Senior Technical Consultant - Student Systems and Digital Transformation

Location: Bristol or Manchester (hybrid, UK/Ireland travel)

Role Type: Permanent (full-time preferred, flexible considered)

Lead technical delivery across major student systems and digital transformation programmes, combining architecture, integrations, data migration and delivery leadership to ensure scalable, secure and sustainable solutions.

PACT Solutions is a specialist consultancy working with UK higher education institutions to deliver strategy, digital transformation and operational change. We combine deep sector expertise with a collaborative, partner‑first approach to deliver meaningful, lasting outcomes.

Act as a senior technical authority across complex transformation programmes, shaping technical approaches, leading work streams and supporting clients through system implementation, integration, migration and transition activities.

• Lead technical architecture and delivery across student systems programmes
• Shape integration, migration, testing, cutover and deployment approaches
• Define and assure system architecture, data models and integration patterns
• Lead technical work streams and coordinate cross‑functional delivery teams
• Provide technical assurance across suppliers, vendors and third parties
• Translate technical complexity into clear recommendations for stakeholders
• Support governance, risk management and delivery planning
• Contribute to proposals, technical approaches and capability development

Our values sit at the heart of everything we do:

• Partnership – We work with you, not for you.
• Integrity – We do the right thing, even when it requires difficult conversations.
• Inquisitive – We dig deeper to uncover what will truly deliver value.
• Transformative – We focus on outcomes that create lasting, measurable improvement.

Develop your data and consulting capability in a fast‑growing consultancy, working on impactful transformation programmes across UK higher education with strong support for learning and progression.

• Proven experience leading technical delivery on major enterprise systems implementations, upgrades, or replacements within higher education.
• Experience acting as a client‑side technical lead, technical design authority, senior technical consultant, solution architect, or equivalent on a significant student systems transformation.
• Strong understanding of Student Information System and student lifecycle processes, including admissions, enrolment, curriculum, assessment, progression, awards, graduation, and related reporting or statutory requirements.
• Experience working with enterprise Student Record or Student Information Systems such as Tribal SITS, Ellucian Banner, Technology One Student Management, Thesis, Unit4 Student Management, or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of systems integration, including REST APIs, SOAP, middleware, iPaaS/ESB platforms, batch interfaces, and data feeds.
• Strong knowledge of data migration strategy, including data mapping, cleansing, transformation, validation, reconciliation, and quality assurance.
• Experience developing, leading, or assuring technical cutover planning, including migration windows, deployment sequencing, rollback planning, dress rehearsals, and go‑live readiness.
• Ability to design and review architecture diagrams, data models, integration patterns, technical specifications, and supplier designs.
• Experience leading technical teams or technical work streams, including developers, analysts, testers, integration specialists, data specialists, and supplier resources.
• Ability to work effectively with complex legacy estates, including bespoke integrations, local processes, reporting dependencies, and operationally critical interfaces.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical concepts for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to bring structure to ambiguous or complex technical and organisational challenges.
• Commercial awareness, including the ability to understand scope, manage expectations, identify delivery risks, and contribute to realistic estimates and delivery plans.
• Abili…