Job Description:

Lead Application Architect

Location: Wembley - On-Site
Salary: £70-90,000 + Excellent Benefits

Shape the Future of Modern Application Architecture

We're looking for an experienced Lead Application Architect to play a pivotal role in a large-scale application modernisation programme. This is an exciting opportunity for a hands-on architect who enjoys bridging the gap between technical strategy and engineering delivery, ensuring robust, scalable, and maintainable solutions are built to the highest standards.

You'll work closely with Solution Architects and engineering teams, translating high-level architecture into practical, implementable designs while driving engineering excellence, cloud-native adoption, and AI-assisted development practices.

The Role

As Lead Application Architect, you'll take ownership of application-level architecture and low-level design, helping to establish development standards and modern engineering practices across the organisation.

Key responsibilities include:

• Producing component-level and code-level designs and detailed Low-Level Design (LLD) documentation
• Translating high-level architectural designs into clear implementation plans for development teams
• Creating and maintaining Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and facilitating design reviews
• Defining and embedding engineering standards, coding principles, and security best practices
• Driving adoption of AI-assisted development tools across the software development lifecycle
• Establishing governance processes to ensure architectural consistency and quality
• Supporting the migration and modernisation of legacy applications into cloud-native environments
• Developing reusable reference architectures and engineering patterns
• Mentoring developers and fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement
• Working closely with QA teams to embed automated testing standards into delivery pipelines

About You

You'll be a highly technical architect with a strong software engineering background and a passion for improving development practices.

We're looking for candidates with:

• Significant experience designing and delivering enterprise applications
• Strong hands-on expertise in Java and Spring Boot development
• Proven experience designing microservices-based architectures
• Experience creating component-level designs, Low-Level Designs (LLDs), and Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
• Strong understanding of cloud-native development principles and containerisation
• Experience building solutions within Microsoft Azure environments
• Knowledge of RESTful API design, OAuth2, and OpenID Connect
• Experience with CI/CD practices and modern development pipelines
• A strong commitment to automated testing and software quality
• Hands-on experience using AI-powered development tools and coding assistants
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions to both technical and non-technical audiences

Desirable Experience

Candidates with any of the following will be particularly attractive:

• Node.js development experience
• Identity and access management solutions
• Email delivery and messaging platforms
• Azure certifications
• Experience mentoring or leading development teams
• Track record of modernising and transforming legacy application estates