Product Architect

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Product Architect. This will be a key role in translating core architectural principles into robust, scalable, and product-specific designs, as we approach our next exciting period of growth to help deliver our plans. As a key member of our team, you would be responsible for the architectural design of our HELIX software products, ensuring alignment with the HELIX platform and reference architecture and underlying in-house technology. We see this role as being full time, although this is negotiable. Ideally, we would like this role to be based in Edinburgh/Dundee, on a hybrid basis to allow for regular interaction with the wider business and colleagues in other departments.

What you will do

• Define and own the end-to-end architecture for assigned HELIX products, ensuring consistency with the HELIX reference architecture.
• Apply Bright Ascension’s model-based, component-based, and service hands-on engineering, guiding delivery teams to realise high-quality, coherent product architectures across both mission-ready applications-oriented design principles to product architectures.
• Collaborate closely with the Chief Architect to interpret and evolve architectural guidance for product-specific needs.
• Provide technical leadership and architectural direction to engineering teams throughout the product lifecycle.
• Produce and maintain architectural artefacts, including system designs, interface definitions, and architectural decision records.
• Ensure product architectures meet requirements for scalability, performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Support engineering teams in resolving complex technical challenges and making informed design decisions.
• Promote the application of common components, services, and patterns across the HELIX product suite.
• Validate that implementations conform to architectural designs through reviews, governance, and technical assurance activities.
• Contribute feedback from product-level implementation to enhance the HELIX reference architecture and core technology.
• Engage with stakeholders (e.g. product management, product engineering, customer experience teams) to ensure architectural alignment with business and mission goals.

Essential skills & experience

• Proven experience in software architecture, including designing complex, distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of model-based, component-based, and/or service-oriented architectures.
• Experience applying architectural frameworks, patterns, and best practices in real-world systems.
• Familiarity with the full breadth of software engineering, including requirements, architecture, detailed design, development, testing at all levels, release, CI/CD, support and maintenance.
• Hands-on software engineering background, with the ability to engage at code and design level when required.
• Experience defining, documenting and communicating software system architectures using standard tools and methodologies (e.g. UML, SysML, C4 model, or equivalent).
• Experience working with distributed system integration through e.g. APIs, microservices, etc.
• Ability to balance technical trade-offs and make pragmatic architectural decisions.

Personal skills

• Strong collaboration and influencing skills, with the ability to guide, mentor and learn from engineering teams.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex architectural concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaborative mindset, with experience working across cross-functional teams.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving capability, particularly in complex or ambiguous situations.
• High level of ownership and accountability for architectural outcomes.
• Ability to work effectively within architectural governance processes whilst contributing to continuous process improvements and building maturity in a new team.

We think that the following skills would definitely be valuable in this role:

• Experience in aerospace, space systems, or mission-critical software domains.
• Familiarity with model-driven engineering approaches and tools.
• Experience working with domain-specific platforms or frameworks similar to HELIX.
• Knowledge of systems engineering principles and their integration with software architecture.
• Software development in Java, Python and/or C.
• Experience contributing to or evolving a reference architecture or shared technology platform.
• Exposure to real-time or embedded systems, where applicable.
• Experience supporting both product development and development kits/tooling.

What we can offer you

• A competitive salary in the range of £45,000-£50,000 depending on experience, with regular reviews.
• A fantastic opportunity to join a growing, innovative, employee-centred business pushing boundaries in the space industry.
• Flexible hours and hybrid working, enabling you to create your ideal work life balance.
• 36 days paid holiday per annum.
• Enhanced Company Sick Pay and Long-Term Sickness cover.
• A Health Cash Plan to cover costs such as dental, physio and optical.
• Life Assurance cover (x4 salary).
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Opportunities for international travel for exhibitions and trade shows.
• Investment in you and your skill development and the opportunity to attend relevant events and conferences to aid career / skill development.
• Company events and regular activities for social engagement and team building.
• An open, supportive, inclusive environment where you can explore your ideas and make a big difference to the product and business.