IT Architecture Director

Why Greencore?

We are a leading manufacturer of convenience food in the UK and our purpose is to make everyday taste better. We supply all of the major supermarkets in the UK. We also supply convenience and travel retail outlets, discounters, coffee shops, foodservice and other retailers. We have strong market positions in a range of categories including sandwiches, salads, sushi, chilled snacking, chilled ready meals, chilled soups and sauces, chilled quiche, ambient sauces and pickles, and frozen Yorkshire Puddings.

Director of IT Architecture @Greencore

Greencore is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Architecture to lead our IT Architecture team. This pivotal role is responsible for ensuring that Greencore’s business strategy is achieved through the proper architecture of its technology systems.

Joining us at a key time, you will be instrumental in our process and technology transformation programme, `making business easier’. This initiative aims to refresh our application strategy and rationalise core processes into a set of best-of-breed group standard applications.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead the business and IT function through a refresh of both our application strategy and the rationalisation of core processes into a corporate set of agreed company standard applications
• Assist management and stakeholders in evaluating business requirements to ensure that the company leverages IT most effectively to achieve business outcomes
• Define our future state for both applications (in partnership with the business) and infrastructure to deliver the IT capabilities required by Greencore, and own the capability maps and roadmaps to achieve this
• Ensure our technology investments are designed and implemented using appropriate techniques and technologies
• Production, publication and governance of architecture processes, artefacts, standards, policies and principles
• Chair of Architecture Review Board and Technical Design Authority, participate in other formal governance forums as required
• Design services that consider both functional and non-functional requirements, including TCO and supportability
• Focus on reducing complexity in the estate and promote standardisation of systems, processes, and data
• Deliver designs that provide appropriate levels of security, resilience, and recovery capabilities
• Ensure designs are compliant with Greencore IT Security policies
• Architectural ownership of risk items relating to any cyber and/or information breaches
• Provide solution assurance to our IT Delivery function ensuring designs and architectural principles are followed as we introduce IT services into live operations
• Work collaboratively with our IT and Security Director to ensure our IT solutions remain secure and factor ever-changing external risk requirements into our designs
• Provide active leadership in the overall IT function, offering guidance, support, and assistance in defining and executing the overarching IT strategy and risk management to improve IT services in their totality
• Build and lead an effective and engaged team that operates with high performance, focusing on aligned goals and development plans to drive skills, progression, succession plans, and retention levels
• Oversee the technical architecture, including infrastructure and network solution design, ensuring all IT services operate on a secure, flexible, and scalable foundation

What you'll need:

• Extensive experience autonomously leading and owning the enterprise architecture of a significant applications estate, including ERP strategy and design
• Proven track record of application strategy and rationalisation of core processes into a corporate set of agreed company standard applications
• Experience in technology supporting business transformation on a significant scale, including ERP consolidation or implementations and ERP integration to the wider business application estate
• Proven track record of infrastructure design in a complex and fast-moving environment, including IT network resilience and security
• Strong communicator experienced at board level, able to articulate both strategic and operational aspects of information technology and security to technical and non-technical people
• Good leadership qualities with the ability to influence colleagues and business leaders
• Ability to apply innovation and creative thinking and manage risk in complex, non-perfect environments
• Experience leading the development of complex application architectures in modern compute paradigms, such as cloud and microservices
• Experience in an engineering or process manufacturing environment, including automation, would be useful
• Ability to forge strong relationships and demonstrate teamwork with colleagues, business functions, business leaders, and third parties
• Enthusiastic about technology, knowledgeable and conversant with modern computing paradigms, and always curious and driven to learn more and apply this to your work

What you'll get in return:

• Competitive Salary and job-related benefits
• 25 days annual holiday allowance plus bank holidays
• PMI Cover: Family
• Up to 8% matched pension
• Company share save scheme
• Exclusive Greencore employee discount platform
• Access to a full wellbeing centre platform

Throughout your time at Greencore, you will be supported with on the job training and development opportunities to further your career.