Lead Solution Architect

Lead Solution Architect – Contract

London / Hybrid – flexible office attendance

Up to £650 per day | Outside IR35 – anticipated | 6 months initial contract |

I’m working exclusively with a large, complex UK organisation looking for an experienced Lead Solution Architect to join its architecture function during a significant period of technology change.

This isn’t a role for someone who specialises in one platform or operates purely at enterprise level. We’re looking for a strong, pragmatic Solution Architect who enjoys getting close to the business, understanding the problem and owning the architecture of solutions from initial requirements through to delivery.

The environment

You'll work across a broad technology estate spanning AWS, Salesforce, Snowflake, modern web applications, data and integration technologies, eCommerce and SaaS platforms .

A major transformation programme is approaching an important milestone, creating a significant pipeline of “Day 2” architecture work: evolving newly implemented capabilities, tackling a backlog of digital initiatives and helping shape what the next phase of the technology landscape should look like.

You'll work alongside Product Managers, Product Owners, Engineers, BAs, specialist architects and technology partners.

What you'll be doing

You’ll take end-to-end architectural ownership of initiatives across digital products, cloud, CRM, data and integration. That will mean taking sometimes loosely defined business requirements and asking the important questions:

Why are we doing this? What problem are we solving? What value will it create? And what is the safest, simplest and most strategically appropriate way to deliver it?

You'll then turn that into clear architecture – producing HLDs, defining integrations and dependencies, assessing options and ensuring solutions fit appropriately into the wider enterprise landscape.

There is also an opportunity to influence the future roadmap: identifying gaps in the existing architecture, helping prioritise a substantial technology backlog and shaping how existing digital and AWS-based products evolve.

What we're looking for

The sweet spot is an experienced Solution Architect who has worked within a sizeable, complex enterprise environment.

You don't need to be a Salesforce Architect or a specialist Data Architect. In fact, we're deliberately looking for someone broader than that.

You'll ideally bring:

• Strong end-to-end Solution Architecture experience within a large enterprise or major consultancy
• Experience across several areas such as cloud/AWS, digital products, applications, integration, CRM and data
• The ability to create strong architectural artefacts and high-level designs
• Enough data knowledge to confidently discuss data models, migration, integrations and information flows
• Experience taking requirements through to a pragmatic, deliverable solution
• The confidence to challenge requirements and connect technology decisions back to business value
• Strong stakeholder skills, from engineers and BAs through to senior technology and business leaders
• A willingness to get into the detail rather than operating purely at the strategic “30,000-foot” level

AWS experience would be particularly useful. Salesforce exposure is advantageous, but Salesforce expertise is absolutely not required.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone pragmatic, collaborative and adaptable . You'll be joining an established architecture function, so success will come from building relationships, bringing people with you and improving solutions rather than arriving with a mandate to redesign everything.

If you've worked in environments such as financial services, insurance, telecoms, large-scale enterprise or major consulting, your experience is likely to translate particularly well.

Interested? Apply or message me directly for a confidential conversation about the organisation, programme and architecture landscape.