Solutions Architect

Solution Architect - Synthetics Contract Length: 6 months rolling Location: Reading (hybrid - 2 days per week onsite once the office is operational) Start Date: ASAP Day Rate: open to negotiation Security Clearance required: Active SC clearance or higher The Role We are looking for an experienced Solution Architect to lead the end-to-end design and ongoing development of synthetic environments and distributed simulation capabilities within a major aerospace and defence programme. This is a technical leadership role sitting at the intersection of systems engineering, simulation, software architecture and product delivery. You will be responsible for translating product objectives and operational requirements into robust, integrated architectures spanning virtual platforms, synthetic environments, simulation frameworks, models, scenarios, data and simulator hardware. Working closely with product delivery leadership, engineering teams, enterprise architects, technology partners and suppliers, you will ensure the solution is technically coherent, scalable, secure and fit for purpose across complex engineering, integration, testing, certification and training use cases. The initial contract is six months, with the wider programme expected to run for approximately 3-4 years. What you'll be doing Defining and owning the end-to-end solution architecture across virtual platforms, synthetic environments, simulation frameworks, model and scenario repositories, visualisation, data capture, analytics and simulator hardware. Translating operational concepts, engineering requirements and use cases into clear functional and non-functional solution requirements. Defining interfaces and integration approaches across engineering tools, enterprise services, partner environments and simulator hardware. Designing deployment and runtime architectures across cloud, on-premises and edge environments, considering compute, networking, security and performance. Establishing model and data architecture, including configuration management, validation and verification (V&V), provenance, correlation, scenario governance and requirements traceability. Defining continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), automated verification, configuration, baselining and release processes. Leading technical trade studies, prototyping, technology evaluations and supplier assessments. Maintaining architecture roadmaps, design decisions, interfaces and transition plans, while addressing technical debt and obsolescence. Providing technical direction, mentoring and architectural assurance across multidisciplinary engineering teams. Leading architecture, interface and readiness reviews, defining acceptance criteria and ensuring appropriate technical evidence is available. Supporting deployment, upgrades, performance improvement and root-cause analysis. Ensuring architectures comply with applicable cybersecurity, safety, quality, security, intellectual property and export-control requirements.What we're looking for We are particularly interested in candidates who combine hands-on solution architecture and systems integration experience with a strong understanding of synthetic environments and distributed simulation. You should have: Extensive experience designing and integrating synthetic, distributed or real-time simulation environments. Strong solution architecture experience across complex technical platforms, systems and integrated engineering environments. Experience with virtual platforms, synthetic environments, simulation frameworks and/or hardware-, software- or model-in-the-loop environments (HIL/SIL/MIL). A strong understanding of simulation performance considerations, including fidelity, determinism, latency, frame rate, scalability and availability. Experience with model and scenario validation, verification, configuration, provenance, correlation and traceability. Experience defining solution, data and integration architectures across multiple systems and technologies. Strong technical leadership skills, including architecture governance, supplier engagement and stakeholder management. Experience with software configuration management tools such as Git or equivalent. A degree or equivalent qualification in Modelling and Simulation, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline.Desirable experience Experience in the following areas would be particularly beneficial: Distributed simulation standards and interoperability, including HLA, DIS and FMI/FMU. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and digital thread integration. Cloud platforms, containers, GPU computing, edge deployments and high-performance computing. CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps and automated verification and validation. Hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop and model-in-the-loop development pipelines. Digital twin philosophies and digital ecosystem security. Aerospace and defence engineering, testing, certification or training environments. DO-178C and DO-330 assurance practices, where applicable. Relevant architecture, simulation, cloud, platform or DevSecOps certifications. Experience delivering across international, multi-partner programmes or working with simulator suppliers.Damia Group Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept our Data Protection Policy which can be found on our website. Please note that no terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of a person's gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. Every candidate will be assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and ability to perform the duties of the job. Should the role require the successful candidate to undergo and be eligible for UK Security Vetting. Clearance sponsorship will be provided where required. Due to the nature of the work, candidates should meet the relevant residency requirements. If applicable, Reserved Post nationality restrictions will be confirmed by the client. Damia is committed to inclusive recruitment and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. Damia Group is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy and in accordance to Conduct Regulations 2003