At a Glance
- Tasks: Define architecture principles and maintain the technical roadmap aligned with business strategy.
- Company: Renaissance is a global leader in education technology, supporting over 18 million students worldwide.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays, a birthday day off, and BUPA Healthcare.
- Other info: This position does not offer sponsorship and requires a full work permit.
- Why this job: Shape the technical direction in a hybrid role based in Houghton Le Spring.
- Qualifications: Significant experience in senior architecture roles within SaaS or product-led organisations is required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Renaissance is a global leader in education technology. We help schools and school groups in the UK and around the world with educational assessments, practice and intervention solutions, and data analytics. Renaissance now incorporates GL Assessment (known internationally as GL Education), too – a leading provider of educational assessments. Together, our assessments offer the ideal starting point to help teachers understand their students' strengths and pinpoint areas of need. Our teaching and learning tools then provide effective next steps, with online literacy and maths solutions that meet students exactly where we are. Worldwide, we support over 18 million students, operating in over 100 countries.
We're evolving toward an AI‐enabled, platform‐centric operating model and need a Principal Architect to provide technical leadership across our Global Technology function. You'll shape our technical direction, establish governance, and ensure architectural alignment across platforms, products, and services—without being pulled into day‐to‐day delivery. You'll be a facilitator and technical leader, bringing together experts across disciplines to define standards, evaluate solutions, and drive sound technical decisions.
What you'll be getting up to with us:
- Define architecture principles, standards, and governance that enable (not block) delivery
- Establish architecture review forums and decision‐making processes
- Drive consistency in technical approaches, tooling, and platform standards
- Maintain visibility and accountability for significant technical decisions
Technical Strategy & Roadmap:
- Own and maintain the technical roadmap aligned with business and product strategy
- Identify opportunities, technical debt, platform risks, and modernisation priorities
- Support platform scalability and AI enablement initiatives
- Evaluate emerging technologies and guide adoption decisions
Cross‐Functional Leadership:
- Bring together SMEs across Engineering, Infrastructure, Security, Data, QA, and Product
- Provide architectural guidance, design reviews, and solution assurance
- Encourage reuse, standardisation, and platform thinking
Stakeholder & Global Collaboration:
- Act as technical liaison with global teams, including US‐based functions
- Represent regional requirements in global platform discussions
- Communicate architectural direction and technical trade‐offs clearly to all audiences
- Build strong relationships across technical and business teams
- Promote engineering excellence and technical quality
- Support AI‐enabled development and innovation
- Mentor engineers and technical leaders
Experience we'd love to see includes:
- Significant experience in senior architecture or technical leadership roles within SaaS or product‐led organisations
- Experience in EdTech or SaaS environments
- Strong background in software engineering, distributed systems, APIs, and cloud‐native architectures
- Proven ability to establish architecture governance and technical standards across multiple teams
- Experience influencing technical direction without direct line management authority
- Ability to work effectively across Engineering, Infrastructure, Security, Data, QA, and Product functions
- Track record defining technical roadmaps and aligning technology strategy with business objectives
- Experience in complex, multi‐team, or internationally distributed organisations
- Excellent communication skills—explaining technical concepts to both technical and non‐technical audiences
- Strong facilitation skills to drive discussions to conclusions and establish accountability
- Ability to balance strategic vision with practical delivery realities
Benefits:
- 25 days holiday a year plus Bank Holidays (3 to be used for our Christmas shutdown)
- A day off for your birthday to celebrate in style!
- 5 volunteering days a year to use for the causes of your choice
- Access to a benefits and discount platform with discounts at retailers, leisure attractions and restaurants
- BUPA Healthcare, life assurance, permanent health insurance
- Pension scheme with enhanced employer contribution – up to 8%
- Season ticket loan and EAP
This is a hybrid role based out of our Houghton Le Spring office – the team come together a couple of times a week. There may be travel to other offices on occasion.
Unfortunately we are unable to offer sponsorship for this position. We have an ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and have taken strides to become a more welcoming and inclusive workplace, including the introduction of our DEI Matters Network which is owned and driven by our staff. We are an equal opportunities employer. We encourage and welcome applications from all under‐represented groups, as we believe and strive for community representation within our organisation.
If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to apply or attend any interview, please contact us and we will talk this through with you. All your information will be kept confidential according to GDPR guidelines. Please note that we can only consider applicants who already hold a full work permit. This role is subject to DBS and background checks.
Principal Architect New Houghton le Spring in Houghton-Le-Spring employer: Renaissance Learning Inc.
Renaissance, located in Houghton Le Spring, offers a comprehensive benefits package including enhanced pension contributions and volunteering days. The team is committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, fostering a welcoming workplace culture.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Architect New Houghton le Spring in Houghton-Le-Spring
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We think you need these skills to ace Principal Architect New Houghton le Spring in Houghton-Le-Spring
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Renaissance Learning Inc..
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Renaissance Learning Inc. and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Renaissance Learning Inc.
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Renaissance Learning Inc. uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
