Principal Solution Architect

Principal Solution Architect Enterprise SaaS | World-Class Engineering Location: Manchester (Central) – Hybrid Package: Up to £100,000 base + up to 30% bonus + car allowance The Opportunity This is a senior architecture role within a high-growth, enterprise-scale SaaS business building mission-critical platforms used at serious scale . The organisation is actively modernising a complex technology estate into a cloud-native, shared SaaS platform , designed for reuse, speed, and long-term resilience. Architecture is not an afterthought here — it is a first-class discipline with real influence over how systems are designed, built, and evolved. This role is for a Principal-level Solution Architect who wants to shape platforms , guide engineering teams, and design solutions that will still make sense in five years’ time. What You’ll Own You will operate as a technical authority , working closely with senior engineering, product, and technology leaders. Your focus is end-to-end solution architecture , not diagram production. Key responsibilities: Owning solution architecture across complex enterprise SaaS platforms Designing cloud-native, scalable, resilient systems Translating product and business needs into clear, executable technical designs Defining architectural patterns, standards, and guardrails Guiding engineering teams through architectural trade-offs Ensuring solutions meet expectations around performance, availability, security, and scalability Managing architectural risk and technical debt proactively Influencing long-term platform strategy and technology direction This is hands-on architecture , not governance theatre. The Environment You’ll be working in: A true product-led SaaS environment Modern cloud platforms (AWS/Azure) Event-driven and distributed systems High-calibre engineering teams who value good architecture A business that invests properly in technology and engineering standards Architecture here is respected, listened to, and acted on . The Profile This Role Is Built For This role is suited to someone who: Operates comfortably at Principal / Lead Solution Architect level Has a strong software engineering background Has designed and delivered enterprise SaaS solutions Is fluent in modern cloud and distributed system design Can influence without ego and challenge constructively Cares deeply about long-term platform quality You should be comfortable: Working across product, engineering, and senior stakeholders Getting close to engineering teams Making and standing by architectural decisions Technical Background (Indicative) Experience in areas such as: Cloud-native architecture (AWS / Azure) Microservices and event-driven systems REST APIs and integration patterns Distributed systems SQL and NoSQL data stores Containerisation (Docker / Kubernetes) Infrastructure as Code and modern DevOps practices You don’t need to tick every box — depth and judgement matter more than buzzwords. Working Model