Principal Domain Enterprise Architect

Reporting to the CTO, this role oversees the Architecture Domain within Chaucer Technology. It leads a key function within the evolving operating model and plays a central role in modernising ways of working.

The role requires a strategic, future-focused technology leader with proven capability to define technology and design strategy, own solution architecture, shape innovation including AI, and align architecture decisions to business objectives. As Chaucer’s enterprise design authority, the role ensures architecture supports business strategy, underwriting performance, operational effectiveness, regulatory compliance, scalability and long-term value.

The role leads and mentors Domain Architects, works closely with Enterprise Portfolio Architecture, and collaborates across Product Management, Engineering, Security, Data, Service Management, and Quality & Technical Assurance.

They lead internal and third-party architecture resources, translating business and technology requirements into conceptual architectures, high-level designs and assured solution designs, with appropriate review and contribution to low-level designs.

Job Description

• Define and maintain the Enterprise Architecture roadmap, aligning technical blueprints with 1–3 year business objectives, Chaucer's strategic priorities and longer-term technology direction.
• Establish architectural guardrails, principles and decision frameworks that embed secure-by-design and resilience standards across change.
• Own solution architecture across the change portfolio, ensuring business requirements are translated into clear conceptual architectures, high-level designs and coherent solution design artefacts
• Own Enterprise Reference Architectures, Target State Architectures and Strategic Technology Blueprints, ensuring business and portfolio roadmaps align to Chaucer's long-term technology vision.
• Establish an innovation lifecycle from ideation and experimentation through to adoption, including responsible AI where it creates measurable business value.
• Use strategic thinking, scenario planning and enterprise trade-off analysis to balance innovation, resilience, cost, risk, delivery pace and platform sustainability.
• Review and contribute to low-level designs to ensure detailed implementation remains aligned with approved architectural principles, design patterns, standards and strategic technology direction.
• Proactively engaged across the market, technology landscape and insurance sector to identify strategic opportunities through emerging technology, innovation and AI-enabled capabilities
• Advise C-suite executives by translating technology trends, innovation and AI developments into clear investment priorities.
• Develop and communicate the Architecture Domain strategy and long-term technology vision, aligned to business goals and future innovation, AI and market developments.
• Act as a trusted advisor and enterprise design authority between the Architecture Domain, technology teams and wider business stakeholders.
• As required, attend transformation and change steering committees and senior leadership meetings to advise on progress and business value realisation.
• Provide architectural insight and guidance across the transformation portfolio through robust design, independent assurance and governance.
• Represent Chaucer in relevant technology, insurance and innovation forums, shaping industry direction and identifying strategic advantage.

Leadership and Strategy:

• Demonstrates a high level of self-awareness through a commitment to continuous, personal improvement and learning.
• Translates organisational vision into clear strategic choices, architecture roadmaps, measurable goals and delivery priorities.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking, creativity and innovation, anticipating technology trends and balancing AI adoption with risk appetite and commercial priorities.
• Uses strategic analysis to evaluate options, make trade-offs, challenge short-term thinking and guide investment towards sustainable business value.
• Understands the business, Lloyd’s market expectations, regulatory frameworks and external technology trends.
• Strives to build key relationships, shows ownership of targets, and focuses on results.
• Provide strategic leadership for architecture strategy, principles and investment priorities across Data, Platform, Technology and AI. Maintaining a culture of architectural excellence across the organisation.
• Ensures coherence and alignment across Security, Data, Platform, Infrastructure, Integration and Solution Architecture domains, resolving architectural conflicts and providing direction on cross-domain design decisions.
• Motivate the team to deliver high-quality architectural outputs, guidance and design artefacts, taking accountability for the team’s actions and decisions.

Technical Delivery Management:

Own architectural assurance for delivered solutions, ensuring conceptual architectures, high-level designs and solution design artefacts meet agreed standards.

Technical Oversight:

• Guide the Architecture Domain, promoting best practice, modern technology, standardisation, simplification and effectiveness across the technology value chain.
• Ensure conceptual architecture, high-level design and low-level design review practices are consistently applied across product, platform and transformation delivery teams.
• Fosters a partnership with the CISO on Security Architecture, ensuring secure-by-design, cloud, identity, cyber resilience and operational resilience standards are embedded.
• Ensures architectural decisions incorporate controls that support auditability, data integrity and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions in which Chaucer operates.

Vendor Management:

• Conduct due diligence during the selection and onboarding of third-party providers against architectural principles, standards and integration strategy. 
• Provide architectural and innovation oversight for strategic vendor solutions, ensuring alignment with agreed standards, platform strategy and governance expectations.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including senior management, business stakeholders and partners, to understand their needs and ensure successful product outcomes.

Risk Management:

• Identify and mitigate risks associated with architecture activities.
• Design and embed robust architectural processes and controls to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.

Performance Monitoring:

• Establish and monitor KPIs for architecture initiatives, including consistency, technical debt reduction, platform simplification and measurable business value.
• Define how innovation success is measured against outcomes such as underwriting insight, speed to market, operational efficiency, responsible AI adoption and technology risk reduction.

Skills and Competencies

• Creates an inclusive environment that values individual differences and leverages diversity.
• Relevant industry experience in architecture roles, with previous experience in a technology leadership position, ideally within insurance or other regulated financial services environments.
• Brings the gravitas, curiosity and strategic mindset to challenge norms, look beyond immediate delivery demands and identify future advantage.
• Strategic Problem-Solving – Thinks strategically, evaluates emerging technologies and AI opportunities, assesses enterprise impacts and makes evidence-based decisions.
• Simplifies complex strategic choices for senior stakeholders by articulating options, implications, risks and recommended direction.
• A team-builder and collaborator, who can work comfortably in a highly collaborative setting.
• Can work comfortably with senior business leadership, has a positive can-do attitude, open and welcoming to change.
• Demonstrates exceptional leadership skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional departmental leaders in a particular direction.
• Can quickly form meaningful connections inspiring trust and confidence in others.
• Detail and quality oriented, with a customer focus, an exceptionally keen eye for detail and highly organised.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines, demonstrating an ability to remain calm under stress and in times of uncertainty.

ABOUT US

Chaucer is a leading insurance group at Lloyd’s, the world’s specialist insurance market. We help protect industries around the world from the risks they face. Our customers include major airlines, energy companies, shipping groups, global manufacturers and property groups.

Our headquarters are in London, and we have international offices in Bermuda, Copenhagen, Dubai and Singapore to be closer to our clients across the world. To learn more about us please visit our website.

Chaucer is committed to diversity, actively values difference and respects people regardless of the protected characteristics which are outlined in the Equality Act 2010 (UK legislation) as a result of the Equal Treatment Directive 2006 (EU legislation). 

A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are core to our success as a business and integral to our winning strategy and culture. We recruit from the widest available pool of talent, and our hiring, assessment and selection process is fair, free from bias and one which ensures we select the right person for the job, based on merit. We are committed to promoting a culture that actively values difference, and recognises that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their employment.

We are open to considering flexible working arrangements for all roles and encourage you to outline your needs during the interview process.