Interim Head of IT Architecture and Projects

Interim Head of IT Architecture and Projects

FTSE 250 Organisation / IT Transformation

London Hybrid

LTD Company engagement at £800 - £1000 p/d

January 2026 start, for 6 months initially

We are seeking an experienced Interim Head of IT Architecture & Projects to play a pivotal role in a major IT transformation programme for a FTSE 250 organisation. The business has ambitious growth plans and has completed a high-level IT maturity assessment, strategy and target operating model. The next critical step is to define the detailed end-state, articulate a credible transformation journey, and secure Board approval and investment to execute it.

As a core member of the IT Transformation leadership team, you will lead the Architecture & Projects workstream, defining how architecture, demand management and project governance operate within a federated IT operating model. Your role will be to ensure architectural coherence, strategic alignment and proportionate governance, so that IT investments fit together, scale effectively and deliver long-term business value.

Key responsibilities include:

• Establishing a single, coherent view of the current IT landscape across infrastructure, applications, data, integrations, suppliers and demand channels
• Defining the enterprise target-state architecture and transition states, ensuring consistency and alignment across all IT domains
• Designing a federated architecture governance model, with clear decision rights, forums and guardrails for central and divisional teams
• Defining the enterprise framework for IT demand management, project governance and portfolio transparency across Group and Divisions
• Establishing a unified IT strategy, planning and investment process to drive alignment, reuse and value realisation
• Defining the future-state operating model for the Architecture & Projects domain, including processes, tooling, roles and structures
• Producing the Architecture & Projects elements of the IT transformation roadmap, implementation plan and investment case

The successful candidate will have a strong track record of leading enterprise architecture, portfolio governance and IT delivery transformations in complex, federated organisations. You will be comfortable operating at executive and Board level, while also being prepared to work hands-on through the detail required to define a clear, implementable target state and investment proposal.

This interim role offers a high-profile opportunity to shape how technology investment, architecture and delivery are governed and executed across a growing FTSE 250 organisation.

Interim Head of IT Architecture and Projects