Lead Architect (Mission) - Airline Ops

We are easyJet – a FTSE-250 listed, £multi-billion low-cost airline that serves tens of millions of customers every single year. If you’re reading this, you have probably already been an easyJet customer, and you’ll know that there is no more iconic (or Orange!) travel brand in Europe.

We fly more than 1,207 routes, connecting 38 countries across Europe, and employ more than 18,000 colleagues. We’re on a mission to make low-cost travel easy – and whatever your role here, you’ll connect millions of people to what they love using Europe’s best airline network, great value fares, and friendly service.

What makes us easyJet? Our Promise Behaviours – we are Safe, Bold, Welcoming and Challenging. Four Behaviours. One Spirit. One easyJet.

We are seeking a Lead Architect to join our Airline Operations team. This pivotal role is accountable for the architectural integrity, direction, and outcomes within a defined Airline Operations Mission (e.g. Crew, Airports, Flight Operations, or Engineering).

You will define and evolve target-state architecture, standards, and guardrails, ensuring technology change aligns with enterprise direction while enabling teams to make effective local decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

·       Provide architectural direction and decision guidance within the Mission scope, acting as the escalation point for significant cross-product, cross-domain, or enterprise impact.

·       Define architectural standards and guardrails, supporting teams in consistent application.

·       Establish patterns, constraints, and design principles for adoption across product teams.

·       Facilitate architecture reviews and design discussions, ensuring alignment with strategic direction.

·       Assess and support teams with deviations from agreed standards.

·       Identify and drive migration of capabilities to shared Airline Operations Platform services.

·       Identify emerging technology trends and ensure readiness for future requirements, including AI, automation, and platform evolution.

Role Requirements:

·       Experience working across senior leadership, architecture communities, and product delivery teams.

·       Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including those outside direct authority.

·       Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

·       Balance strategic thinking with practical delivery considerations and trade-offs.

·       Familiarity with observability platforms, telemetry, event streaming, and modern data architectures.

·       Knowledge of automation frameworks, digital operations platforms, and emerging technology trends.

·       Experience with cloud-native architectures and platform engineering approaches.

·       Understanding of identity federation and third party/partner access management.

·       Experience implementing AI-enabled operational capabilities or predictive analytics solutions.

·       TOGAF, ArchiMate, or equivalent architecture certification.

·       Experience operating within product-centric technology organisations.

Key Technical Skills

·       Significant experience in Domain Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, or Lead Architecture roles.

·       Ability to define architectural strategies, technology roadmaps, and target architectures.

·       Experience operating above solution-level architecture, providing governance across multi-product architecture landscapes, and managing build/buy/platform decisions at scale.

·       Experience evolving legacy solutions and reducing or eliminating technical debt using industry patterns.

·       Establishing architecture standards, governance frameworks, and assurance processes.

·       Strong understanding of distributed systems, cloud platforms, APIs, integration patterns, and event-driven architectures.

·       Familiarity with observability platforms, telemetry, event streaming, and modern data architectures.

·       Knowledge of automation frameworks, digital operations platforms, and emerging technology trends.

·       Understanding of data architecture, operational data platforms, and analytics ecosystems.

·       Experience with cloud-native architectures and platform engineering approaches.

·       Understanding of identity federation and third-party/partner access management.

·       Experience implementing AI-enabled operational capabilities or predictive analytics solutions.

Desirable Skills:

·       Experience within aviation, airline operations technology environments, or demonstrable comparable experience.

·       Knowledge of areas such as crew rostering, integrated control centres, departure control systems (DCS), passenger processing, baggage operations, airport operational systems, frontline workforce technology, flight planning, flight deck systems, aircraft maintenance, or engineering supply chain.

Why Join Us?
You’ll be part of a forward-thinking team, driving architectural excellence and innovation in airline operations. If you’re passionate about technology, leadership, and shaping the future of aviation, we’d love to hear from you.

“Please note that this role does not meet the criteria for visa sponsorship, and we are therefore unable to consider applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK.”

How to Apply:
If you are a self-starter who can identify opportunities to drive greater success for the team and have a track record of building strong relationships with internal stakeholders, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our dynamic team!

What you’ll get in return:

At easyJet, we pride ourselves on a vibrant and inclusive workplace culture that supports and rewards innovation and excellence.

We offer:

·       Competitive base salary

·       Annual bonus potential.

·       25 days holiday, pension scheme, life assurance, and a flexible benefits package.

·       Discounted staff travel scheme for friends and family

·       Annual credit for discount on easyJet holidays

·       ‘Work Away’ scheme, allowing you to work abroad for 30 days a year

·       Electric vehicle lease salary sacrifice scheme

Location & Hours of Work

We operate a hybrid working policy of 40%25-60%25 of the month spent with colleagues.

We look forward to your application and the possibility of you flying high with our team!

Application Process:
Interested candidates should apply through our careers portal.

Reasonable Adjustments:
At easyJet, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse customers we serve across Europe. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds. If you require specific adjustments or support during the application or recruitment process, such as extra time for assessments or accessible interview locations, please contact us at ma.recruitment@easyjet.com.

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure accessibility and accommodation