Principal Software Architect in Bristol

Building the people that build the world. With platforms in HVAC and Detection and Measurement, SPX Technologies builds innovative solutions that enable a safer, more efficient, sustainable world. Through our RiSE talent development framework, we Reach, Identify, Strengthen, and Engage our employees to support them in their continued development. We’re a global company of problem solvers, collaborators, and innovators, and our businesses build solutions that impact the world.

As part of Detection and Measurement, Radiodetection is a global leader in the design and development of equipment and software used by utility companies to install, protect, and maintain underground infrastructure networks. Through precision and magnetic locators and ground penetrating radar, we help prevent damage to infrastructure utilities and protect lives.

How you will make an Impact (Job Summary)

SPX is a diverse team of unique individuals who all make an impact. As an experienced and pragmatic Principal Software Architect you will define and drive the technical vision for our evolving software ecosystem. This role is responsible for shaping how our hardware and firmware platforms integrate with cloud, mobile, and desktop applications, ensuring we continue to evolve toward a coherent, scalable, and maintainable architecture across the organisation. The Principal Software Architect will serve as the focal point for architectural direction, system design principles, and technology strategy. Working closely with domain leads, the Software Program Manager, and the Global Software Manager, the successful candidate will ensure architectural intent translates into practical, deliverable outcomes. This position combines strategic leadership with hands-on technical validation. The ideal candidate will be capable of both defining long-term architectural direction and validating ideas through lightweight prototyping and experimentation where required.

What you can expect in this role (Job Responsibilities)

While each day brings new opportunities at SPX, your core responsibilities will be:

• Architecture Vision & System Design
  • Define and evolve a clear end-to-end architecture across:
  • Firmware / device layer
  • Cloud platform
  • Mobile and desktop applications
  • Own:
  • Target system architecture and design principles
  • System boundaries and interaction models
  • Integration patterns across domains
  • Ensure architecture supports:
  • Scalability and maintainability
  • Product evolution across multiple device variants
  • Alignment with long-term business and product strategy
• Technology Strategy & Standards
  • Define and maintain a coherent technology strategy across the software organisation. Responsibilities include:
  • Establishing an aligned technology stack across domains (cloud, mobile, desktop, firmware)
  • Ensuring choices reflect:
  • Industry best practices
  • Team capability and constraints
  • Long-term sustainability
  • Work collaboratively with domain leads to:
  • Evaluate trade-offs
  • Agree practical adoption paths
  • Avoid unnecessary fragmentation
• Architectural Governance & Decision Authority
  • Act as the accountable owner for architectural integrity across the organisation. Responsibilities:
  • Review and sign off major design decisions
  • Define and enforce architectural standards and guardrails
  • Ensure consistency across teams without blocking delivery
  • Where conflicts arise:
  • Drive resolution with domain leads
  • Escalate where required
  • Pragmatic flexibility is expected:
  • Allow exceptions where justified by delivery needs
  • Ensure deviations are captured as technical debt or feed back into architectural evolution
• Current State Assessment & Transformation Roadmap
  • Build a clear understanding of the current software landscape and define a path forward. Deliver:
  • Documented view of current architecture and technology stack
  • Identified gaps, risks, and constraints
  • Target architecture aligned to business and product direction
  • Migration and/or retirement proposals for legacy systems
  • Ensure transition plans are:
  • Realistic and incremental
  • Aligned with delivery priorities
  • Understood by engineering and product teams
• Cross-Domain Alignment & Delivery Support
  • Support effective delivery by ensuring system-level clarity across teams. Work closely with:
  • SW Program Manager → cross-team coordination and dependencies
  • Product Owners → ensuring system-level intent is clear before development
  • Responsibilities:
  • Clarify system-level behaviour and constraints
  • Ensure cross-platform interactions are defined early
  • Reduce late-stage integration issues
  • This role does not own delivery execution but enables it through clarity and alignment.
• Hands-On Prototyping & Technical Validation
  • Validate architectural ideas through practical experimentation. Expectations:
  • Build lightweight proofs of concept where needed
  • Use modern tooling, including AI-assisted development, to accelerate validation
  • Test feasibility of new technologies and patterns before wider adoption
  • This role is expected to go beyond documentation and ensure ideas work in practice.
• Communication & Influence
  • Communicate architectural concepts clearly across all levels of the organisation. Engage with:
  • Executive stakeholders
  • Engineering leadership
  • Technical leads and engineers
  • Ensure:
  • Complex ideas are translated appropriately for the audience
  • Decisions are understood and adopted
  • Feedback is actively gathered and incorporated

Key Boundaries

To ensure effectiveness, this role operates with clear boundaries:

• The Principal Software Architect does NOT:
• Own backlog creation or write user stories (Product Owner responsibility)
• Own sprint execution or team-level delivery
• Act as a project or program manager
• Replace domain technical leadership
• The Principal Software Architect DOES:
• Own system-level architecture and design principles
• Own architectural decision-making and governance
• Enable delivery through clarity, not control

Authority & Escalation

Accountable for architectural decisions and standards. Expected to challenge and guide domain teams constructively. Works collaboratively with domain leads to reach alignment. Escalation path:

• Resolve directly with domain leads where possible
• Escalate unresolved conflicts to Global Software Manager

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Clear, adopted target architecture across domains
• Reduced integration issues and late-stage surprises
• Consistent and aligned technology choices
• Improved system coherence across firmware, cloud, and applications
• Visible reduction in architectural ambiguity
• Practical progress on legacy system simplification

What Good Looks Like

Architectural decisions are understood, adopted, and followed. Teams build in alignment rather than diverging. Trade-offs are explicit and well managed. The architect is visible, engaged, and proactive. The role accelerates delivery rather than slowing it down.

What we are looking for (Experience, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education)

We each bring something to the table, and we are looking for someone who has:

• Required Experience
• 15+ years of experience in software engineering, with significant time in architectural roles
• Proven experience designing distributed systems across cloud and application layers
• Strong experience with at least one major cloud platform (Azure, AWS, or GCP), ideally across multiple
• Experience integrating hardware or embedded systems with cloud-based platforms
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture patterns and best practices
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams
• Excellent communication skills across both technical and non-technical audiences
• Preferred Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Experience in hardware-software or IoT environments
• Exposure to mobile and SDK-based architectures
• Experience modernising or migrating legacy systems
• Familiarity with AI-assisted development approaches
• Track record of delivering pragmatic, implementable architecture (not just conceptual design)

Travel & Working Environment

Hybrid role with strong on-site presence expected (typically 3 days per week in Bristol). High level of engagement with engineering teams required.

How we live our culture

Our culture is at the center of what we do and, more importantly, who we are. Our core values set a standard for how we manage ourselves, and our Leadership Model sets the standard for how we engage with each other. Whether you are an individual contributor or you lead a large team, each of us leads at SPX.

What benefits do we offer?

We know that the well-being of our employees is integral. Our benefits include:

• Competitive and performance-based compensation packages and bonus plans
• Educational assistance, leadership development programs, and recognition programs

Our commitment to embrace diversity to build a culture of inclusion at SPX. We value different backgrounds, experiences, and voices at SPX, and we are committed to challenging ourselves, openly communicating, and striving to improve every day. We believe in creating an inclusive work environment where everyone has a voice and is encouraged to realise their fullest potential.