XDP Architect

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To develop, and evolve the banks technology architecture through relevant solutions, strategies and execution plans aligned to and prioritized by business and technology objectives, including the development, evolution and adoption of foundational platforms and products. 

Accountabilities

• Development, evolution and implementation of the banks technology architecture and strategies aligned to the business and technology objectives, unlocking execution and run.
• Collaboration with stakeholders, including Enterprise Architecture teams and other developers to provide subject matter expertise and share knowledge to foster continuous improvement, and clients to understand and deliver on their technical needs.
• Motivation and leadership of a diverse collection of technologists, business and operations teams and enterprise leaders, with goal to align business & technology strategy & standards, identifying opportunities and connecting people.
• Assessment of new technologies to address current and future business needs, through a combination of curiosity and problem-solving skills.
• Determination of the optimal solutions while balancing continuous requirements imposed by compliance, governance, security and funding, through deep understanding of the business and customer outcomes and maintaining a strong and steady grasp on the underlying technologies.
• Monitoring and analysis of the performance, resiliency and stability of applications to identify and resolve issues and communicate and document key findings to stakeholders.
• Compliance with applicable regulatory standards and identification of industry developments that may impact the banks operations and controls to enhance the banks application portfolio.
• Support of engineering and architecture community initiatives to mentor team members, streamline operations, share and grow knowledge.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

We are seeking an XDP Architect to help drive the development and adoption of innovative technology solutions across the organisation. Combining strategic vision with a deep understanding of modern technologies, you will assess emerging trends, shape enterprise architecture, and guide the evolution of our technology ecosystem.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute to the future direction of technology across the Group, working with stakeholders from business and technology functions to support strategic priorities and deliver meaningful outcomes. You will help define target-state architectures, develop technology roadmaps, and support the adoption of scalable, resilient, and secure solutions that align with organisational goals.

Working across a diverse technology landscape, you will provide architectural guidance throughout the solution lifecycle, helping teams navigate technology choices, integration approaches, and evolving business requirements. You will contribute to the development of architecture standards and practices, supporting consistency while enabling innovation and continuous improvement.

Through partnership and collaboration, you will help connect business priorities with technology strategy, ensuring architectural direction supports both current needs and future priorities. You will promote architectural consistency, encourage innovation, and help create an environment that enables teams to deliver high-quality experiences for customers and colleagues alike. Your contribution will support sustainable growth, operational effectiveness, and the ongoing evolution of our technology capabilities.

To be successful as a XDP Architect, you must have the following essential skills:

• Enterprise architecture with business and strategy alignment.
• Ability to partner with platform teams to influence and shape solutions across solution and integration domains.
• Stakeholder relationship-building at all levels and the ability to build alignment across the Group.
• Ability to define and evolve strategic target-state architectures.
• Ability to develop and govern domain roadmaps.
• Knowledge of standardised architecture governance frameworks.
• Understanding of standardised data architecture frameworks.

Some other highly valued skills may include:

• Cloud Architecture Knowledge.
• Security Architecture Knowledge.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role will be based out of our Knutsford or Glasgow offices.