Solution Architect - NatWest Group

Join us as a Solution Architect. We'll look to you to create the solution architecture definition for your assigned change projects, in addition to supporting the delivery of business outcomes that benefit both customers and colleagues.

You'll be working closely with stakeholders to contribute to the design and implementation of digital solutions, validating alignment with the bank's strategic target architecture and roadmap. If you're ready for a new challenge and want to make a far-reaching impact through your work, this could be the opportunity you're looking for.

As a Solution Architect within the API Management team, you will design customer-centric, high-performance, secure, and robust end-to-end integration solutions connecting satellite systems such as Online Banking and Colleagues platforms with our Core Banking Platform. Your solutions will primarily leverage REST APIs, defined using OpenAPI specification, and Kafka messaging to deliver seamless, scalable digital services.

As part of the bank's architecture community, you will collaborate across teams to define solutions that deliver measurable business value while aligning to the bank's strategic target architectures and roadmaps. You'll be supporting the growth of architecting capability, contributing to the development of architecture skills across the team by sharing knowledge, best practices, lessons learned, and mentoring others.

As well as this, you'll be:

• Supporting the realisation of the enterprise and solution architecture, working as part of development teams throughout the engineering development lifecycle.
• Providing technical guidance, resolving architectural impediments, and championing the adoption of architecture patterns and practices.
• Working closely with Security Engineering and Risk teams to embed patterns and best practices, ensuring ongoing improvements of solution security to protect both our customers and the Bank.
• Collaborating with programme stakeholders to help define the minimum viable solution architectures, while following the bank's architecture method and frameworks.
• Preparing and presenting your solution designs and architecture decisions to architecture boards, and collaborating closely with programme stakeholders throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Supporting the selection and integration of technologies using the bank's approved technology catalogues and patterns, with a focus on practical and immediate application.
• Adopting a DevOps mindset by working as part of development teams to embed architecture guidance in CI/CD pipelines.
• Creating architecture documentation following the Bank's templates will be a key responsibility.
• Using a structured approach based on industry standard frameworks like TOGAF and the Bank's architecture method to define, document, and implement solutions.

The skills you'll need:

To take on this role, you'll need practitioner knowledge of solution architecture frameworks, modern technologies such as Cloud, microservices and AI, agile architecture and DevOps practices, including a deep understanding of business use cases and emerging trends that drive organisational success. You'll bring practitioner experience of defining and developing strategic solution architectures that align with organisational objectives. This will include experience of engaging with partners across the organisation to define architectures that deliver tangible business outcomes.

You'll also demonstrate experience of:

• Collaborative decision-making processes, partnering with business and technology colleagues to articulate and evolve architectural direction.
• Participating in overseeing and assuring the quality of architecture designs, with a focus on risk management and governance.
• Supporting architecture and design reviews to validate that solutions meet business needs and comply with architecture standards.
• People capability development, including mentoring, supporting professional development, encouraging knowledge sharing across architecture teams and promoting best practices.