At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead solution architecture to help clients achieve their digital goals and solve complex challenges.
- Company: Join AND Digital, a mission-driven tech company closing the skills gap.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, flexible benefits, healthcare cover, and a supportive work culture.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values curiosity, collaboration, and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by combining human expertise with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in solution architecture, cloud technologies, and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
Who are AND?
We’re on a mission to close the world’s tech skills gap. We help organisations navigate the future of technology, combining human expertise, emerging tech and AI to deliver better outcomes, faster. Since 2014, we’ve worked side-by-side with clients to solve complex challenges, build high-performing teams, and create lasting capability. As technology continues to evolve, we believe the most successful organisations will be those that combine the best of both: human ingenuity AND intelligent technology.
That belief is embedded in everything we do. We call it the genius of the AND: deep expertise AND practical delivery, innovation AND responsibility, ambitious work AND sustainable careers. Through our Guide, Build and Equip approach, we help organisations embrace change, deliver meaningful impact, and develop the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly agentic world.
About you:
- You care deeply about producing high-quality work that delivers real value.
- You’re comfortable navigating ambiguity and solving complex problems collaboratively.
- You bring strong expertise in your craft, alongside a willingness to keep learning.
- You communicate clearly and build trust quickly with clients and teammates.
- You’re pragmatic, adaptable and outcome-focused.
- You enjoy sharing knowledge and helping others grow.
- You value low-ego collaboration and enjoy working as part of multidisciplinary teams.
The Role:
As a Solution Architect Lead, you will provide solution architecture expertise, supporting our clients to deliver their digital objectives. As a result, you will need to be able to:
- Analyse and translate business, information and technical requirements into an architectural blueprint that outlines solutions to achieve business objectives for our client.
- Work with our clients to provide solution architecture expertise, supporting our clients to deliver their digital objective.
- Work with enterprise architecture, application and infrastructure teams to produce optimal designs for the technology to support the product and identify and design dependencies with other systems in the enterprise.
- Manage and lead the target design, policies and standards, working proactively to maintain a stable, viable architecture and ensure consistency of design across designated projects.
- Provide hands-on support alongside the Dev Team for complex solutions and code migrations.
- Coach and develop the AND Digital Product Developers across the squads.
To do that, it’s essential you bring the following:
- Broad understanding of the key layers of IT architecture including enterprise, data, application and solution, specific to enterprise level platforms.
- A track record of delivering end to end solution architecture for large and complex multi-channel digital projects.
- Experience in cloud technologies such as AWS and Azure, SaaS and IaaS, cloud infrastructure and multiple programming languages.
- Experience of best practices processes and frameworks such as TOGAF and architectural patterns/models.
- Experience in a consulting role and confident in presenting/working and building relationships with all levels of seniority, from clients to dev teams.
It’s helpful if you also have:
- Good knowledge of open source technologies (in full-stack environments) and stretching into code management, testing and deployment tools.
- You have worked for a professional services business, in a solution architecture role for leading corporate clients.
- Commercial awareness of implementing software i.e. cost of system, ownership, impact of new tech into established organisation.
- Good experience and knowledge of the Agile/Scrum delivery process.
- Understanding of IT organisations, functions, roles, activities.
Why join AND Digital?
We’re building a culture where talented people can do meaningful work, continue growing, AND enjoy the journey along the way. Our model is designed to build belonging and connection: we’re organised into regional ‘Clubs’ of no more than 80 people, so you (and our clients) get the benefits of that small company feel while also being connected to a larger whole.
Our Practice Areas act as a ‘second home’ for our ANDis - a place where you can innovate and learn with like-minded experts who care deeply about their craft, support each other generously, and believe the best ideas come from collaboration, not hierarchy.
Our culture is rooted in our values of Wonder, Share and Delight, and shows up through five traits that we celebrate and nurture in all our ANDis: we value curiosity, ambition and a growth-mindset. We are deeply client-centric. Most important of all we are human - we create an inclusive environment where people feel trusted, supported and able to be themselves.
By joining AND, we’ll provide:
- 25 days bookable holiday + flexible Bank Holidays.
- Pension: 6% of salary paid by AND Digital with a further 2% paid by you (can be increased by choice).
- Aviva healthcare cover (including pre-existing condition cover) for you.
- Flexibenefit: £1000 assigned to you via our benefits portal to select or upgrade the benefits that suit you the most. Any unused allowance from the £1000 can be taken as cash.
- Life Assurance.
- Income Protection.
- Eye test + first pair of glasses.
- Parental Benefits: Generous Enhanced Maternity and Enhanced Partner (Paternity) Leave.
Equal Opportunities Statement:
Diversity and inclusion are hugely important to us, and we’re committed to providing equal opportunities for all. We’re actively recruiting for a diverse and inclusive workforce so want to ensure we do everything we can to support your application. We want you to feel safe and empowered to let us know if you need any adjustments to be made to your application or interview process, so please speak to our recruitment team.
AI Statement:
We champion tech that helps people work smarter, but we want to get to know you! If you use AI to assist with your application or interview prep, please ensure all information submitted remains an accurate, truthful representation of your personal achievements and capabilities rather than generating false or misleading information. We may reject applications where AI is used inappropriately at any stage of the recruitment process.
Solution Architect employer: ANDigital
As a leading consultancy in Manchester, we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture that empowers our employees to thrive. With a strong focus on professional development, we offer numerous growth opportunities and encourage continuous learning, ensuring that our team members are equipped to tackle complex challenges using cutting-edge technology. Join us to be part of a dynamic environment where your contributions are valued, and you can make a real impact on our clients' success.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Solution Architect
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at ANDigital or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to ANDigital.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like ANDigital.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like ANDigital that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Solution Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at ANDigital.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at ANDigital and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at ANDigital
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If ANDigital uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.