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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape the future of enterprise-grade platforms and drive cloud-native solutions.
- Company: Major enterprise SaaS organisation with a focus on modernisation and growth.
- Benefits: Up to £100,000 salary, car allowance, bonus scheme, and hybrid working.
- Other info: Opportunity for significant architectural ownership and long-term career progression.
- Why this job: Join a pivotal role influencing architecture in a collaborative, ambitious environment.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in scalable SaaS solutions and cloud-native architecture.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 100000 £ per year.
This is a rare opportunity to join our client - a major enterprise SaaS organisation at a pivotal stage of modernisation and growth. The business operates a suite of highly scaled digital platforms used across multiple international markets, supporting millions of transactions, complex integrations, and mission-critical customer journeys every single day. Their technology estate is extensive, their ambitions are significant, and architecture sits at the centre of that transformation.
As Solution Architect, you will play a key role in shaping the future technical direction of several enterprise-grade platforms, working closely with engineering, product, and senior technology leadership to define scalable, modern, cloud-native solutions capable of supporting long-term commercial growth. This is not a governance-only architecture role.
The environment demands somebody capable of operating strategically while remaining technically credible and close to engineering teams. The successful person will influence architecture decisions across distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, integrations, APIs, and modern software delivery practices while helping teams solve genuinely complex technical problems at scale.
The organisation is investing heavily in platform evolution, engineering maturity, customer experience, and operational scalability. Architecture is viewed internally as a business-critical capability rather than a support function.
Why This Role Stands Out
You will be joining a business where architecture has genuine visibility and influence. The engineering landscape includes modern cloud-native platforms, high-volume transactional systems, large-scale integrations, distributed services, and evolving product ecosystems across multiple business domains.
You will work directly with senior technology leaders and high-performing engineering teams to:
- Define enterprise architecture strategies aligned to long-term business goals
- Shape cloud-native application and platform design
- Drive modern engineering standards and architectural governance
- Influence API, integration, and event-driven architecture strategies
- Support scalability, resilience, performance, and security initiatives
- Guide engineering teams through architectural challenges and modernisation efforts
- Partner closely with product and delivery functions to align technical direction with commercial priorities
- Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities for innovation and optimisation
- Contribute to technical roadmaps spanning multiple product platforms and customer journeys
This role offers the opportunity to influence systems that operate at genuine enterprise scale while still remaining close enough to delivery teams to see architectural decisions translate into real-world impact.
Technology Environment
The broader technology landscape includes:
- .NET / C#
- AWS cloud infrastructure
- Microservices and distributed systems
- API-first architecture
- Event-driven systems
- Kubernetes and containerisation
- CI/CD and modern DevOps practices
- Enterprise integration platforms
- High-availability SaaS environments
What They Are Looking For
The business is looking for a technically credible architect who combines strategic thinking with practical engineering understanding. You will likely come from a strong software engineering or technical leadership background before moving into architecture and will feel comfortable operating in complex enterprise SaaS environments.
The ideal profile will demonstrate:
- Strong experience designing scalable enterprise SaaS solutions
- Excellent understanding of cloud-native architecture principles
- Experience working within modern distributed systems environments
- Ability to influence engineering teams and senior stakeholders alike
- Strong communication and stakeholder engagement capability
- Commercial awareness and understanding of how architecture impacts business outcomes
- Passion for modern engineering practices and continuous improvement
- Ability to balance strategic direction with pragmatic delivery
The Environment
The culture is collaborative, ambitious, and engineering-led. This is an organisation undergoing significant technology evolution, with strong investment into modern architecture, platform capability, and engineering excellence. The scale of systems, complexity of integrations, and commercial importance of the platforms create genuinely interesting technical challenges.
The role operates on a hybrid basis from Manchester, typically two days per week onsite, alongside occasional monthly travel to Birmingham for leadership and collaboration sessions.
Package
• Up to £100,000 base salary
• Bonus scheme
• £6,300 car allowance
• Hybrid working
• Large-scale enterprise SaaS environment
• Significant architectural ownership and influence
• Long-term progression opportunities within a growing technology organisation
Principal Solution Architect (Software Engineering) in Manchester employer: djr
Contact Detail:
djr Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Solution Architect (Software Engineering) in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at local meetups. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can get you in the door.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by brushing up on your technical skills and understanding the company’s tech stack. We want you to be able to discuss how your experience with cloud-native architecture and distributed systems can directly benefit their projects.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your problem-solving skills! Be ready to tackle real-world scenarios during interviews. We suggest thinking through complex architectural challenges and how you’d approach them, especially in a SaaS environment.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Solution Architect (Software Engineering) in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Principal Solution Architect role. Highlight your experience in cloud-native architecture and enterprise SaaS solutions to catch our eye!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about this role and how your background makes you a perfect fit. Share specific examples of how you've influenced architectural decisions in previous roles.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t shy away from detailing your technical expertise! Mention your experience with .NET, AWS, microservices, and any other relevant technologies. We want to see how you can contribute to our engineering landscape.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website for a smoother application process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any updates!
How to prepare for a job interview at djr
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, like .NET, AWS, and microservices. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud-native architecture principles and be ready to discuss how you've applied them in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Thinking
Prepare examples that demonstrate your ability to think strategically while remaining technically credible. Think about times when you influenced architectural decisions or guided teams through complex challenges, and be ready to share those stories.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Since this role involves working closely with senior technology leaders and engineering teams, practice articulating your ideas clearly. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve successfully engaged stakeholders in the past and how you can align technical direction with business goals.
✨Demonstrate Your Passion for Modern Engineering
Express your enthusiasm for modern engineering practices and continuous improvement. Share any recent experiences where you’ve evaluated emerging technologies or contributed to technical roadmaps, as this will show your commitment to innovation and optimisation.