Solution Architect

NPL has an ever-evolving IT and technical landscape. You will be joining our small Solution Architecture (SA) team near the start of our journey, to lead on Solution Architectures across a range of individual projects, developing ideas and solutions to meet the needs of the business: Pure SaaS, COTS, low code, custom coded software and database-only projects, through to full spectrum software, hardware and connectivity solutions (people, process, software and hardware). We run a mixture of on-premises and cloud services. This is a generalist SA role, equally we look to match projects to strengths when practical.

Key responsibilities are to proactively engage, build relationships and work with a wide range of stakeholders to provide SA services, including:

• Lead the architecture of solution options and designs:

• Within constraints: project & business needs, Enterprise Architecture (EA), technology limits and evolving technology strategies,
• Fully costed, highlighting pros, cons, risks and benefits, and providing recommendations,
• Enabling effective decision-making by stakeholders.
• Ensuring compliance with appropriate internal and external governance including quality, information security, health & safety and environmental legislation.
• Ensuring clear handover and provide continued architectural support throughout the delivery, ensuring the built solution aligns to the agreed design.

Stakeholders you will be working with include, but are not limited to: project managers, business analysts, EA function, internal and external technical teams, technical and non-technical SMEs, other internal stakeholders, external vendors and directly with internal customers.

Essential Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• You have previous background in, or clear career pathway to, Solutions Architecture.
• You can lead on business and technical analysis, where needed, driving appropriate levels of clarity.
• You can research existing and new solution components and blueprints to cover solution requirements.
• You are an excellent communicator, you excel at building and maintaining trusted business relationships, and go the extra mile to make sure people are informed (Active listening and influencing skills. Diagrams, written and verbal).
• You have extensive experience in diagramming and visual representation (Draw.IO and MS Visio).
• You can quickly sketch/draw technical architecture, processes, graphs, and charts for facilitating communication in meetings.
• You can drive, coordinate and shape solutions for topics where you are not the expert, and you are relying on the technical expertise of others.
• You can tailor your approach to the given project/business area/vendors.

Highly Desired Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• Working on a broad range of projects.
• Information security of solutions and assurance of security of system supply chains.
• Working in Science R&D organisation at enterprise and local solution levels.
• Understanding of SDLCs and software engineering principles, to appreciate the problem domain of our colleagues.
• Range of knowledge and experience of data and information storage, processing, governance, scientific solutions and services.
• Data pipeline, transfer, storage, transformation and archiving solutions, with a focus on scientific data, across a high level of diversity.
• Hybrid cloud and on-prem environments.

Beneficial Experience, Knowledge and Skills

• UML / SysML / MBSE.
• MS Azure architecture frameworks and design patterns.
• TCP/IP networking, HTTP/REST, APIs and other data transfer mechanisms such as SSH, SFTP, VPN links.
• Project management (APM / PMI / DSDM Agile / Scrum).
• CSVLOD model or TOGAF.

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.

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