​Lead Solutions Architect – Major Retail Transformation

Location & Flexibility:

• Hybrid role with an expectation of 3 days per week onsite in the Midlands.

• Occasional UK travel may be required based on client engagements.

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About:

We’re hiring on behalf of a global digital transformation powerhouse renowned for driving innovation through cutting-edge solutions in cloud, AI, engineering, and cybersecurity. With a strong footprint across industries, they help clients unlock measurable value by architecting scalable, future-ready technology landscapes.

This is an opportunity for an influential technology leader to guide large-scale transformation programmes across the retail sector. You’ll serve as the principal architect and strategic partner to executive teams, crafting future-facing digital strategies that enable agility, intelligence, and growth in an AI-accelerated world.

The Role:

This role is perfect for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategic advisory and hands-on transformation leadership. You’ll lead enterprise-scale change initiatives across commerce, supply chain, marketing, and customer experience for some of the largest and most ambitious retail brands.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Strategic Technology Leadership

• Define and shape long-term digital transformation roadmaps aligned with clients’ commercial objectives and operational goals.

• Advise senior executives on leveraging emerging technologies to transform customer engagement, operational agility, and revenue growth.

• Lead current-state evaluations and design forward-looking enterprise architectures powered by composable commerce, cloud-native platforms, and AI.

Transformation Programme Execution

• Architect and drive complex technology initiatives, including migrations to modern cloud infrastructures, microservices-based systems, and API-led integrations.

• Oversee full-scale transformation programmes — not just from a technical standpoint, but across people, processes, and performance.

• Promote agile delivery and a product-led mindset across engineering and technology teams.

AI & Data Enablement

• Identify innovative ways to integrate AI, machine learning, and automation into the retail technology stack — from personalisation engines to pricing algorithms and customer insights.

• Support the development of intelligent commerce platforms, smart recommendations, and predictive systems.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build trusted partnerships with stakeholders across IT, product, and business functions.

• Collaborate with diverse delivery teams — from architects and engineers to product owners and consultants — to bring complex visions to life.

Thought Leadership & Innovation

• Represent the organisation at industry forums and executive briefings, positioning yourself as a leading voice in digital retail transformation.

• Contribute to business growth by shaping proposals, leading discovery workshops, and driving innovation-led conversations.

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What You’ll Bring:

• Extensive experience

  (15+ years) in enterprise architecture, with a focus on retail, consumer, or digital commerce environments.

• A proven background

  in leading enterprise-scale transformations for major retailers — including omnichannel, eCommerce, and traditional.

• Deep technical knowledge

  of retail platforms such as order management, eCommerce (Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Adobe Commerce, Fluent, Shopify Plus), CRM, POS, ERP (preferably Dynamics), and loyalty systems.

• Cloud and integration expertise, including experience with AWS, Azure or GCP, plus API design, microservices, DevOps tooling, and modern data ecosystems.

• Strong awareness

  of retail-specific AI and GenAI opportunities — from operational optimisation to customer-facing enhancements.

• Proficiency in agile frameworks, modern product management principles, and large-scale architectural design.

• Excellent communication and influence skills, with the ability to advise and challenge at CxO level.
  

Bonus If You Have:

• Experience partnering with or working within leading UK/EU retail brands.

• A background in technology consulting or advisory roles with SIs or digital agencies.

• A balance of strategic foresight and hands-on delivery acumen, knowing when to inspire and when to execute.

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If you’re excited about reshaping the future of retail through strategic tech leadership, we’d love to hear from you!