About Iglu Why You'll Love Working Here

At Iglu.com, we're more than just a travel company — we’re the UK’s leading online cruise retailer, and we’re redefining what it means to book a cruise in the digital age.

Working at Iglu means:

• 💬 Flat structure, real impact – Your ideas matter. Everyone contributes, and you’ll see the results of your work fast.

• 🌴 Cruise perks & travel love – We’re in the business of adventure, and you’ll feel it.

• 🧠 Smart, supportive people – Join a talented, close-knit team that genuinely enjoys solving hard problems together.

• 🚀 Room to grow – We’re on a transformation journey, and there’s huge opportunity to shape the future with us.

• Training and development - Paid for training, conferences and certification e.g. AWS Certs.

We combine a passion for travel with a love for technology, delivering smart, seamless customer experiences and building platforms that handle the complexity of modern cruising — all while keeping things collaborative and fun.

What you will be doing and why it matters

As our Head of Architecture, you’ll take full ownership of the technical architecture and integration strategy for IgluCruise.com — not just maintaining a platform, but helping redefine what online cruise retail can be.

You’ll work across the business to design and lead solution spaces that shift the dial, supporting a major transformation in how customers discover, book, and experience cruise holidays. This is your chance to influence a digital-first future in a niche sector ripe for disruption.

You're not just joining an ecommerce business — you're helping shape a new category leader in travel tech.

Who will I be working with?

You’ll report directly to the CIO, acting as a key partner in shaping and delivering the IT strategy. You’ll collaborate with senior stakeholders across technology, product, marketing, and operations to ensure architectural decisions are aligned with both the business strategy and customer needs.

You’ll be supported by and work closely with:

• The Director of Engineering

• Principal Engineers across the business

• C-Suite Business sponsors as a technical consultant and leader

Together, you'll define and evolve our target architecture, enabling innovation, scalability, and exceptional digital experiences.

Your role will be pivotal in:

• Aligning IT delivery with strategic business goals

• Designing for flexibility, resilience, and modernisation

• Advising on technology trade-offs and shaping our future-state architecture

What you will own

• Enterprise and solution architecture across all key domains

• Integration strategy across systems (PIM, Price, CRM, Ecommerce, marketing tech etc)

• Definition and evolution of our architectural principles and guardrails

• Capability and platform mapping aligned with strategic initiatives

• Partnering with product and engineering teams to embed architecture into delivery

What we are looking for

• Experience in modern architecture patterns (e.g. APIs, event-driven, microservices)

• A strategic thinker who can zoom out and lead big-picture thinking — while also digging into details

• A collaborator and influencer — confident presenting to senior leaders

• A self-starter excited by building, not maintaining

Responsibilities:

Architectural Vision & Strategy:

• Develop and maintain the overall architecture framework, principles, and standards.

• Define and communicate the long-term architectural vision, strategy, and roadmap.

• Align architecture with business goals, technology trends, and industry best practices.

• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies and their potential impact on the organization.

Technical Leadership & Guidance:

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to architects, engineers, and development teams.

• Mentor and coach other architects, fostering their professional development.

• Promote a culture of technical excellence and innovation.

• Drive the adoption of architectural best practices and standards.

Solution Architecture & Design:

• Lead the design and architecture of complex, enterprise-scale solutions.

• Ensure solutions are scalable, reliable, secure, and performant.

• Evaluate and select appropriate technologies and platforms.

• Develop architectural artifacts, including diagrams, specifications, and documentation.

Technology Evaluation & Selection:

• Research and evaluate new technologies and platforms.

• Conduct proof-of-concepts and prototypes to validate technical feasibility.

• Develop recommendations for technology adoption and standardization.

• Participate in vendor evaluations and selection processes.

Collaboration & Communication:

• Collaborate closely with business stakeholders, product managers, and technology teams.

• Effectively communicate architectural concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and alignment on architectural decisions.

• Represent the organization's technical interests in industry forums and conferences.

Governance & Compliance:

• Establish and enforce architectural governance processes.

• Ensure compliance with architectural principles, standards, and regulations.

• Review and approve architectural designs and implementations.

• Identify and mitigate architectural risks.

Innovation & Research:

• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies.

• Identify opportunities for innovation and improvement.

• Conduct research and experimentation to explore new architectural approaches.

Experience / Qualifications:

• Extensive experience as an architect, with a proven track record of leading and delivering complex solutions.

• Deep understanding of architectural principles, patterns, and best practices.

• Strong knowledge of various technologies and platforms (e.g., cloud computing, microservices, data architecture, security).

• Expertise in solution architecture, design, and implementation.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.

• Real world experience modernizing front end web stacks

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Experience with Agile development methodologies is a plus.

• Industry certifications are a plus.