Solution Architect

Type: Permanent

Location: Birmingham/ Manchester / Cardiff

Working arrangements- Hybrid (2-3x a week)

Industry-Professional Services (Legal sector)

The organisation is seeking an experienced Solution Architect to join the Architecture & Design team. You will design and deliver secure, scalable, and robust technology solutions aligned to strategic objectives, including a Cloud First approach and ongoing digital transformation. The role involves close collaboration with business stakeholders, delivery teams, and external partners to translate requirements into high-quality architectural designs.

• Translate business requirements into clear end-to-end solution architectures.

• Define target architectures and develop transition roadmaps.

• Review the current ("as-is") architecture and identify gaps and opportunities.

• Ensure solutions meet security, regulatory, and performance requirements.

• Provide integration designs for existing systems.

• Align solutions with enterprise roadmaps and contribute to shaping future technology direction.

• Offer technical oversight during solution delivery and resolve complex design challenges.

• Act as a bridge between delivery teams and technical functions within IT.

• Support decisions relating to policies such as data residency.

• Feed into and influence enterprise architecture roadmaps.

• Explain solution options clearly and support stakeholders in making informed choices.

• Build trusted relationships with business and IT leaders.

• Drive consensus and influence key technical and strategic decisions.

• Research emerging technologies and industry trends to identify improvement opportunities.

• Highlight architectural risks and recommend mitigation strategies.

• Maintain the information asset register.

• Ensure adherence to policies relating to security, compliance, and data handling.

• Experience working across one or more IT domains.

• Proven background as a Solution Architect within complex enterprise environments.

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Azure (IaaS, PaaS) and cloud-native architectures.

• Understanding of enterprise integration patterns and API management.

• Familiarity with security, compliance, and data privacy best practices.

• Ability to translate business needs into effective technical solutions.

• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Ability to identify and take ownership of technical challenges.

• Understanding of project delivery cycles and quality assurance principles.

• Motivation to learn and explore evolving technologies.

• Understanding of data governance and information security standards.

• Experience in legal or professional services environments.

• Knowledge of TOGAF or similar enterprise architecture frameworks.

• Experience with DevOps tooling and practices.

• Exposure to business analysis and large-scale business process changes.

• Experience working with third-party suppliers, including offshore teams.

• Microsoft Azure: IaaS, PaaS, Azure AD, Azure DevOps

• Windows 365, Microsoft 365, Power Platform

• Integration technologies

• Identity and Access Management

• AI capabilities

• Enterprise applications (document management, case management, CRM, finance)

• Solid networking and infrastructure knowledge

• Agile and other project delivery methodologies

• Strong strategic thinking, diplomacy, and influencing skills.

• Excellent interpersonal and leadership qualities.

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

• Detail-focused with strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Solution-oriented, resilient, and adaptable.

• Able to prioritise effectively and work independently.

• Positive, proactive, and committed to ongoing professional development.