Principle Solution Architect

About Us

At National Grid, we light up the world by harnessing the unique strengths of our people. Join us as a Principle Solution Architect to be part of a team that's driving forward the energy transition, creating a brighter, more sustainable future for all.

Drive the design and delivery of Application Solution Architecture that shapes the electricity network of the future, supporting the journey to Net Zero and beyond.

• Lead solution architecture for key power system design applications and the Digital Twin system and integration strategy.
• Champion the execution of the Enterprise Architecture Strategy and Value Stream work.
• Design and implement digital technologies that optimise electricity network planning for the transmission network across England and Wales, ensuring solutions are secure, cost‑effective, and comply with NGET governance standards.
• Collaborate across teams to integrate systems and data, enabling advanced modelling, simulation, correlation and visualisation.

• Develop high‑level and detailed solution architectures, including High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR) strategies for power system applications.
• Size and set up virtual applications hosted on Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
• Maintain comprehensive architectural documentation and diagrams.
• Document key design decisions and present conceptual solutions to stakeholders.

• Explain complex technical concepts in clear, business‑friendly language for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Translate business needs into technical specifications and architectural artifacts (e.g., HLD, SoP, test plans).

• Assess and recommend technologies, frameworks, and tools to fit project needs.
• Conduct cost‑benefit analyses and feasibility studies for SaaS or cloud solutions.
• Drive solution governance and uphold architecture standards.

• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to development teams.
• Gather, analyse, and validate functional and non‑functional requirements (performance, scalability, security).
• Identify risks and propose optimised solutions.

• Develop cloud adoption strategies, roadmaps, and design patterns.
• Implement Azure PaaS components:
  Web Apps, Storage, SQL Database, Azure Data Factory (ADF), API Management.
• Integrate Snowflake, Data Fabric, Data Lake, Databricks, and ETL/ELT pipelines.
• Lead migration projects and enterprise system integration.

• Work in Agile/Kanban environments.
• Adopt Dev Ops, CI/CD, and Git Hub workflows.
• Value Streams and Process Driven Architectures.

• An appreciation of power systems engineering and the willingness to learn more about it.
• Good understanding of network architectures and components.
• Knowledge of data controls and industry benchmarks.
• Exposure to digital twin solutions and applications such as ArcGIS, Geogrid, SCADA, Plexos, Maximo, PSCAD.
• Familiarity with network design and management products from companies like Aspentech, Siemens, Dig Silent, IPS, Cognite.

A competitive salary between £70,000 - £87,000 dependent on capability. In addition to your base salary, you will receive a bonus of up to 30% of your salary for stretch performance and a competitive contributory pension scheme where we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%. You will also have access to a range of flexible benefits such as a share incentive plan, salary sacrifice car and technology schemes, support via employee assistance lines and matched charity giving.

The closing date for this vacancy is 26th July. We encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible and not to wait until the published closing date.

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants…