design decisions, enable reuse and simplification, reduce technical debt and ensure that major programmes deliver measurable business value.
• The Head of Architecture will build and guide a high-performing architecture practice, develop architectural capability across the organisation and act as a trusted adviser to the Chief Technology Officer and senior managers. The role will be expected to communicate complex choices clearly, challenge constructively and balance pace, value, risk and long-term sustainability.

Responsibilities:

• Shape digital strategy and define a digital roadmap. Partner with the CTO and executive managers to define the digital roadmap, investment priorities and strategic choices that enable key business outcomes in our long-term strategy.
• Own enterprise architecture. Establish and maintain current, target and transition architectures across business capabilities, information, applications, integrations, infrastructure and cloud.
• Guide architecture across all domains. Provide integrated management for enterprise, solution and technical architecture, including specialist cyber security and OT architecture, ensuring end-to-end design integrity.
• Set standards and guardrails. Define architecture principles, policies, patterns and reference architectures that promote security by design, interoperability, resilience, scalability, sustainability and reuse.
• Govern strategic design decisions. Chair architecture governance, assure significant programmes and solutions, record decisions and exceptions, and ensure risks are understood and owned.
• Connect strategy to delivery. Work with portfolio, product, programme and engineering managers to translate roadmaps into prioritised initiatives and provide architecture support throughout delivery.
• Optimise the technology estate. Guide modernisation, rationalisation and lifecycle planning; reduce duplication and technical debt; and evaluate options using value, risk, total cost of ownership and operational impact.
• Build the architecture profession. Guide, coach and develop architects and federated design communities, clarifying accountabilities and strengthening skills, succession and career pathways.
• Provide trusted advice and horizon scanning. Explain complex trade-offs to technical and non-technical audiences, advise managers on emerging technology and market trends, and identify opportunities for responsible innovation.
• Manage partners and architectural risk. Influence strategic suppliers and delivery partners, protect organisational interests, and ensure architecture-related security, compliance, operational and obsolescence risks are actively managed.

About you

• Degree or equivalent professional experience in technology, architecture, engineering, computer science or a related discipline. Relevant architecture certification, such as TOGAF, is desirable.
• Substantial senior architecture management experience in a large, complex and operationally critical organisation
• Proven experience of advising, challenging and influencing executive managers and senior stakeholders E
• Experience of shaping enterprise digital or technology strategy and translating it into target architectures and multi-year roadmaps
• Experience guiding architecture across enterprise, solution and technical domains, including cyber security and OT or other specialist environments
• Experience providing architecture managers and assurance for major digital transformation programmes
• Experience building, guiding and developing high-performing architecture teams and communities of practice
• Experience establishing architecture governance, standards, design authorities and proportionate assurance processes
• Experience assessing technology investments and suppliers against strategic fit, security, resilience, value and total cost of ownership
• Evidence of using architecture to enable innovation, simplify estates, reduce technical debt and improve business outcomes

Knowledge & Skills

• Deep knowledge of enterprise architecture methods, modelling, principles, standards, roadmapping and architecture governance
• Strong understanding of modern architecture across cloud, infrastructure, integration, applications, data, security and operational technology
• Commercial awareness and the ability to balance strategic fit, customer value, delivery pace, risk, sustainability and cost
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to turn complex architectural choices into clear recommendations, narratives and decisions for varied audiences
• Ability to operate at a high level of abstraction while understanding sufficient detail to test feasibility, delivery implications and risk
• Strong strategic thinking, judgement and constructive challenge, with a focus on organisational outcomes rather than technology in isolation
• Ability to build trusted relationships, foster collaboration across organisational boundaries and create an inclusive architecture culture

Good to know

There will be a requirement to participate in standby rota

If you would like further information on this role, please contact [email protected]

Benefits

As well as a market competitive salary, 36 days annual leave (pro rata, including public holidays), we offer a range of employee benefits and rewards including:

Variable pay schemes (your salary band will remain the same, but performance depending, you could receive an incremental within-band increase and a yearly incentive)

Option to buy additional annual leave up to 5 days per year

Enhanced employer pension contributions – Up to 11% employer contributions

Free Mortgage Brokering Services

Enhanced family friendly policies

Progression opportunities, including the ability to apply for funded training and coaching and mentoring programmes

Gym and fitness discounts as well as high street shopping

Cycle to work scheme

Discount off all Welsh Water visitor attraction centres and gift shops

Car-leasing scheme and free on-site parking at all sites

Health CashBack scheme and access to an online GP service

An employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate family

Private Health Insurance

Many more can be found on our website.

Due to the nature of the industry, we require satisfactory references, post offer medical clearance, and a criminal records Basic Disclosure check on all new employees joining the business.

For some roles there may be additional checks and security clearance required, and this offer is subject to all checks being satisfied. You will receive further information on how to complete these checks via email once you have accepted this offer.

Who we are

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water keep 3 million people healthy each day with safe, reliable water, and take away wastewater to clean, before returning it safely to our beautiful rivers and seas.

To be able to deliver high quality, essential services which help to protect the health of our customers, colleagues and our environment, we need the right people to deliver on our vision. This is achieved by living our core values and demonstrating the core behaviours that underpin them. The security of our people, assets and information is key to us, so we are looking for people who understand and comply with the company’s required security objectives.

We know that the most successful teams are the most diverse teams. Equality, diversity and inclusion provide the very foundation to our culture at Welsh Water. We want every individual to feel confident, proud and able to bring their whole selves to work. To ensure an improved representation in our workforce, applications are particularly welcome from minority groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, Females, LGBT+, Non-binary and people with disabilities. Together we continue to build a workplace that not only celebrates the diverse voices of our colleagues but also represents each customer we serve. In essence, ours is a company based on trust, openness, respect, commitment and honesty. A company that our colleagues are proud to work for.

Dŵr Cymru Cyf, a limited company registered in Wales No. 2366777. Registered office: Linea, Fortran Road, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 0LT

© Dŵr Cymru Cyf 2019.

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