Lead Solution Architect

About

The Role
Job Level:
10
Were looking for a   Lead Solution Architect   to join our digital transformation consultancy building user-centered software and digital services for public sector clients.
Lead Solution Technical Architects work closely with clients and development teams to design software architecture and guide delivery teams to turn the design into reality.
As a Solution Architect, you will:
Design technology solutions that are scalable, secure and user-centred

Guide and support clients to make technology choices

Own documentation and drive governance on behalf of development teams

You will bring a technology-agnostic approach to solution design, ensuring that technology solutions meet the needs of users and stakeholders and help the client to deliver effective services.
You'll operate as a trusted advisor, liaising with client stakeholders at all levels across business and technology functions.
You will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across design, technology, data and delivery on time-bound delivery projects. You will lead smaller projects or play a senior role on larger ones. You will be the source of technical oversight and advice for the wider team and for the client.
You will also support the development of junior colleagues and contribute to team culture and business development.
Responsibilities     Technical architecture
Design technical solution architecture for software and digital services

Conduct technical assessments and provide actionable recommendations for clients

Produce high-quality artefacts and documentation including high level and low level designs, diagrams, architecture models, and written briefs

Support development teams to implement your designs

Technical governance
Take your designs through architectural governance processes, proactively ensuring alignment with enterprise, data, and security standards

Support architecture quality by reviewing designs of colleagues and client teams and giving constructive feedback and advice

Delivery
Lead project work streams or small/medium client engagements in technology engagements.

Create technical roadmaps and contribute to delivery planning to support agile product development.

Stakeholder management
Collaborate with client teams to align technical solutions with organisational strategies and user needs.

Facilitate architecture decision-making with clients

Develop and maintain strong client relationships, building trust with senior stakeholders.

Communicate complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

Internal responsibilities
Contribute to the continual development of our technology and data practice, mentor or line manage more junior consultants and contribute to internal learning

Contribute to bids, proposals and marketing

Maintain a strong understanding of emerging trends and technologies

About You
Professional knowledge and experience     Essential skills    :
Strong experience designing architectures for complex software and digital services

Demonstrable knowledge of enterprise systems, APIs/integration, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and modern development best-practice

Experience developing and reviewing architecture artefacts and applying architecture modelling standards (e.g. C4, Archi Mate, UML)

Strong verbal and written skills and ex  perience of communicating technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences

Proven ability to work with stakeholders at multiple levels across organisations

Experience taking your designs through architecture governance processes

Experience working with agile product delivery teams, from solution design through to delivery

Experience delivering projects in a consultancy environment

Committed to personal and professional development, staying abreast of industry trends.

A technology and platform agnostic perspective.

Awareness of user needs and user centered design in the context of technology

Desirable:
Experience working with public sector architecture standards and platforms (e.g. Technology Code of Practice, GDS Service Assessments,  PaaS, NHS Spine)

Experience working in diverse, remote, and multi-disciplinary teams

Skills      Communicating between the technical and non-technical    ability to interpret and negotiate between needs of technical and non-technical stakeholders

Requirements definition and management    ability to advise on requirements management approaches and coordinate requirements prioritisation

Strategic thinking    ability to contribute to the development of strategies and policies

Technology systems analysis    ability to lead the analysis of IT system capabilities

Governance and assurance    ability to assure services and support clients to define governance

User focus    ability to champion user research and define approaches to understanding user needs

Lifecycle perspective    ability to manage the delivery of products and services at different phases through the product lifecycle

Sourcing technology assets and solutions   - ability to lead…