Expert Software Architect in Bromley

As a global market leader, iPipeline combines technology, innovation, and expertise to deliver ground-breaking, award-winning software solutions that transform the life insurance, financial services, and protection industries. With one of the industry’s largest data sets, we help advisors/advisers and agents to transform paper and manual operations into a secure, seamless digital experience – from proposal to commission – so they can help better secure the financial futures of their clients. At iPipeline, you’ll play a major role in helping us to provide best-in-class, transformative solutions. We’re passionate, creative, and innovative, and together as a team, we continually strive to advance, accelerate, and expand the reach of our technology. We value different perspectives and are committed to creating an environment that embraces diverse backgrounds and fosters inclusion.

This is an office-based position.

Responsibilities

• The Expert Software Architect leads the design of complex, high-impact software systems, creating scalable, secure architectures that align with business strategy and technology roadmaps.
• This role shapes architectural decisions across multiple teams and systems, ensuring technical consistency and long-term platform sustainability.
• Serving as a senior technical authority, the Expert Software Architect drives the adoption of proven architectural patterns, evaluates emerging technologies, and provides deep technical guidance for mission-critical platforms within the insurance and wealth management domain.
• This role combines deep technical expertise with enterprise-level architectural influence, leading initiatives such as SaaS transformation, cloud modernisation, AI enablement, and cost-of-ownership optimisation.
• The Expert Software Architect translates business strategy into actionable architectural frameworks, guiding teams through complex design decisions and trade-offs across performance, security, scalability, maintainability, and compliance.

Architecture Leadership

• Lead the design of scalable, high-performing architectures across complex systems or multiple products.
• Define enterprise-aligned architectural patterns, models, and integration standards.
• Ensure architecture aligns with strategic business objectives and modernization goals.
• Translate business and functional requirements into structured, scalable software solutions.
• Define application workflows, integration approaches, and technical standards.

Technical Strategy & Execution

• Translate technical strategy into actionable architectural frameworks and delivery roadmaps.
• Guide teams through architectural decision-making and complex design trade-offs.
• Balance performance, security, scalability, and maintainability across platforms.
• Establish and advocate for software design patterns, coding standards, and integration best practices.
• Work closely with development teams to support implementation, validate architectural alignment and review solution implementation.

System Integration & Interoperability

• Architect robust and secure integrations across cloud-native and legacy environments.
• Apply domain-driven and event-based design approaches as appropriate.
• Ensure systems interoperate effectively across domains and services.

Governance, Risk & Quality

• Participate in or lead architecture governance and review processes.
• Identify architectural risks and guide mitigation strategies.
• Ensure systems meet regulatory, security, and compliance requirements.

Mentorship & Technical Leadership

• Mentor developers and early-career architects on architectural principles and best practices.
• Promote consistency, reuse, and engineering excellence across teams.
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to product, engineering, and delivery leaders.

Scope, Impact, and Influence

• Scope: Leads architecture for complex systems integrating multiple domains and technologies.
• Scale: Operates across platforms and teams, often bridging legacy and cloud-native environments.
• Impact: Shapes technical direction and architectural consistency across releases and initiatives.
• Influence: Influences architectural decisions across departments and contributes to internal standards.

Qualifications

• SaaS Transformation: Lead the transition from on-premise or hybrid solutions to scalable, resilient SaaS platforms, defining tenancy, deployment models, and operational patterns.
• Cloud Modernisation (AWS): Architect and govern migrations to AWS using native services (e.g., serverless, managed databases, API Gateway), ensuring security, performance, and cost efficiency.
• AI Enablement: Enable responsible adoption of AI and GenAI capabilities across the SDLC, including code generation, review, testing, documentation, and deployment automation.
• Cost of Ownership Optimisation: Drive architectural decisions that reduce TCO through right-sizing, service selection, automation, and platform standardisation.

Architecture & Governance Processes

• Central Change Governance: Contribute to and lead architecture forums to assess change impact, manage technical risk, and ensure alignment with enterprise strategy.
• Technical Design Authority (TDA): Act as a design authority for complex initiatives, reviewing and approving architectures, patterns, and non-functional requirements.
• Security & Compliance by Design: Embed global security best practices into architecture and delivery, ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational standards.
• Pre-Sales Enablement: Provide architectural leadership for RFI/RFP responses and Proofs of Concept, shaping credible, scalable, and secure technical propositions.

Technical Background and Expertise

• Core Engineering: .NET Framework and C#, SQL, MVC, REST and SOAP APIs, with strong experience in designing maintainable, testable systems.
• AI-Assisted Engineering: Practical use of GenAI to accelerate development while maintaining quality, security, and governance standards.
• API & Integration: Headless API design, event-driven and service-oriented architectures, and secure integration across distributed systems.
• Cloud & DevOps: AWS-native architectures, CI/CD automation using GitHub Actions, infrastructure and deployment optimisation.
• Security Engineering: Security-by-design mindset with applied knowledge of OWASP Top 10, WCAG, OAuth2, MFA, and secure identity patterns.
• Quality & Assurance: Proficient in unit testing frameworks; governance and execution of SAST, DAST, SCA, and penetration testing processes.

Benefits

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, opportunities for career growth, Pension plan with company-matched contributions, generous time off and flexible work/life balance, an employee wellness program, and an awards and recognition program – all in a creative, fast-growing, and innovative company.

iPipeline is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, race, color, religious creed, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, and/or protected veteran status. We are committed to building a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees.