Solutions Architect

Sunderland Permanent Up to £70,000 Ref: 420427

Company

Our client is a well-established organisation undergoing an exciting period of change and investment.

Technology will play a central role in the organisation’s future plans, with a significant transformation agenda focused on modernising its technology landscape, improving how systems and data work together, and creating a more flexible platform for future growth and innovation.

As part of this journey, the organisation is continuing to develop its architecture capability and is looking for an experienced Solutions Architect who can combine hands-on architecture delivery with the opportunity to influence how the function evolves.

The organisation offers hybrid working, with a office presence required 3 days per week.

Role

This is an opportunity to take a highly influential role within a developing architecture capability and a major three to four-year transformation programme.
Working closely with the Enterprise Architect, you will translate business needs into coherent end-to-end technology solutions spanning applications, integration, data, infrastructure and networking.
The organisation follows a predominantly "buy over build" technology strategy, making the architecture surrounding third-party platforms, integrations and data particularly important. You'll ensure individual technology decisions work as part of the wider landscape rather than being designed within isolated technical teams.
Alongside delivering architecture, you'll have the opportunity to help shape how Solution Architecture itself operates. This includes developing frameworks, standards, templates, governance and repeatable processes, as well as raising architecture capability across the wider technology function.
Key responsibilities will include:

Translating business and technical requirements into effective solution architectures and High Level Designs.
Bringing together developers, infrastructure engineers, integration specialists, data and BI professionals, system owners and business stakeholders around coherent solutions.
Designing architectures across applications, integrations, data, infrastructure and associated technologies.
Challenging requirements where necessary and identifying risks, dependencies and gaps before solutions progress into delivery.
Assessing third-party platforms and ensuring technology decisions align with the wider enterprise architecture.
Playing a major role in a multi-year digital transformation covering core business platforms, legacy technology, integrations and data.
Helping create a modern, loosely coupled architecture that makes it easier to replace individual systems and suppliers in the future.
Developing architecture standards, patterns, templates, governance and assurance processes.
Working closely with delivery teams and suppliers to take solutions from concept through to implementation.
Helping technical colleagues develop their own architecture skills so that smaller solution designs can be produced within teams and reviewed through architecture governance.

This is not a role where you'll simply inherit an established architecture model. You'll have genuine scope to influence the approach, establish what good looks like and help build the capability while simultaneously delivering significant transformation.

Person

We're looking for an experienced Solutions Architect with strong technical foundations and the breadth to understand how different parts of a technology landscape fit together.
You'll ideally have progressed from a hands-on technical or engineering background and have experience across at least two disciplines such as software development, application architecture, integration, cloud, infrastructure, networking, databases or data.
You don't need to be the deepest technical specialist in every area. More important is the ability to understand enough across the landscape to ask the right questions, challenge specialists and identify issues that may be missed when teams work independently.
You'll bring:

Strong experience designing and delivering technology solutions.
Broad understanding across applications, integration, data, infrastructure and networking.
Experience producing architectural blueprints, High Level Designs, strategies and roadmaps.
The ability to translate business requirements into meaningful technical requirements and designs.
Experience working with third-party technology products, platforms and suppliers.
A good understanding of integration and data architecture.
Confidence bringing multiple technical disciplines together around an end-to-end solution.
Strong stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills.
The credibility to challenge constructively, including senior technical stakeholders.
An understanding of architecture governance, standards, patterns and technical debt.
Experience working with Agile delivery teams and contemporary development methodologies.
The ability to communicate architecture effectively to both senior stakeholders and technical audiences.

Above all, you'll be someone who wants ownership. You may currently be one Solutions Architect within a larger, established architecture practice and be looking for an opportunity where you can have considerably greater influence.
You'll be joining at a point where you can help shape the capability, influence the approach, establish standards and play a central role in the architecture of a major multi-year transformation.