Head of IT Architecture

Dit ga jij doen

Millions of customers rely on Odido every day. Behind every connection, interaction and digital service sits an increasingly complex IT & Network Technology landscape. Keeping that landscape resilient today while making the right technology choices for tomorrow requires more than architecture on paper.

It requires direction.

As Head of IT Architecture, you own the architectural direction for our entire IT estate. From understanding where we are today to defining where we need to be, and, importantly, how we get there. You connect business ambition with technology strategy, bring coherence across platforms and domains and create principles that help teams make better technology decisions every day.

But architecture at Odido is not an ivory tower. Technology should enable the business, accelerate where it can and create opportunities we may not yet be using to their full potential. You challenge the business with what technology can make possible, while equally challenging technology teams to understand what the business needs.

You report directly to our CIO and become the overall point of leadership for Architecture and Design across IT. Your impact reaches far beyond the Architecture team: you influence engineers, architects, technology leaders, vendors and business stakeholders across Odido.

What you’ll do

You own the IT Architecture strategy across the complete IT estate. You ensure we have a clear view of our current architecture, define the target state and create the practical stepping stones that move us towards it.

That means translating our IT 2030 strategy into an estate-wide technology strategy and reference architecture, while ensuring change across platforms and domains remains aligned with agreed architectural principles, policies and patterns.

You will:

• Own our current and target IT architecture. Create clarity on where we are today, where we are going and the architectural choices needed to get there.
• Set architectural direction. Define and maintain the principles, patterns and guardrails used by Enterprise, Solution, Domain and Platform Architects across Odido.
• Lead Architecture across IT. Lead, coach and develop a diverse team of architects with different levels of experience and expertise, while creating alignment with the wider architecture community across IT.
• Connect business and technology strategy. Understand Odido’s wider business ambitions and translate them into technology capabilities and architectural roadmaps. Equally, identify where existing or emerging technology can create new business opportunities or help us move faster.
• Safeguard architectural governance. Challenge deviations, identify gaps and ensure solutions remain aligned with our architectural direction without allowing governance to become an unnecessary barrier to progress.
• Lead Security & Risk within IT.Ensure we understand what needs to be delivered across security, risk, regulatory and data requirements, embed these principles into architectural decision-making and hold teams accountable for delivering against them. You lead the relevant Security & Risk teams within IT and ensure these topics are addressed by design, not added afterwards.
• Influence across boundaries. Build strong relationships with technology and business leaders and make complex architectural choices understandable to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Look ahead. Follow developments across telecom, digital technology, data, AI and security and understand what we should adopt, evolve, defer or retire.

And sometimes, your job is to say, “not like this.”

But equally important is knowing when the answer should change.

You’ll constantly balance architectural quality with business priorities, speed, cost pressure, risk and regulatory requirements. The technically most elegant solution is not automatically the right solution for Odido. You can make that trade-off objectively, adjust direction when circumstances change and move forward without becoming emotionally attached to a particular architectural outcome.

You’ll navigate different opinions across domains, platforms, engineering teams, vendors and business stakeholders. Sometimes you will need to hold the architectural line. At other times, you will need to adapt to it.

Your success comes from creating alignment and making the right decision for Odido, not from winning the argument.

Leadership that reaches beyond your team

This is a substantial leadership role.

You lead a lean Architecture organization consisting of Enterprise Architects and End-to-End Solution Architects, while also providing direction to a broader matrix of architects across other parts of IT. Your influence therefore extends considerably beyond your direct reporting line.

You will be expected to set the architectural agenda, coach and develop a team with mixed capabilities and create consistency across Enterprise, Solution and Domain Architecture.

At the same time, efficiency matters. Building the right architecture organization is not about adding more layers or more architects. It is about creating clear ownership, strong architectural governance and a team that can make high-quality decisions at the speed the business needs.

At Odido, we believe in people.

We personally review every application. No keyword filters, no automated AI decisions.

Together we are

We want to become the most human-centred telecom provider in the Netherlands. That might sound odd from an IT or network role, but that's exactly where it starts. Because without stable systems, a reliable network and smart technology there's no conversation, no connection, no trust. You make sure everything runs, even when nobody notices. And that's precisely the point. Even if the customer doesn't see you, your impact is felt in every conversation, every connection and every moment it just works. Because when the technology is solid, people can work, customers can be helped, and trust is built.

This is what we stand for

At Odido we're there for each other. We see each other's talents. We listen and always look at what's possible, technically, personally and in the way we work together. Because you're at your best when you can grow, Odido gives you all the space you need for that. Together we look at where your ambition and talent lie and make sure you get the opportunities to grow in your own way, whether that's deeper technical specialisation, a broader architect role, or a step towards tech leadership.

What we offer.

At Odido, you build and manage critical infrastructure at a national scale; ensuring reliability, performance, and security for millions of customers. You work on technology that truly matters, with a direct impact on how our network and IT services perform every day.

In return, we offer a competitive salary and a well-balanced total rewards package, including:

• A role-based bonus aligned with your performance;
• 30 days of annual leave (full-time), plus an extra day off after Ascension Day;
• Hybrid working model: 3 days in the office and 2 days from home;
• A €350 voucher to choose your own mobile phone; yours to keep;
• A personal learning budget and access to more than 200 training courses;
• A solid pension plan through Zwitserleven;
• Discounts on your Odido Internet & TV or Klik & Klaar subscription;
• A bike lease scheme for sustainable commuting;
• Employer contribution to your gym membership;
• Access to a wide range of discounts on products and services.

We work together to deliver stable, scalable, and future-proof technology; and we celebrate the impact we make.

In short: you build what keeps us running, your work is visible, and you’re supported to keep growing.

You bring this

Some things you cannot learn at university; you possess them by nature.

Curiosity. Authenticity, Empathy. The confidence to speak up. The ability to challenge people without losing the relationship. And understanding that your success is ultimately measured by what the wider team achieves, not the other way around.

You combine deep architectural expertise with the ability to see the bigger picture. You are comfortable operating in complexity, can move naturally between technology and business conversations and know when to go deep, and when not.

You are decisive without becoming rigid. You can balance technology, business need, cost, speed, security and risk and make a decision even when there is no perfect answer. When circumstances change, you adjust rather than defend yesterday’s decision simply because it was yours.

Relationships come naturally to you. You connect easily with people at every level of the organization, see possibilities rather than boundaries and are comfortable challenging senior stakeholders when needed. You don't build architecture from an ivory tower; you bring people with you.

And you are a leader.You set the agenda, create clarity and coach people with different strengths and levels of experience. People follow your direction because you understand technology, communicate clearly and create an environment in which others can succeed.

What you bring

• 10+ years of experience in complex, business-critical IT environments, combined with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science or a related discipline.
• A strong Enterprise and Solution Architecture background, with broad understanding across digital, data, platforms, infrastructure and security, and the ability to assess emerging capabilities such as AI.
• Strong end-to-end architecture experience, from business requirements and strategic design through delivery, operational handover and lifecycle management.
• Proven leadership and coaching experience. You can set direction, develop senior professionals and lead a lean architecture organisation with different capabilities and levels of experience.
• Strong business orientation. You understand how technology enables business strategy, customer experience and competitive advantage — and can challenge both business and technology when needed.
• The ability to influence complex organisations. You create alignment across architects, engineers, senior leaders, business stakeholders and external partners without relying solely on hierarchy.
• Strong architectural governance and decision-making skills. You can balance architectural quality with speed, cost, risk, security, regulation and pragmatic business needs.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder skills. You make complex technology understandable, build relationships easily and can operate confidently from engineering teams to executive leadership.

You’ll stand out if…

• You bring significant experience from telecom, either directly or through consultancy. Experience in another complex, regulated infrastructure environment such as utilities can also be relevant.
• You have worked in large-scale, multi-vendor environments and understand the complexity of connecting Enterprise, Solution and federated Domain Architecture.
• You bring additional depth in areas such as digital and multichannel platforms, data and AI, security, and hold an architecture certification such as TOGAF.

When are you a good fit?

Even though we have many different colleagues, we look for a few typical Odido traits in every new team member. You need to be able to handle a changing organisation. The world of communications changes every day, and we need to grow along with it. Being naturally curious and interested in the technology we work with and the industry we're in helps enormously.