Lead Enterprise Architect

Would you like to kick start your career in a supportive, collaborative and innovative company? Do you enjoy working as part of an enthusiastic, passionate, and collaborative team? Join our Strategy & Architecture Team! Softcat is embarking on an ambitious period of technology and business transformation. As technology becomes increasingly central to our growth, customer experience and operational effectiveness, we are establishing a new Strategy & Architecture capability to help shape the next chapter of Softcat's technology journey.

Success. The Softcat Way. Passion. Intelligence. Fun. Responsible. Community: these are the core values which define Softcat. We are one of the UK's leading IT infrastructure providers and a FTSE 250 listed company. We help customers to use technology to succeed, by putting our employees first.

Reporting to the Head of Strategy & Architecture, the Lead Enterprise Architect is responsible for establishing and leading Softcat's Enterprise Architecture capability during a significant period of business and technology transformation. This is a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for creating the architecture practices, principles, standards and ways of working that will help shape Softcat's future technology landscape. Working closely with senior technology and business leaders, you will ensure technology investments, transformation initiatives and architectural decisions remain aligned to strategic priorities whilst enabling teams to deliver at pace. You will provide leadership to a team of Senior Solutions Architects aligned to key transformation portfolios and play a critical role in building the architecture capability, culture and community that will support Softcat's long-term growth ambitions.

As the Lead Enterprise Architect, you'll be responsible for:

• Defining technology strategy
• Establishing architecture practices and standards
• Shaping major transformation initiatives
• Supporting platform and capability-based investment decisions
• Building a modern, scalable technology landscape
• Improving how technology enables business growth

We'd love you to have:

• Significant Enterprise Architecture leadership experience.
• Experience establishing or maturing architecture practices.
• Experience defining architecture principles, governance and standards.
• Experience shaping technology strategy and roadmaps.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including senior executive engagement.
• Experience leading architects or architecture communities.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with pragmatic delivery support.

We also acknowledge that the confidence gap and imposter syndrome are a real thing and can get in the way of us meeting fantastic talent, so please don't hesitate to apply – we would love to hear from you!

Work in a way that works for you We recognise that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone too. In this role, we can offer the following flexible working patterns:

• Hybrid working – 2 days in the office and 3 days working from home
• Working flexible hours - flexing the times you start and finish during the day
• Flexibility around school pick up and drop offs

Working with us Wherever you work, we want you to experience the freedom and autonomy to realise your potential. You will feel supported by a team that celebrates individuality, encourages different perspectives, and embraces every background.

Join us To become part of the success story, please apply now.

If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we can provide support or adjustments that you may need throughout our recruitment process or any mitigating circumstance you wish for us to consider. Any information you share on your application will be treated in confidence. You can find out more about life at Softcat and our commitments to diversity and inclusion at jobs.softcat.com/jobs/our-culture/

Here at Softcat, we don't prohibit the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in our application process, as we understand how far it can go to creating a truly equitable candidate experience. That being said, as a culture-driven organisation, we believe that the genuine essence of each person is what truly matters, so we highly encourage you to be as authentically you as possible when submitting your application to showcase your true and whole self.