Lead Architect - Managed Services

Manchester

-100,000 - -110,000 + bonus + perm benefits

Need to be SC eligible

We are looking for a seasoned Managed Services Lead Architect to take architectural ownership of a large, complex client account undergoing significant transformation.

This is a senior, client-facing role where you will own the end-to-end architecture of contracted services, act as the ultimate technical authority on the account, and ensure the long-term integrity, stability, and evolution of the technology landscape.

What You''ll Be Doing

• Own and govern the end-to-end account architecture across Managed Services contracts
• Provide architectural governance of change, ensuring quality, compliance, and adherence to standards
• Define and maintain future-state architectures, roadmaps, and transition plans aligned to client needs and contractual commitments
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, building strong and credible relationships
• Provide direction and guidance to Domain Architects and Engineers, acting as a technical role model
• Balance innovation with operational stability, ensuring solutions are supportable, secure, and commercially viable
• Collaborate closely with delivery, commercial, and service leadership to manage risk and cost to serve

What We''re Looking For

• You will be a senior architect who has operated successfully in large Managed Services environments, with experience that includes:
• Proven ownership of end-to-end architecture for complex, multi-technology estates
• Experience operating as a Lead or Account Architect within Managed Services or outsourcing contracts
• Strong understanding of contracts, commercials, SLAs, and service economics
• Confidence working with legacy platforms alongside modern cloud and digital technologies
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with credibility at senior client and executive level
• A pragmatic mindset - able to make sound architectural decisions within real-world constraints