At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape and govern technology direction, ensuring alignment with business goals and architectural standards.
- Company: Dynamic organisation focused on innovative technology solutions in Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- Benefits: Hybrid working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a team that values your expertise and offers significant career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Influence major tech initiatives and make a real impact on the organisation's future.
- Qualifications: Experience in solutions architecture, cloud migration, and strong collaboration skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Permanent: Edinburgh or Glasgow - hybrid working. The Solutions Architect plays a pivotal role in shaping and governing the technology direction of our client. Acting as the bridge between Development, IT Operations, and the Change & Transformation function, this role provides architectural leadership, strategic oversight, and technical challenge across major initiatives. The architect serves as the gatekeeper for technology decisions - ensuring governance, security, resilience, and strategic alignment are embedded before development proceeds. This is a highly influential position where your expertise, judgement, and ability to surface blind spots will directly inform the organisation’s technology trajectory. You will validate and challenge the architectural foundations laid by your predecessor, bring your own thinking and ideas, and act as a trusted specialist advisor to senior leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Architectural Leadership & Strategy
- Review, validate, and challenge the existing technology strategy and architectural decisions
- Ensure all technology initiatives align with business goals, governance standards, and long-term strategic direction
- Provide architectural leadership across multiple workstreams, from design through to delivery
- Act as the conscience of the technology function, ensuring resilience, security, and scalability are considered upfront
- Change & Governance
- Serve as a gatekeeper for change requests, assessing system load, security implications, and architectural fit
- Participate in change acceptance processes and IT change management forums
- Establish and embed architectural standards, governance frameworks, and best practices
- Project & Initiative Support
- Lead architectural input into major programmes, including:
- Enterprise Data Warehouse (a key strategic initiative)
- Cloud migration and Azure landing zones
- SaaS platform transitions and API-first architecture
- Cloud integration work with third-party partners
- Support discovery, R&D, and early-stage evaluation of new initiatives
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Work closely with development teams, platform engineering, transformation, propositions, and operations
- Engage senior and cross-functional stakeholders across the business
- Translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders
The role sits within the Transformation function and operates horizontally across the organisation, carrying significant influence despite not having direct line‑management responsibilities. It requires close collaboration with Development, Platform Engineering, IT Operations, Change & Transformation, and the wider Proposition and Business teams. The organisation is currently focused on several major strategic initiatives, including migrating the technology estate to Azure, implementing a full‑estate data warehouse, establishing robust governance and architectural standards, transitioning key platforms to SaaS, and embedding an API‑first mindset across the technology landscape.
Ideal experience would be:
- Highly influential Solutions Architect role shaping long‑term technology strategy
- Opportunity to challenge, validate, and refine the current architectural direction
- Major involvement in strategic programmes including cloud migration, SaaS adoption, API‑first design, and the enterprise data warehouse
- Leadership team actively values technical expertise and architectural challenge
- Access to extensive existing architectural documentation and artefacts
- Ideal candidate is proactive, strategic, and confident in bridging technical and non‑technical teams
- Must have strong engineering, data architecture, and cloud knowledge
- End‑to‑end ownership of workstreams and collaborative working style required
- Financial services experience preferred, with cloud migration and governance knowledge as added advantages
- Role is a backfill, offering the chance to redefine scope and strengthen architectural governance across the organisation
Solutions Architect employer: McFall Recruitment Limited
As a Solutions Architect with us, you'll thrive in a dynamic hybrid working environment in either Edinburgh or Glasgow, where your expertise will directly influence our technology strategy. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative work culture that values innovation and strategic thinking, offering ample opportunities for professional growth and development. Join us to be part of significant initiatives like cloud migration and SaaS transitions, while enjoying the support of a leadership team that actively champions architectural excellence and governance.
Contact Details:
McFall Recruitment Limited Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Solutions Architect
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at local meetups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its tech stack. Understand their current projects and challenges, especially around cloud migration and architectural governance, so you can showcase how your skills align with their needs.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain your architectural vision and how you can contribute to their strategic initiatives. Make it clear how your experience in data architecture and cloud knowledge can help them achieve their goals.
✨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 Solutions Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with architectural leadership and strategic oversight. We want to see how your skills align with the key responsibilities outlined in the job description.
Showcase Your Technical Expertise:Don’t hold back on demonstrating your knowledge of cloud migration, SaaS platforms, and data architecture. We’re looking for someone who can bridge the gap between technical and non-technical teams, so make it clear how you can do that!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to explain your past experiences and how they relate to the role. We appreciate a well-structured application that’s easy to read.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at McFall Recruitment Limited
✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in architectural principles, especially those relevant to cloud migration and SaaS platforms. Brush up on the existing technology strategy and be ready to discuss how you would validate and challenge it.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Prepare to demonstrate your ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Think of examples where you've successfully bridged the gap between different teams and how that led to successful project outcomes.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires architectural leadership across multiple workstreams. Be ready to share experiences where you’ve led initiatives or provided strategic oversight, particularly in areas like governance and security.
✨Be Proactive and Strategic
Highlight your proactive approach to identifying blind spots and potential challenges in architectural decisions. Discuss how you would embed architectural standards and best practices within the organisation to ensure long-term success.
