Natasha Barker

Job:

Domain Architect

Company:

Matalan

As a TOGAF Certified Domain Architect, I lead and develop the IT strategy / roadmaps, drive innovation and work as the Lead Architect on medium - large projects. This involves producing high-level-designs and governing low-level-designs; ensuring it aligns to policies and principles, whilst providing architectural governance across the IT portfolio.

I am...

Strategic

Driven

Passionate

The skills I use most in my job...

Produce Architecture Designs (High Level Design Documents)

Architectural Governance

Create and Implement Strategies and Roadmaps

Champion, Research and Drive Innovation and Thought Leadership

Present with Impact (including to the Board of Directors)

The most interesting thing I've worked on in my career so far...

I worked as the Lead Architect for the Digital Transformation Programme 2022 - 2023 (multi-million-pound project in partnership with THG). This involved re-platforming the Matalan website, moving to new technology, hosting, rolling out new in-store hardware and new customer and colleague Apps to support a Digital First agenda.

What inspired me into digital and tech...

I've been surrounded by family members interested in Tech, love the film: The Social Network, as well as Dragons Den and The Apprentice. I've always been passionate about business operations! Aged 16, a promo video for the ITMB Degree made me want to work in Tech for a large company.

My educational background is...

Most recently I achieved a First Class in MSc Digital And Technology Specialist (Enterprise Architect) in 2022, having completed a Bachelors Degree in 2015 in IT Management for Business and A-Levels and GCSE's prior to that. I'm also TOGAF 9 Combined Certified (2019), obtained the Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise & Solution Architecture (2020) and the NCSC Certification in Cyber Security (2020). I am a Professional Member of the British Computing Society.

What advice I'd give to girls thinking about a career in digital and tech...

Explore the Tech Sector. It is a great sector to work in and a lot broader than people think, there are so many roles from Project Management, Development, Business Analysis, Architecture, Service Management, to name a few... There is bound to be a role you're passionate about!