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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and deliver innovative AI & ML solutions in a collaborative tech environment.
- Company: Join Sainsbury's, a leading retailer with a commitment to innovation and inclusivity.
- Benefits: Enjoy discounts, flexible working, and a range of health and financial benefits.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in retail tech while developing your skills in a supportive culture.
- Qualifications: Experience in AI & ML, cloud architecture, and strong communication skills required.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values creativity and continuous improvement.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Think about the scale it takes for us to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety it involves. Then you’ll realise that ours is a modern software engineering environment because it has to be. We’ve made serious investment into a Tech Academy and into setting standards and principles. We iterate, learn, experiment and push ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to awesome opportunities in everything from AI to reusable tech.
Location: London Store Support Centre and Home, London, EC1M 6HA
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Sainsbury's Tech
Closing date: 06 February 2026
Requisition ID: 400047204
About the team
As a Solutions Architect at Sainsbury’s, you will guide the design and delivery of our innovative Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning platform, collaborating with a multi-disciplinary engineering team to ensure robust, scalable, and effective solutions.
Responsibilities
- Play a crucial role in planning and defining the technical roadmap for your responsible capability areas.
- Architect robust, scalable, and secure ML solutions, balancing build versus buy decisions to maximise business value and ensure cost-effectiveness.
- Define and champion the technical vision and best practices for AI & ML Engineering across Sainsbury’s Tech, sharing expertise and promoting collaboration within the architecture community of practice.
- Shape and design new products and services that align with the overall architecture.
- Create cloud-native designs for complex projects, along with evolution of Sainsbury’s ML Ops platform on Microsoft Azure, supporting the entire machine learning lifecycle—from data sourcing and feature engineering through to model training, deployment, and real-time serving.
- Develop and communicate the technical architecture, roadmap, and strategy for your areas of responsibility.
- Influence teams within your domain to prioritise and build components that add the most value, while also driving the adoption of technology principles across your areas of responsibility.
- Share your expertise, contribute innovative design ideas, and promote collaboration and innovation across teams.
Success in this role requires a deep understanding of the technology landscape, staying informed about industry and retail developments, applying modern engineering techniques and cloud-native design principles, building trust and credibility, and delivering results with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration.
Qualifications
- A passionate and experienced Solutions Architect with a deep understanding of the role AI & ML plays in retail success.
- Strategic technical expert with hands-on experience in ML Engineering & DevOps, delivering and operating large-scale platforms.
- Skilled in cloud architecture (Azure or AWS a plus), data pipelines, stream processing, and real-time analytics.
- Champion of modern engineering practices, bringing cutting-edge tools and methodologies to improve team efficiency and innovation.
- Comprehensive understanding of the technology landscape and stay updated on the latest developments in architecture frameworks and modern engineering practices, particularly in the context of cloud-native design.
- Strong influencing and communication skills to collaborate with product managers and engineering teams to shape and deliver innovative solutions that align with the architectural vision.
- Ability to think holistically and consider multiple viewpoints to craft creative solutions to complex technical problems.
- Driven to continuously improve and to contribute to an inclusive and diverse culture of Sainsbury's Tech.
- Proven experience delivering at least one data/analytics (ideally ML) solution on Azure in an enterprise environment.
- Experience designing monitoring and observability for distributed systems on Azure.
Nice to have
- Experience with Azure Machine Learning or equivalent ML platforms.
- Exposure to GenAI / Azure AI / Azure OpenAI or similar LLM platforms, including safe serving and cost/latency considerations.
Benefits and additional information
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new - whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:
- Starting off with colleague discount, you’ll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury’s every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day.
- Pensions scheme and life cover.
- Performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform.
- Annual holiday allowance, with the option to buy additional holiday.
- Season ticket loans, interest-free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) and access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers.
- Employee Assistance Programme and eligibility for private healthcare.
- Up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.
Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).
Solution Architect (Data and ML) employer: Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd
Contact Detail:
Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Solution Architect (Data and ML)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Sainsbury's on LinkedIn or through industry events. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral, which can really boost your chances.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical skills and understanding of AI & ML. Be ready to discuss how you've tackled complex problems in the past and how you can bring value to Sainsbury's Tech.
✨Tip Number 3
Show your passion for innovation! During interviews, share your ideas on how to improve existing processes or introduce new technologies. This will demonstrate your proactive mindset and alignment with Sainsbury's values.
✨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, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining the Sainsbury's team.
We think you need these skills to ace Solution Architect (Data and ML)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Solutions Architect role. Highlight your experience with AI, ML, and cloud architecture, and show how your skills align with Sainsbury's innovative tech environment.
Showcase Your Technical Expertise: Don’t hold back on detailing your hands-on experience with ML Engineering and DevOps. Mention specific projects or platforms you've worked on, especially if they relate to Azure or AWS, as this will really catch our eye!
Communicate Clearly: Use clear and concise language in your application. We want to see your ability to communicate complex ideas simply, as collaboration is key in our multi-disciplinary teams at Sainsbury’s Tech.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows your enthusiasm for joining our team at Sainsbury’s!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
As a Solutions Architect, you need to be well-versed in AI and ML technologies. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud architecture, especially Azure, and be ready to discuss how you've applied modern engineering practices in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of complex technical problems you've solved. Highlight your ability to think holistically and consider multiple viewpoints when crafting solutions, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Emphasise Collaboration
Sainsbury’s values teamwork, so be prepared to discuss how you've collaborated with cross-functional teams in the past. Share instances where your communication skills helped shape innovative solutions that aligned with architectural visions.
✨Stay Updated on Industry Trends
Demonstrate your passion for the field by discussing recent developments in AI, ML, and cloud-native design principles. Showing that you're proactive about staying informed will set you apart as a candidate who is genuinely invested in the role.
