Associate Architect - Solution

Marks & Spencer

  • United Kingdom
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 24 days ago
Job Category: TechnologyJob Description:SummaryAt M&S, we're transforming and modernising our approach to technology, ensuring the business continues to differentiate through strategic technology investments and growing our architecture capability as a key enabler.As an Associate Architect at M&S you will provide process and governance services within Technology Architecture within a retail environment. Being creative and curious, you will be an integral part our of empowered, self-managing technology teams- supporting Products and Platforms in collaboration with others across architecture, platform and engineering teams. You will assist with process and governance of solution designs that solve complex problems for our customers and colleagues.Architecture governance ensures that M&S's technology direction delivers strategic value by aligning with business priorities and providing business assurance. Through establishing and enforcing architectural guardrails, it accelerates decision-making and enables agility, consistency, and accountability across the organisation.What's in it for youBeing a part of M&S is exactly that - playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We're an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…
  • After completing your probationary period, you'll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.
  • Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!
  • Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.
  • A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.
  • A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.
  • Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.
  • Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.
  • Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.
  • A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.
What you'll do
  • Support the approval process for all architecture decisions, ensuring alignment with business priorities and investment strategies; uphold adherence to architecture principles, standards, patterns, and best practices; establish and run core governance forums (Delegated Design Authority, Architecture Review Board), capturing outcomes, decisions, and actions, and issuing formal minutes to stakeholders.
  • Maintain oversight of all demand with architectural impact, manage the backlog of solution designs from submission to approval (or withdrawal), create weekly progress reports, and coordinate the demand and supply of architecture-related resources with internal M&S teams.
  • Demonstrate the progress of process and governance activities, provide regular reporting on solution design status, ensure delivery of designs meets timelines with minimal rework, and evidence adherence to architecture standards.
  • Support the Practice Architect in process and governance activities, acting as delegate when required, and contribute to improving architecture processes and frameworks.
  • Continuously grow technical and architectural skills, providing evidence of development and applying these to deliver high-quality solution designs.
Who you are
  • Strong understanding of technology architecture at a high level, with the ability to apply principles across different domains.
  • Highly skilled in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint for analysis, documentation, and presentations.
  • Strong ability to engage, influence, and manage relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of conveying complex information clearly and effectively.
  • Proven track record of cross-functional team collaboration, with a continuous drive for improvement and innovation.
Everyone's welcomeWe're ambitious about the future of retail. We're innovating, disrupting, and leading the way into a more inspiring, digital era. It's an exciting time to be part of M&S.To support us on our journey, we're building inclusive, diverse teams where everyone can be themselves, do their best work, and make change happen. We support each other and succeed together.Don't worry if you don't meet every single requirement of the job description. It's more of a guide to what's possible within the role. If you're passionate, ready to work hard, and think the role feels right for you, we'd love to hear from you.#hybrid-role #LI-hybrid

Marks & Spencer