Description
As a Technical Architect at Howden, you will join the Cloud Engineering & Architecture team with a focus on building, operating, and continuously improving our Azure cloud platform.
This is a technical architecture role, centred on platform capability as well as solution delivery. You will define and evolve the core cloud architecture that enables product and delivery teams to build securely, consistently, and at pace.
You will work closely with Cloud Engineers, DevOps, and Delivery teams to design and implement reusable platform components, self-service capabilities, and standard patterns. Your work will underpin all cloud-hosted workloads and directly influence reliability, security, scalability, and cost efficiency.
You will play a key role in shaping platform standards, governance, and guardrails, ensuring teams can move fast without bypassing compliance or security requirements. You will review upcoming platform demands, track emerging Azure capabilities, and introduce new services and patterns where they provide clear business value.
This role requires strong hands-on technical depth, paired with the ability to explain architectural decisions clearly and pragmatically to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Strong experience designing, building, and operating cloud platforms in Microsoft Azure
- Deep understanding of cloud platform architecture, including identity, networking, security, monitoring, and governance
- Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code, ideally using Bicep
- Strong working knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, including platform-level templates and guardrails
- Experience designing and evolving Azure Landing Zones or equivalent enterprise-scale foundations
- Clear understanding of cloud security principles, including identity design, least-privilege access, and platform hardening
- Experience working within governance and compliance frameworks, and embedding these into platform design
- Ability to create and validate reference architectures, patterns, and reusable components
- Comfortable reviewing release plans and translating new workload demands into platform enhancements
- Experience operating and supporting live cloud platforms, not just designing them
- Strong observability mindset, including logging, metrics, alerts, and operational insight
- Ability to identify areas suitable for self-service enablement and automation
- A pragmatic approach to architectural decision-making, balancing ideal design with delivery reality
- Experience producing and maintaining architectural decision records (ADRs)
- Strong documentation skills, including diagrams, design notes, and onboarding guidance
- Confident communicator who can influence without authority and explain complex topics simply
- Collaborative approach, working effectively across engineering, security, and delivery teams
- Curiosity and drive to stay current with evolving Azure capabilities and platform practices
Benefits
- 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays), pro-rated for part year service
- A set of core benefits, designed with your health and financial protection in mind:
- Life Assurance up to 4x salary, protecting your loved ones in case the worst should happen
- Income protection, guaranteeing an income for up to 5 years in the event of an illness or injury
- Contributory pension scheme – 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution, rising to 5% & 5% in April 2025
- Access to a Healthcare Cashplan, which gives you access to a variety of health related benefits
- Access to a host of lifestyle and financial benefits that you can choose from:
- Discounts on gym membership across the UK
- Salary sacrifice schemes – Travel Insurance, Cycle to Work, Car leasing, Technology purchase
- Access to discounted personal health policies – Critical illness, private medical, dental plans
- A range of insurance products available commission free, including home, motor, travel and specialist vehicles
- Access to hundreds of high-street retailer discounts
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support employees outside of work