Lead Solution Architect - Finance & Commercial

Location: Leeds, London, Manchester, Reading

Capability: Corporate Services

Experience Level: Senior Manager

Type: Full Time or Part Time

Business Area: Technology

Contract type: Permanent

Group Digital is the firm's primary provider of internal technology services, data, and innovation. We deliver secure, resilient, and standardised technology solutions that ensure our operations run seamlessly and empower colleagues to provide exceptional client service. Our mission is to propel KPMG into the future. We drive our digital strategy, safeguard against cyber threats, manage data responsibly, and provide cutting-edge tools for seamless collaboration. Through innovation and accelerated adoption of digital and AI capabilities, we support growth and transformation, unlocking significant value for both our colleagues and clients.

The Strategy & Architecture team within Group Digital provides enterprise-wide technology leadership, strategic direction, and governance across KPMG. As a trusted advisory function, the team shapes the firm's digital and technology roadmap, aligning technology investments with business priorities while driving innovation, standardisation, and architectural excellence. Through design, assurance, and strategic planning, the team helps reduce technology debt, optimise investment outcomes, manage technology risk, and evaluates emerging technologies such as AI, automation, cloud, and data platforms.

The role of the Solution Architect is to help the Finance and Commercial domain deliver its business strategy through technology. They must work with technology implementation projects to translate the business requirements into detailed solution architecture designs; challenge the business strategy based on emerging and future technology trends; help business Capabilities to design and govern their technology roadmap, i.e. a portfolio of technology transformation projects that deliver the business and technology strategies; influence business and technology stakeholders to adopt the right technology solutions; and elevate risks, issues and critical dependencies to the appropriate leaders as required to ensure the successful delivery of the strategy.

The role holder will be required to maintain core knowledge of the wider technology trends and the KPMG technology ecosystem; contribute to the patterns catalogue, build roadmaps and solutions; and recommend relevant technology choices within the Firm.

• Acting as the lead solution architect on Finance related projects
• Creating and developing the requisite documentation – Conceptual and Solution Architecture Design documents
• Contribute to governance processes where applicable – this will include helping the project navigate the Technology Assurance Group.
• Work closely with the Strategy & Architecture team, development teams, other architects and 3rd party suppliers.
• Create & maintain a detailed view of existing architecture to help manage the transition to future state architecture.
• Identify business/project risk and mitigate or communicate as necessary.
• Ensure progress updates are communicated to relevant parties both formally and informally.
• Carry out additional duties as may occur from time to time as instructed and agreed by leadership.
• Assist the Chief Architect, CTO, Domain Architects with key enterprise application and platform reviews and other strategic initiatives that affect functional areas.
• Develop relationships within the KPMG business and technology functions.

Demonstrable expert knowledge of:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud including, but not limited to SAP Finance, SAP Concur, SAP Professional Services, SAP Treasury Platform, SAP Financial Compliance Management
• Understanding of SAP BTP, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP CIS
• Good knowledge of Finance and Professional Services Engagement Management processes, e.g. Record to Report, Order to Cash, Acquire to Retire, Plan to Perform, Engage to Staff

Business focused, with the capability to communicate and convey messages to both technical and business stakeholders. All round competence in Application, Integration, Data, Technology and Security architecture. Good understanding of SaaS, Cloud hosting and Integration technologies. Stakeholder management to ensure the end-to-end solution is designed and developed to meet requirements and best practice standards. Broad understanding of software development lifecycle with experience of Agile and Waterfall methodologies. Experience of architecture tooling such as Alfabet, ARIS, and Horizzon. Expert knowledge of at least one technology domain, incl. Application Architecture; Automation; AI; Data; Integration; Infrastructure / Cloud; Security; and DevSecOps. Good knowledge of at least 2-3 other domains. Good knowledge of EA governance incl. steps required, e.g. Info Sec approval, conceptual and solution architecture reviews, security assessments, pen tests, code reviews and service acceptance criteria. Good understanding of technical debt, incl. its causes, how to measure it, and remedial actions incl. decommissioning.

Significant experience in Enterprise and Solution Architecture roles. Qualified in ITIL and TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework).

Essential (Other):

• Enterprise applications knowledge of ServiceNow, Profinda, Concur, Replicon, SuccessFactors, M365 Dynamics, and similar
• Experience of working with Agile SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle Management) methods
• Demonstrable experience of Azure Integration Services and other Azure services
• Understanding of common business analysis techniques and approaches
• Able to explain technical concepts to a non-technical audience in a way that is relevant, easy to consume and compelling
• A high level of general, technical knowledge incl. current, emerging and future technology market trends and their impact on business
• Good understanding of project management concepts, incl. Gantt charts/plans, risks, assumptions and dependencies, etc.
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Good interpersonal and leadership skills
• Ability to leverage networks in KPMG, e.g. to tap into additional expertise if required
• Comfortable working with ambiguity at the beginning of projects, with ability to provide clarity of direction despite this
• Good knowledge of Business Architecture, incl. business and technology strategies, operating models, process models, business and technology capability models and taxonomies.

Corporate Services operates as a £multi-million business within our business and, through our combined efforts, we enable the firm to serve our people, our clients and wider society. The internal expertise, advice, support and services we provide to our client-facing business are fundamental to the success of our firm. Through collaboration, agility, fresh thinking and innovation, we help our people across the firm to work in a way that’s smarter and more sustainable.

We’re a cross-functional team, bringing together technically knowledgeable experts across a wide range of critical activities to help grow, run and protect our business. Our areas span Corporate Affairs and Marketing, Digital, Finance and Commercial, People and Resourcing, and Risk and Legal.

Digital is the firm's primary provider of internal business and technology services, data, and innovation. We deliver secure, resilient, and standardised technology solutions that ensure our operations run seamlessly and empower colleagues to provide exceptional client service. Our mission is to propel KPMG into the future. We drive our digital strategy, safeguard against cyber threats, manage data responsibly, and provide cutting-edge tools for seamless collaboration. Through innovation and accelerated adoption of digital and AI capabilities, we support growth and transformation, unlocking significant value for both our colleagues and clients.

With offices across the UK, we are part of a global network of firms providing Audit, Tax & Law, Consulting, and Technology Services to diverse clients.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues thrive and reach their full potential, whatever their identity or background. We're a member of the Business Disability Forum so please get in touch if you'd like to discuss any adjustments that you might need in the application process - and if you are successful beyond this.

We're a recognised leader in the Government's scheme. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all experienced professional opportunities.