Head of Enterprise Architecture
Schroders · London
Role Overview
The Head of Enterprise Architecture is responsible for defining and governing Schroders’ enterprise-wide technology strategy, target architecture, architectural guardrails and operating model. Reporting to the Head of Global Tech Transformation, Change & Governance, the role aligns business strategy, technology strategy and investment decisions so that change is delivered safely, consistently and at pace.
You will act as a trusted advisor to the CTO, technology leadership and senior business stakeholders, providing independent architectural guidance on strategic priorities, investment choices, operating model evolution and enterprise transformation. You will translate complex technology considerations into clear business choices, including dependencies, risks and trade-offs.
You will lead Enterprise Architecture engagement for major corporate initiatives, including acquisitions, integrations and business transformations. In particular, you will lead the relevant architecture work for the integration with Nuveen, establishing common principles, capability views, target states and transition roadmaps across the combined technology landscape, while identifying opportunities for simplification, rationalisation and reuse.
The role leads and develops the Enterprise Architecture team and provides functional leadership across the wider architecture community, including Enterprise Architects, Platform Architects, Domain Architects and engineering leaders. It establishes clear decision rights and engagement models so that enterprise direction, platform ownership and delivery accountability work together effectively.
About Schroders
Schroders is a global investment manager which provides active asset management, wealth management and investment solutions. We aim to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We serve a diverse client base that includes pension schemes, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth individuals, family offices, as well as end clients through partnerships with distributors, financial advisers, and online platforms.
Established in 1804, we have around 5,500 people across 36 global locations. Schroders' success can be attributed to its diversified business model, spanning different asset classes, client types and geographies.
The team
Enterprise Architecture is a federated, enabling function working across Global Technology and the business. It provides enterprise-wide direction, design authority and transparency through principles, standards, target-state architectures, capability models, technology roadmaps, governance and the enterprise architecture repository. The function partners with Platform Architects, Domain Architects, Engineering Leads, Information Security, Data, Risk, Procurement, Service Management and delivery teams.
Key Responsibilities
- Enterprise Strategy and Target State: Define and maintain the Enterprise Architecture strategy, operating model, principles and target-state direction. Translate business strategy into capability-based plans, transition roadmaps and actionable technology priorities.
- Trusted Advisor: Advise the CTO, technology leadership and senior business stakeholders on technology strategy, investments, sourcing choices, operating models and transformation priorities, offering clear and constructive challenge.
- Nuveen Integration: Lead the relevant architecture work for the integration with Nuveen, shaping common principles, capability views, target states and transition roadmaps across business capabilities, applications, data, platforms and operating models.
- Architecture Governance Framework: Lead the Architecture Review Board and evolve the enterprise governance framework, including forums, decision rights, artefacts and controls, so that decisions are transparent, timely, proportionate and auditable.
- Standards, Target Technologies and Reuse: Establish and govern architecture principles, standards, reference architectures, target technologies and reusable patterns across cloud, integration, data, security, applications and infrastructure.
- Assurance and Exception Management: Provide proportionate oversight for significant investments and change. Maintain transparent decision records, exceptions, risk acceptance, compensating controls and remediation plans without removing delivery accountability.
- Technology Portfolio and Lifecycle Governance: Lead application rationalisation, end-of-life and end-of-support management, technology lifecycle planning and technical debt governance. Identify duplication, strategic gaps, concentration risk and optimisation opportunities.
- Architecture Information and Insight: Promote strong ownership and data quality for architecture information, using Orbus Infinity as the enterprise system of record for relevant architecture data. Define KPIs and reporting that evidence architectural health, progress and value.
- Partner to Platform and Domain Architects: Work with Platform Architects and Domain Architects so that platform strategies and local roadmaps align with enterprise direction, while enterprise guardrails remain grounded in delivery realities.
- AI and Emerging Technology Governance: Define proportionate architecture governance for AI-enabled products, applications and agents, covering registration, security review, operational readiness, cost monitoring, support, data and control requirements.
- Strategic Transformation: Lead Enterprise Architecture engagement for acquisitions, integrations and enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, representing the function in senior governance and transformation forums.
- Leadership and Capability Building: Lead, coach and develop the Enterprise Architecture team. Build capability across the wider architecture community through clear accountabilities, communities of practice, practical guidance and constructive challenge.
The knowledge and experience you need
- Enterprise Architecture Leadership: Extensive experience leading Enterprise Architecture in a large, complex organisation, ideally within financial services or another regulated industry.
- Technology Strategy and Target-State Design: A proven track record of defining enterprise technology strategies, target states, transition roadmaps and architecture operating models across multiple business and technology domains.
- Governance and Executive Influence: Demonstrated ability to lead architecture governance and influence significant technology investment and transformation decisions at executive level.
- Breadth of Technology Knowledge: Strong knowledge across business architecture, applications, data, integration, cloud, infrastructure, security and digital platforms.
- Portfolio, Lifecycle and Technical Debt: Practical experience of application portfolio management, rationalisation, technology lifecycle management and technical debt reduction.
- Transformation and Integration: Experience supporting acquisitions, integrations or other complex enterprise transformations, including the creation of common target states and transition plans.
- Operating Model Awareness: Knowledge of product, platform, agile and project delivery models, and how architecture enables each without taking over delivery accountability.
- AI and Emerging Technology: Knowledge of AI governance, responsible AI, intelligent automation and the operational implications of AI applications and agents.
- Architecture Tooling: Experience with Enterprise Architecture repositories and tooling, ideally Orbus Infinity or a comparable platform.
- Leadership and Communication: Strong executive presence, clear written and verbal communication, and experience leading, coaching and developing senior architects and architecture communities.
- Qualifications: Relevant architecture or technology qualifications, such as TOGAF, are desirable, but demonstrable leadership and practical application are more important.
What you’ll be like
- Strategic and pragmatic: Connects business ambition to technology direction and balances long-term outcomes with practical delivery.
- Influential and clear: Simplifies complex issues, builds trusted relationships and brings diverse stakeholders to decisions.
- Accountable and constructive: Comfortable setting direction in ambiguity, taking accountability and delivering difficult messages with tact and evidence.
- Collaborative and approachable: Builds strong partnerships across business and technology and creates an environment of transparency and continuous improvement.
- Disciplined about value and risk: Curious about emerging technology while focused on sustainable value, security, resilience, operational readiness and regulatory obligations.
- Committed to people: Develops individuals, raises architecture capability and creates clear standards of leadership and performance.
We Recognise Potential, Whoever You Are
Our purpose is to deliver excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We believe diverse perspectives and an inclusive culture help us make better decisions and achieve better outcomes for our clients. That's why inclusion is a strategic priority for us, and we are an equal opportunities employer. You are welcome here, regardless of your age, disability, gender identity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or any other protected characteristic.
We will consider flexible working arrangements for all roles and provide reasonable accommodations to support applicants and employees, including those with neurodiversity, disability, or physical and mental health needs. For more information, please visit our FAQs.