Chief Architect (Interim)

Chief Architect (Interim) Global Transportation Company London (On Site) Contract | Competitive Day Rate We are supporting a global Transportation organisation on the appointment of a Chief Architect (Interim) to lead a critical phase of its digital and technology transformation. This is a high-impact leadership role, operating at the heart of the digital leadership team, with responsibility for shaping and delivering enterprise-wide architecture and engineering strategy in a complex, large-scale environment. The Opportunity This role blends strategic vision with Architecture & Engineering leadership, taking ownership of architecture as a true business enabler, not just a governance function. You will be responsible for modernising legacy environments, accelerating digital capabilities, and embedding scalable, future-ready technology foundations. A key part of the remit will also involve enabling increased adoption of AI and emerging technologies, supporting innovation across operational and customer-facing functions. With significant investment underway and strong executive backing, this is a unique opportunity to influence the direction of a globally recognised organisation at pace. Key Responsibilities • Lead and own the end-to-end Architecture and Engineering strategy, aligned to wider business and technology objectives • Provide leadership across enterprise, solution and platform architecture, alongside software engineering teams • Define and implement architecture standards, guardrails and governance, ensuring consistency across delivery • Drive adoption of modern practices including cloud, DevSecOps, APIs, microservices and Agile delivery • Establish and evolve foundational capabilities that enable product teams to innovate at speed • Act as a senior decision-maker on technology direction, standards and strategic design across the enterprise • Develop and present technology roadmaps and business cases, influencing senior stakeholders on key trade-offs • Build and maintain trusted relationships across business and technology leadership, acting as a strategic advisor • Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing architecture and engineering leadership team • Champion a culture of engineering excellence, innovation and continuous improvement Scope & Scale • Reporting to the Chief Information Officer • Direct leadership of 5-10 senior leaders, with a dotted line to an overall team of 100+, and additional third-party resources • Accountability for £10m+ Opex budget, with governance across a significantly larger technology spend What We're Looking For • Proven experience operating in a senior technology leadership role within a complex, global organisation • Deep expertise across enterprise architecture and full-stack engineering, including modern digital platforms • Strong understanding of cloud architectures, APIs, microservices, DevSecOps and scalable application design • Experience leading architecture across application, data and infrastructure domains • Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive enterprise-wide change • Track record of leading and developing large, multi-disciplinary teams • Experience working in Agile, product-centric environments (e.g. SAFe) • Strong commercial awareness, including business case development and technology investment decisions Leadership Profile You will bring a combination of: • Strategic thinking and technical depth • Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills • A collaborative, inclusive leadership style • The confidence to challenge the status quo and drive change • A passion for innovation, learning and continuous improvement Why Apply • Enterprise-wide impact within a globally recognised organisation • Significant influence over technology strategy and investment • Opportunity to shape modern architecture and engineering capabilities at scale • Immediate start, with strong executive visibility and backing