Principal Architect – Commercial | London | Permanent

We have an exciting opportunity for a Principal Architect to join our team where you will be responsible for the roadmap and architecture of the Commercial platforms and services that underpin our business. Would you like to help build the platforms that will ultimately help drive revenue and improve customer experience? Would you like to be accountable for a multi-billion platform? If yes, then we’d love for you to apply!

About the role:

The Principal Architect is responsible for the creation and development of the Technology strategy for Whitbread’s Digital and Commercial business areas. Working closely with key business stakeholders, Technology Platform owners and the rest of the Architecture team to ensure a coherent and focused approach to how we develop our technology estate.

The key element of the role is to drive the Commercial technology roadmap based on Whitbread’s business strategy, developing and agreeing the Target Architecture and maintaining the Portfolio Analysis covering the current architecture and platforms which support all sales channels, including Digital eCommerce Websites, Mobile Apps, Contact Centre, Distribution and Front Desk.

The technology and digital teams are at the start of a huge commercial transformation programme and we investing heavily into technology and our people.

About Whitbread:

We are the UK's leading hospitality company, a FTSE 100 organisation with almost 30,000. Owning successful brands such as Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn, we have over 850 hotels - which is over 80,000 bedrooms - across the UK, Germany and the Middle East (with a committed pipeline of over 20,000 more). We’re also proud to own over 420 restaurants across the UK including Beefeater and our newer brands Bar + Block and Cookhouse & Pub. With exciting plans to innovate and grow our core UK and international business, we always keep our customers at the heart of what we do.  There has never been a more exciting time to join Whitbread!

What you’ll be doing:

• Responsible for the overall architecture for all Digital and Commercial sales channels, covering the UK, Germany and Eire
• Deliver an ongoing Portfolio Analysis of the Collaboration estate
• Coordinate and support of solution designs
• Actively research, evaluate and drive technology and innovation to deliver solutions to solve customer needs
• Driving the design process across our platforms, working with business and technology stakeholders to translate business problems into technical designs.

What you’ll need:

• Experience of building and operating modern digital platforms, including the development of Portfolio Analysis, Target Architectures, and multi-year roadmaps
• Experience of working up to Board level, in terms of capturing requirements, and acting as their key technology partner in their area of expertise.
• Have a strong understanding of enterprise architecture, portfolio analysis and roadmap development
• Strong understanding of Architectural Frameworks, such as TOGAF, etc…
• Understanding of the principles of modular design, also known as “composable design” to help develop high performing, flexible architectures capable of adapting to business change
• Experience of driving innovation from concept to delivery

Whitbread is an inclusive employer. We believe that everyone is unique and there should be no barriers to entry and no limits to ambition. We welcome your application whatever your background or situation. Under-represented groups such as women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities & members of the LGBTQ+ community (those who identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, trans sexual, non binary or use another term), are strongly encouraged to build a career with us. We are open to part-time and flexible working and, where possible, will try to support this.