Enterprise Architect, Financial Services, Architecture Roadmap, 6-Month FTC

Enterprise Architect, Financial Services, Architecture Roadmap, 6-month FTC

An Enterprise Architect opportunity has arisen with a growing UK life insurance business looking for an experienced external reviewer to validate architectural findings and shape the path forward. The organisation has undergone rapid expansion on a cloud-based platform and is now ready to address accumulated technical debt with clear, pragmatic thinking. Could this be the fixed-term contract engagement where your architectural expertise genuinely influences the future direction of a forward-thinking insurer?

The Role

The Enterprise Architect will join an established internal review process at Phase 2, meaning you will not be starting from scratch — a business-needs inventory and estate-impact map are already in place for you to build upon. Your core focus will be to independently validate the constraints identified internally, distinguish genuine architectural issues from governance or configuration problems, and produce a clear diagnosis of the current state. From there, you will develop a recommended target architecture, a sequenced roadmap with near-term and longer-horizon priorities, and a Board-level summary covering risks, deferrable items, and expected benefits. The Enterprise Architect will work closely with the CTO, Head of Architecture, Head of Software Engineering, and Programme Manager, as well as engaging comfortably at CxO level. This is a six-month fixed-term contract on a hybrid basis, with two days per week based in Reading.

The Company

This is a UK-based life insurance business that entered the market as a challenger and has grown significantly on a fully digital, cloud-hosted platform. The company operates primarily through adviser channels and serves policyholders across a digital onboarding journey. Having scaled quickly, the organisation is now at a strategic inflection point and is investing in architectural clarity to support the next phase of its ambitions. It is a focused, commercially minded environment where pragmatic delivery is valued over large theoretical programmes.

What experience does the Enterprise Architect need?

• Solid background in UK financial services, ideally within life and protection, with hands-on knowledge of policy administration, underwriting, pricing, and adviser distribution models
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage architectural roadmaps, establish governance frameworks, and lead on evolutionary architecture design across complex, multi-vendor environments
• Strong stakeholder communication skills up to board level, with the ability to work independently while contributing collaboratively across technical and business teams
• Awareness of risk management, regulatory compliance, cyber security, and business continuity considerations, alongside familiarity with cloud technologies, integration patterns, and approaches such as TOGAF or Agile delivery

Enterprise Architect, Financial Services, Insurance, Protection

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