Head of Architecture

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Sector: Construction and Building Services
Role: Senior Manager
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Full Time

Job Details
Salary: Competitive per annum
Hours: 37.5 per week, Monday to Friday
Location: Flexible working with up to 3 days a week in our VHQ, Crawley
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 8th January 2025

At Virgin Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone can take on the world, and it's our vision to become the most loved travel company. As we embark on this next exciting stage of our journey, we're harnessing our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation to challenge the status quo.

In a nutshell
This role is responsible for driving the modernization and innovation of Virgin Atlantic's IT Estate. By developing capability roadmaps and implementing flawless technical and solution architectures, you will own the long-term strategic Architecture objectives for VA (Airline & Holidays).

Day to day

• Lead the development of transformation architectures to meet current and future Virgin Atlantic needs, setting the direction for Modern Airline Retailing.
• Influence future Business Strategies, ensuring no technology opportunities are missed.
• Identify new technologies' opportunities and integrate them into business roadmaps.
• Strategically influence Delta and other technology partners to support Virgin Atlantic transformation.
• Ensure delivery of fit for purpose solution architectures that balance cost, quality, and reuse, while successfully implementing business outcomes.
• Use solution architectures to drive IT Estate modernization, ensuring reuse of Enterprise Assets (e.g., APIs) and adopting modern architectures.
• Manage Total Risk across the IT Estate, finding opportunities for improvement.
• Align Technical Strategies with Business Strategy, business roadmaps, and solution designs.
• Drive the delivery of technical guardrails needed to form effective solution architectures.
• Ensure effective architectural governance for both agile and waterfall projects.
• Line management and pastoral care of the team, including performance management and career development.
• Encourage the team now, build the talent for the future.
• Ensure the team has the right skills, processes, and tools to be effective.

About you

• Proven experience in leading strategic architecture at a senior level, with the ability to understand, influence and drive business strategy.
• Track record of identifying technology opportunities and embedding them into business roadmaps, ensuring solutions are fit for the future.
• Ability to challenge, drive, and influence the organization to think long-term while delivering on short- and medium-term goals.
• Experience in driving major strategic transformations.
• Understanding of the Airline Industry and industry disruptors such as Modern Airline Retailing.

Our recipe for leadership
At Virgin Atlantic, our leaders empower teams to thrive through collaboration, innovation, and excellence.

Be yourself
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That's why we're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Company
Richard Branson founded Virgin Atlantic in 1984 with the intention of shaking up the aviation industry. Since then, we've grown from a small team, one 747 plane and a single route, to a global network that employs thousands of wonderful people worldwide.

We're not just your average airline. We're a family-centric one who recognises togetherness as a hugely important aspect of life.

Our ways of working
We're on a mission to become the most loved travel company, but with this comes great responsibility.

Our people & networks
At Virgin Atlantic, we want to inspire everyone to take on the world, championing inclusivity, activism, and challenger spirit.