Principal Architect (Service & Transformation)

Closing Date

The closing date for applications is 21 September.

Job introduction:

Serco has made significant contributions at European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, supporting a wide range of space missions and projects. Serco provides essential engineering, technical, and management services, playing a key role in logistics and operational support for missions. Its expertise in spacecraft operations, ground systems, and data processing has earned it recognition, including 'Best in Domain' awards from European Space Agency. Its long-standing partnership with ESA reflects its commitment to excellence and innovation in the space sector, ensuring successful mission outcomes and advancing space exploration.

We are seeking an experienced Principal Architect (Service & Transformation) to join our service team at ESOC in Darmstadt. You will focus on defining and evolving service and technical architecture, translating strategic objectives and requirements into practical technology and transformation options, and developing multi-year roadmaps. The role will also involve assessing architectural gaps, dependencies and emerging technologies, coordinating Proofs of Concept, and providing technical decision support to senior stakeholders.

This position requires significant experience in enterprise, service or solution architecture and IT transformation within complex, multi-supplier environments. You will work closely with technical teams, service providers and senior stakeholders to develop evidence-based recommendations, manage architectural dependencies and support transformation execution, governance, risk and continual improvement.

Key responsibilities

• Define, maintain and evolve the service and technical architecture, including current-state and target-state views.
• Gather and align architectural information from ESA, service providers and technical stakeholders.
• Identify architectural gaps, dependencies, obsolescence and transformation opportunities.
• Translate business requirements and strategic objectives into technical options, transformation initiatives and priorities.
• Assess alternative technologies, solutions and sourcing approaches, supporting make/buy and technical decisions.
• Develop and maintain transformation frameworks and multi-year roadmaps, translating strategic priorities into actionable plans.
• Monitor transformation progress, assessing risks, impacts, dependencies and deviations and recommending corrective actions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and Proofs of Concept (PoCs), coordinating specialist expertise where required and assessing feasibility, maturity, cost and readiness for adoption.
• Produce clear architecture, roadmap and technical decision-support materials and present recommendations to senior stakeholders and governance forums.
• Coordinate architecture reviews, approvals and baseline updates, ensuring technical decisions and documentation remain aligned.
• Manage technical dependencies across work packages, Corporate IT, suppliers and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to risk, knowledge, service continuity, performance and continual improvement activities.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 10+ years of IT experience, with significant experience in Senior Architecture and Transformation roles.
• Strong background in Enterprise, Service or Solution Architecture, ideally within complex infrastructure and service environments.
• Proven experience developing current/target-state architectures, gap assessments and multi-year transformation roadmaps.
• Strong ability to turn strategic objectives and requirements into practical initiatives, priorities and delivery plans.
• Experience evaluating technical solutions, sourcing models, costs, risks, dependencies and feasibility to support decision-making.
• Broad knowledge of modern IT technologies, including cloud, infrastructure, networking, security, automation, platforms and integration.
• Experience evaluating new technologies and managing Proofs of Concept.
• Strong requirements analysis skills, with the ability to connect requirements, architecture, transformation decisions and roadmaps.
• Experience working across multi-supplier and multi-provider environments and coordinating technical dependencies.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, including workshops, architecture reviews, governance forums and senior-level presentations.
• Good understanding of IT Service Management / ITIL, including Risk, Change, Knowledge, Capacity/Performance, Service Continuity and Service Level Management.
• Strong technical writing skills and the ability to produce clear, concise architecture and decision-support documentation.
• Comfortable acting as a senior technical adviser, challenging assumptions and providing evidence-based recommendations.
• Able to pass ITAR Export Control screening due to operational requirements.

Desirable Skills & Experience:

• Experience with TOGAF and/or ArchiMate.
• Certifications in ITIL, Cloud Architecture or similar.
• Experience in regulated or critical infrastructure environments, such as public sector, aerospace or space.

Package Description

• Relocation allowance (flight to Germany, airport transport, one month paid accommodation).
• Hybrid working model for flexibility. 
• 30% discount on the Deutschland ticket for easy travel.
• Subsidised Wellpass – access to 12,500+ fitness and wellness options across Germany.
• Pension and health schemes.
• Corporate Benefits discounts
• 30 days of holiday for balance and exploration.