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Lead Architect - AI & ML

Knutsford, United Kingdom

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Key information

Date live: 11/04/2025

Business Area: Customer Digital and Data

Area of Expertise: Technology

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: 90392379

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It’s happening at Barclays.

Be a part of a place where challenges are measured in billions, qubits and nanoseconds. Build your career in an environment where we’re advancing machine learning, leveraging blockchains, and harnessing FinTech. Working in Barclays technology, you’ll reimagine possibilities: learning and innovating to solve the challenges ahead, delivering for millions of customers.
We are shaping the future of financial technology.
Why not join us and make it happen here?

Where will you be located?

Explore location

Join us as a Lead Architect - AI at Barclays where you'll spearhead the evolution of our digital landscape, driving innovation and excellence. You'll harness cutting-edge technology to revolutionise our digital offerings, ensuring unapparelled customer experiences.

Are you ready to lead a team at the forefront of AI innovation? We're on the hunt for a 'customer obsessed' and forward-thinking Solution Architect to helm our Conversational Assistant & AI function within the Digital Customer Experience team.  

This isn't just any job — it's a journey where you will be required to help shape and guide our organization! Imagine shaping the next generation of AI-powered conversational solutions that redefine how we operate and overhaul the service we provide to millions of our customers and clients.  

You'll get to channel your visionary leadership, share your knowledge, develop our people, and drive our strategic agenda to create a vibrant, dynamic environment where creativity and cutting-edge technology come together and thrive. You'll also be collaborating with cross-functional teams to craft groundbreaking AI solutions and help set new standards. If you're excited by this challenge, speak to us!

Key Roles of a Solution Architect in AI, you will: 

  • Design and Develop AI Solutions: Lead the design and development of AI-powered solutions that meet business requirements and enhance customer experiences. 
  • Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Work closely with data scientists, engineers, and business stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of AI projects. 
  • Ensure Scalability and Reliability: Design AI systems that are scalable, reliable, and maintainable, ensuring they can handle large volumes of data and complex computations. 
  • Stay Updated with AI Trends: Keep abreast of the latest advancements in AI technologies and methodologies to continuously improve and innovate AI solutions. 
  • Provide Technical Leadership: Offer technical guidance and mentorship to team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement. 
  • Evaluate and Select AI Tools: Assess and select the appropriate AI tools and technologies that best fit the project requirements and organizational goals. 
  • Ensure Ethical AI Practices: Promote and ensure the ethical use of AI, considering privacy, fairness, and transparency in AI solutions. 

To be successful as a Lead Solution Architect in AI you should have experience with:

  • Delivery methodologies and organizational structures
  • A background in complex delivery, operations and product engineering
  • Excellent stakeholder management skills
  • Communication skills focused on both technical and business language
  • The ability to measure the value of different approaches to technical problems

Other highly valued skills include:

  • Experience in architectural roles that have had broad applicability across financial services
  • experience in managing technical engagements to design and deliver positive outcomes in complex systems engineering
  • Experience in AWS, AI/ML or payments is highly valued.

This role will be based out of our Knutsford campus.

Purpose of the role

To design, develop, and implement solutions to complex business problems, collaborating with stakeholders to understand their needs and requirements, and design and implement solutions that meet those needs and create solutions that balance technology risks against business delivery, driving consistency. 

Accountabilities

· Design and development of solutions as products that can evolve, meeting business requirements that align with modern software engineering practices and automated delivery tooling. This includes identification and implementation of the technologies and platforms.

· Targeted design activities that apply an appropriate workload placement strategy and maximise the benefit of cloud capabilities such as elasticity, serverless, containerisation etc.

· Best practice designs incorporating security principles (such as defence in depth and reduction of blast radius) that meet the Bank’s resiliency expectations.

· Solutions that appropriately balance risks and controls to deliver the agreed business and technology value.

· Adoption of standardised solutions where they fit. If no standard solutions fit, feed into their ongoing evolution where appropriate.

· Fault finding and performance issues support to operational support teams, leveraging available tooling.

· Solution design impact assessment in terms of risk, capacity and cost impact, inc. estimation of project change and ongoing run costs.

· Development of the requisite architecture inputs required to comply with the banks governance processes, including design artefacts required for architecture, privacy, security and records management governance processes.

Vice President Expectations

· Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.

· Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.

· Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.

· Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.

· Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.

· Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.

· Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.

· Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

Barclays offers a diverse, inclusive and engaged culture. A place where people can bring their whole selves to work and be respected for who they are, valued for what they do and celebrated for their contribution to our business and our community.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

Who succeeds in
Tech at Barclays?

For a career with us, you need to be prepared to take big steps forward, curious to face the challenges ahead, and driven to focus on the outcomes. We need people with the Barclays mindset to make it happen here.

Qualities we look for:motivator, supporter, connector, driver, communicator, transformer, maker, observer

What you'll get in return

Competitive holiday allowance
Life assurance
Private medical care
Pension contribution

Our technology

Supporting our 48 million customers and clients worldwide takes a lot of forward thinking. It means harnessing technology to support the economy. It means making a difference to people’s lives. And it requires the maintenance and development of a global, technological infrastructure. At Barclays, technology helps us keep transactions moving, manages data, and protects our customers. Join a world where your work creates unique moments of impact. Make it happen here.

This is Barclays Manchester

Barclays Knutsford is a world-class campus in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, and at the centre of our global operations. The place where it all happens. The place where we deliver the technology, security and customer care that our personal and corporate banking customers rely on 24/7/365.

Our redeveloped campus offers state-of-the art, collaborative workspaces set within 64 acres of lush gardens and surrounded by wildlife.

To ensure our campus is accessible to everyone, we offer a shuttle bus from the local bus, tram, and train stations on weekdays.

There are endless opportunities to socialise, pursue personal interests, visit the onsite gym, or join one of our many clubs and groups.

We run amazing experiences, from firework displays to gigs, diverse celebrations and art & crafts sessions. There’s something for you.

This is Barclays Manchester

Barclays Knutsford is a world-class campus in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, and at the centre of our global operations. The place where it all happens. The place where we deliver the technology, security and customer care that our personal and corporate banking customers rely on 24/7/365.

A workplace like no other

Our redeveloped campus offers state-of-the art, collaborative workspaces set within 64 acres of lush gardens and surrounded by wildlife.

Your commute

To ensure our campus is accessible to everyone, we offer a shuttle bus from the local bus, tram, and train stations on weekdays.

Much more than work

There are endless opportunities to socialise, pursue personal interests, visit the onsite gym, or join one of our many clubs and groups.

Immersive events

We run amazing experiences, from firework displays to gigs, diverse celebrations and art & crafts sessions. There’s something for you.

Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience. And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

Multicultural ERGs at Barclays

Making an Impact in Tech.

Barclays Mentoring Application

What makes a tech career at Barclays?

Hear from our employees on why they joined and how they're having real-life impact. Tech at phenomenal scale. It's happening here.  

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