Job Title: Senior Solution Architect
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
Job Type: Full Time
Employment Type: Permanent
Experience Level: Senior
We are seeking a Senior Solution Architect to shape and deliver scalable, secure and resilient technology solutions across a complex enterprise environment. This is a senior technical role for an experienced architect who can translate business objectives into practical technology strategies and provide architectural direction across major programmes and transformation initiatives.
You will work closely with engineering, infrastructure, security, data, product and business teams to define solution architectures that meet functional, operational and regulatory requirements. The role will involve evaluating existing technology estates, identifying opportunities for modernisation, and establishing architecture patterns that support long-term scalability and reliability.
The successful candidate will bring strong technical judgement, excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to communicate complex architectural decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. You will influence technology roadmaps, guide engineering teams through implementation and ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture, security and governance standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design of end-to-end solution architectures for complex business applications, platforms and technology transformation programmes.
- Translate business and functional requirements into scalable, secure and maintainable technical architectures.
- Develop architecture principles, reference architectures, solution designs, technical specifications and supporting documentation.
- Evaluate existing applications, infrastructure and integration landscapes to identify technical debt, risks and opportunities for modernisation.
- Define appropriate cloud, on-premises and hybrid architecture strategies across enterprise technology environments.
- Work with engineering teams to establish suitable patterns for APIs, microservices, event-driven architectures, data integration and distributed systems.
- Collaborate with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to incorporate identity, access management, network security, encryption, resilience and compliance requirements into solution designs.
- Assess technology options and provide recommendations based on scalability, performance, security, operational complexity and total cost of ownership.
- Provide architectural governance throughout the delivery lifecycle, reviewing technical designs and ensuring implementation remains aligned with agreed architecture.
- Partner with programme managers, product owners and senior stakeholders to identify dependencies, manage architectural risks and support delivery decisions.
- Establish integration strategies across enterprise applications, SaaS platforms, databases, APIs and third-party services.
- Support technology roadmaps and contribute to strategic decisions around cloud adoption, platform engineering, automation and digital transformation.
- Mentor solution architects, senior engineers and technical leads, promoting consistent architecture practices and sound engineering principles.
- Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and industry trends, assessing their relevance to the organisation's technology strategy.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering or a related technical discipline; equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
- At least 8 years of experience in software architecture, solution architecture, technical architecture or a closely related senior technology role.
- Proven experience designing complex enterprise solutions across application, integration, infrastructure, security and data domains.
- Strong knowledge of cloud architecture and experience with platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
- Practical understanding of distributed systems, microservices, RESTful APIs, event-driven architecture, messaging and enterprise integration patterns.
- Experience working with technologies such as Kubernetes, Docker, API gateways, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code and automated deployment practices.
- Working knowledge of cloud-native services, relational and NoSQL databases, data platforms and enterprise integration technologies.
- Familiarity with architecture and modelling approaches such as TOGAF, ArchiMate, UML, C4 modelling or comparable architecture practices.
- Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, identity and access management, network architecture, encryption, vulnerability management and secure software development.
- Experience with architecture governance, technical standards, technology roadmaps, design reviews, risk management and technical decision records.
- Relevant professional certifications such as TOGAF, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Google Professional Cloud Architect are preferred.
- Strong understanding of Agile delivery methodologies, DevOps practices and modern software development lifecycles.
- Excellent communication, stakeholder management, negotiation and technical leadership skills, with the ability to influence decisions across engineering and business teams.
- Candidates must have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom and be able to undertake employment in the UK.
Equal Opportunity Employer
We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Job Type: Full Time, Permanent
Pay: £80,000.00-£84,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Bereavement leave
- Canteen
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free parking
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
