Director Engineering Platform Architecture

Job Overview: The Director Eng Platform Architecture leads the Engineering Platform Architecture & Design practice. Operating with delegated authority from the leader accountable for Engineering Platform Architecture and AI, the role sets direction for platform architects, owns design authority and turns long-range strategy into coherent target architectures, roadmaps and decisions. The remit spans compute and HPC, cloud, data, automation, security, resilience and service architecture, including the foundations needed for future SoC development platforms. This director combines systems-level thinking with practical judgement, challenging assumptions and exploring step-change approaches while ensuring designs can be adopted safely. Product, engineering and service leaders remain accountable for delivery and operation. Responsibilities: Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team of Engineering Platform architects. Set clear outcomes, manage performance and succession, build capability and create an inclusive, globally effective practice. Exercise delegated Engineering Platform design authority through clear decision rights, proportionate engagement, evidence-led reviews, architecture decision records, and time-bound exceptions. Define future-state architectures and transition roadmaps across compute and HPC, hybrid cloud, data, automation, security, resilience and service architecture, integrating the needs of future SoC development workflows. Create and test bold platform concepts that improve engineering productivity, reuse and composability, scalable access to compute and data, and the reduction of platform fragmentation and cost. Distinguish purposeful experimentation from production commitment. Work in tandem with the Principal Eng Plat AI Architect, aligning AI-enabled engineering capabilities with platform principles, data controls, security, reliability and service expectations while maintaining distinct accountability for platform and AI architecture. Establish reusable principles, reference architectures, standards, patterns and lifecycle guidance, balancing performance, portability, sustainability, operability, vendor dependency, technical risk and long-term value. Assure significant platform designs from discovery through implementation and operation, covering capacity, performance, data movement, identity, security, resilience, observability, supportability and cost, while preserving delivery and service-owner accountability. Partner with Engineering, product, platform, delivery, Data Platform Engineering, Security and service leaders to resolve cross-domain choices and use evidence to assess architecture outcomes, transition progress and emerging opportunities. Required Skills and Experience: A record of leading Engineering Platform architecture or design teams in a complex, global technology organisation, including experienced architects and senior individual contributors. Deep architecture experience across large-scale compute and HPC, cloud, data platforms, automation, security, resilience, observability and service architecture. Experience defining future-state platform architectures and executable transition roadmaps for demanding engineering workflows, variable workloads and high-volume data. Strong systems thinking and the ability to challenge assumptions, explore step-change options and convert ambitious ideas into sound architecture decisions. Experience operating an enabling design authority with delegated decision rights, proportionate governance, and effective design assurance. Strong people leadership, including setting direction, developing capability, coaching senior professionals, managing performance and succession, and building effective teams. The ability to influence senior Engineering and technology leaders, communicate complex trade-offs clearly and align teams that hold different delivery, service and commercial priorities. Sound technical and commercial judgement, balancing engineering produc