Lead Solutions Architect - Customer

About us

We’re the team behind digital retailer Very.

Our purpose, helping families get more out of life, powers everything we do.

And we want our people to get more out of life too! If you’re high-performing, ambitious and make the most of every opportunity, we want to hear from you. In return, you’ll enjoy heaps of flexibility, great perks and benefits, and the freedom to be yourself, keep learning and take your career wherever you want it to go.

If you love making a difference, you’ll love making it sparkle for millions of Very customers. ✨

About the role

We're looking for a Lead Solutions Architect to define and govern the technology, data, AI and business capability architecture that supports the end-to-end customer lifecycle at Very.

Sitting at the heart of our Customer Domain, you'll create the architectural vision that enables us to acquire, understand, engage and serve millions of customers. Working across customer engagement, marketing, personalisation, communications, measurement, customer data and AI-enabled capabilities, you'll keep business strategy, customer ambitions and technology investment aligned.

This is a highly visible leadership role. You'll work closely with Product, Engineering, Data, Marketing, Customer Service, Financial Services and business leaders to shape future capabilities, guide strategic investment and deliver measurable customer and commercial outcomes.

As the Lead Solutions Architect for the Customer Domain, you'll:

• Define and own the target architecture, technology strategy, capability model and roadmap for the Customer Domain.

• Translate customer and commercial strategy into clear architectural direction, investment priorities and delivery guardrails.

• Shape capabilities across acquisition, engagement, conversion, retention, loyalty, communications, personalisation and measurement.
• Set direction for customer identity, profiles, consent, customer data platforms, CRM, decisioning and omnichannel engagement.
• Guide architecture for marketing technology, campaign management, automation, segmentation, audience activation, content and digital asset management.
• Shape digital advertising and retail media capabilities, including programmatic activation, attribution and marketing effectiveness measurement.
• Define how real-time data, event-driven architecture, analytics, experimentation, recommendation engines and next-best-action models support customer outcomes.
• Ensure customer, marketing, data, AI and technology capabilities operate as a connected, reusable ecosystem rather than isolated point solutions.
• Guide the adoption of APIs, cloud services and modern integration patterns that improve scalability, interoperability, agility and resilience.
• Lead architecture governance and decision records, ensuring solutions align with enterprise standards, data governance, privacy and responsible AI expectations.
• Lead vendor evaluations, business case development and strategic technology investment decisions, with a focus on platform reuse and reducing duplication.
• Act as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, connecting architecture decisions to conversion, acquisition cost, retention, loyalty, marketing efficiency and revenue growth.

About you

We're looking for an experienced architect who combines customer-domain expertise, strategic thinking, technical leadership and strong commercial judgement.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience as a Solution, Domain or Enterprise Architect in a complex digital organisation.

• Strong understanding of the complete customer lifecycle and the technology capabilities that support acquisition, engagement, conversion, retention, loyalty, communications and service.

• Experience with customer journey mapping, customer 360, customer identity and profile management, consent, omnichannel engagement and customer experience measurement.

• Deep knowledge of marketing technology, including CRM, campaign management, automation, segmentation, audience management, attribution, content management and digital asset management.

• Understanding of digital advertising, retail media networks, programmatic advertising, audience activation, ad measurement and marketing effectiveness modelling.

• Strong knowledge of customer data modelling, customer data platforms, data products, data governance, real-time data and event-driven architecture.

• Experience integrating AI and machine learning capabilities such as recommendation engines, next-best-action, propensity models and AI-enabled personalisation.

• Strong command of enterprise architecture practices, including capability modelling, domain boundaries, APIs, cloud architecture, integration patterns, roadmaps, standards and governance.

• Commercial acumen, including customer economics, customer lifetime value, marketing ROI, business case development, vendor assessment, benefits realisation and investment prioritisation.

• Ability to influence senior leaders, resolve competing priorities and communicate architecture decisions in clear business language.

• A customer-focused and innovation-led mindset, balanced with practical governance, privacy, security and responsible AI considerations.

Experience in the following domains is desirable 

• Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), customer 360 and identity resolution

• Personalisation, experimentation, customer decisioning and next-best-action

• CRM, customer communications, campaign management and marketing automation

• Customer identity, profile, consent and privacy management

• Digital advertising, AdTech, retail media and audience activation

• Marketing attribution, customer analytics, measurement and marketing effectiveness modelling

• Real-time data, event streaming, data products and data mesh concepts

• AI-enabled customer engagement, recommendation engines and predictive modelling

• Content management, digital asset management and omnichannel engagement

• Architecture strategy, capability modelling, domain architecture, APIs and integration governance
• Experience shaping customer, marketing, data, AI or advanced analytics transformations.
• Experience leading vendor selection, commercial evaluation and platform rationalisation.
• Knowledge of Retail, eCommerce, Financial Services or another highly regulated customer-centric environment.
• Experience with platforms such as AWS, Zeta, Movable Ink, Tealium, Segment or the Google advertising technology ecosystem.
• Relevant architecture qualifications, such as TOGAF, BCS architecture credentials, SAFe or equivalent practical experience.

Some of our benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working model
• Inclusive culture and environment, check out our Glassdoor reviews

• £6500 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs
• 30 days holiday + bank holidays
• LinkedIn Learning access
• Bonus potential (performance and business-related)
• Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk

• Matched pension up to 6%
• More benefits can be found on our career site

How to apply 

Please note that the talent acquisition team are managing this vacancy directly, and if successful in securing this role, you will be required to undertake a credit, CIFAS, Right to Work checks and if a specific requirement of your role a DBS (criminal records) check. Should your application progress we require you to let the team know if there is anything you need to disclose in relation to any of these checks prior to them being undertaken, including any unspent criminal convictions.

What happens next? 

Our talent acquisition team will be in touch if you’re successful so keep an eye on your emails! We’ll arrange a short call to learn more about you, as well as answer any questions you have. If it feels like we’re a good match, we’ll share your CV with the hiring manager to review. Our interview process is tailored to each role and can be in-person or held remotely.

You can expect a two stage interview process for this position:

1st Stage - 30 minute Teams Call with the Hiring Team.

2nd stage - A one hour face-to-face interview with the hiring team to discuss your skills and relevant experience + competency questions. This is also a great opportunity to find out more about the role and to ask any questions you may have.

As an inclusive employer please do let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments.

If you'd like to know more about our interviews, you can find out here.

Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities

We’re building a culture of everyday inclusion, and welcome applications from anyone who believes they can do the job. We don’t discriminate based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer and have nine brilliant colleague networks - including DAWN (Disability Awareness at Very) and Think (Neurodiversity at Very) - that are helping us make Very an even more inclusive place to work.