Head of Architecture

Head of Architecture | Circa £160k | Permanent | London

Industry: Trading

Salary: £150,000 – 170,000

Location: London – 2/3 days in office

Job type: Permanent

Our client, a global commodity trading company, are seeking a Head of Architecture, in this role you will shape the future of the company’s trading systems. Leveraging your expertise in commodities trading, you’ll design and implement a robust, scalable architecture aligned with strategic goals. Key responsibilities include assessing current systems, driving modernisation, and integrating trading platforms while collaborating with cross-functional teams.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and lead the architectural strategy for the trading function, ensuring alignment with the company’s business objectives.
• Ensure the trading architecture is future-proof, identifying opportunities to enhance technical capabilities and resolve business challenges.
• Work closely with system owners and various business units to ensure systems are fit for purpose and in line with a roadmap for ongoing improvement.
• Create high-level technical designs and collaborate with teams specialising in infrastructure, cloud, security, and networking to ensure alignment with architectural standards.
• Oversee the modernisation of the technology stack, evaluating innovative solutions and vendor products to support business expansion.
• Manage the integration of trading systems, including ETRM platforms, and ensure seamless operations across front, middle, and back-office functions.
• Lead architectural reviews of projects to confirm readiness for future requirements.
• Stay informed about emerging technologies and industry trends, ensuring the adoption of cutting-edge tools and practices.

Skills and Experience:

• Proven track record as a Solution Architect or Enterprise Architect within a commodities trading organisation, investment bank, or similar environment.
• Comprehensive knowledge of commodities trading and familiarity with associated business processes spanning front, middle, and back offices.
• Experience leading large-scale transformation programmes, ideally within a greenfield setting.
• Expertise in trading systems, particularly ETRM platforms such as Endur.
• Strong understanding of cloud architecture (Azure, AWS) and messaging patterns (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka, Service Bus).
• Knowledge of API connectivity stacks, data warehousing, and reporting frameworks.