Solutions Architect in Manchester

About Us

At Oakland, we help businesses unlock the power of their data. Whether it's data strategy, governance, engineering, analytics, or AI, we work with our clients to turn data into real, impactful results. Our team is made up of friendly, hands-on experts who love solving problems and making a difference. We don’t just advise - we roll up our sleeves and get stuck in, working alongside our clients every step of the way.

Founded in 1986 out of our Leeds HQ, we work with a diverse range of clients across all sorts of industries including Utilities, Telecommunications, Media, Financial Services, Public Sector, and many more! Our projects range from multi-year data transformations to specific, shorter-term assignments, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to diversify your skillset.

We meet high standards for social and environmental impact, transparency, and accountability. We believe businesses should be a force for good, so we make sure our decisions don’t just benefit the bottom line but also our people, communities, and the planet.

And it’s not just us saying we’re a great place to work... we were recently named the Best Consultancy to work for in the UK through Best Companies! We’re all about creating an environment where people can grow, do meaningful work, and enjoy the journey.

In April 2025, Oakland was acquired by Softcat, a leading provider of IT infrastructure services to corporate and public sectors. By combining Oakland's deep expertise in data and AI consulting with Softcat's extensive portfolio and market presence, we can deliver unparalleled value and innovation to our clients. This partnership marks a significant milestone in our journey, and we’re looking forward to achieving great things together.

The role

As a Solutions Architect at Oakland, you’ll work closely with Oakland customers to create innovative cloud solutions to unpick their most difficult operational problems. You’ll be the initial technical engagement lead on new projects, using your expert knowledge to define, architect and manage the build of working solutions in line with the client requirements. You’ll focus on the design and delivery of innovative cloud solutions across a wide variety of clients, each with a unique challenge. At Oakland, the work we do is in Data Platforms, Data Management, Data Strategy, AI, and Analytics & Insight so an understanding of these data concepts and the associated architecture is very helpful. You will use technologies across the major cloud stacks (e.g. Azure, AWS, GCP) and be able to create technically excellent solutions that are easily adopted by clients. The primary focus in this role will be the design and delivery of technical solutions for our clients, however, there are also opportunities to work across the Oakland value proposition including aspects of technical pre-sales and internal strategic input to our Oakland offerings.

The person

We are looking for a Solutions Architect with experience in designing data and cloud solutions. You’ll be a technologist at heart with a real interest in unpicking business challenges and designing solutions to address them. Ideally, you’ll have the ability to communicate technical solutions to non-technical audiences and bring ideas and concepts to life through storytelling. One of our core values is working in a principled way, so you’ll have the client’s best interests at heart and ensure we are finding the right answers to their business problems.

The skills:

• Solution Architecture: Can design and document solutions aligned to a high-level target architecture.
• Understanding cloud-native architectures in depth (security boundaries, networking etc.).
• Awareness of infrastructure management (CI/CD, IaaS).
• Commercial and technical awareness of different architectural solutions (cost, performance, maintainability).

Data Solutions: Exposure to solutions linked to any of our key areas of expertise:

• Data Platforms such as Fabric, Snowflake, or Databricks
• Analytics & Insights solutions - Business intelligence, dashboard development
• AI - GenAI, LLM, Agentic solutions

Blended Working: We operate a blended working model, with colleagues spending at least two days per week in the office, aligned to project team requirements. Occasional travel to client sites may also be required. This balance helps us stay connected, learn from each other, and build strong relationships - both within our team and with the businesses we support.

Benefits That Put You First

At Oakland, we believe in taking care of our people, both inside and outside of work. Here’s what you can expect when you join us:

• Health & Wellbeing – Enjoy Private Healthcare from day one for you and your household, including dental cover, physiotherapy, mental health support, and access to a range of wellbeing services to keep you feeling your best.
• Discretionary Bonus – Your hard work won’t go unnoticed. When we do well, you’ll do well.
• Generous Pension – We invest in your future with a 10% employer contribution, plus flexible options so you can adjust to your investment preferences.
• Electric Vehicle Scheme – Drive greener with tax-efficient options to get behind the wheel of an electric car.
• Giving Back – Support causes you care about with our Payroll Giving Scheme and Matched Charitable Giving program.
• Bike to Work Scheme – Save money, stay active, and enjoy tax savings on a new bike.
• Family-Friendly Policies – We support all paths to parenthood with:
• Enhanced Maternity Pay – 16 weeks full pay, 10 weeks half pay.
• Enhanced Paternity Pay – 2 weeks full pay, 2 weeks half pay.
• Adoption, Surrogacy & Shared Parental Leave.
• Fertility Treatment Support – Because your family matters.
• Time to Recharge – 25 days annual leave + bank holidays (and your allowance grows the longer you’re with us!).
• Learning & Development – We invest in you with:
• Personalised development plans tailored to your goals.
• Full support for certifications.
• Access to The Oakland Academy for a suite of learning materials.
• An annual Personal Learning Budget to upskill in ways that matter to you.
• Refer & Earn – Know someone great? If they join us, you’ll get a referral bonus as a thank you.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at Oakland

At Oakland, we believe that diverse perspectives drive better outcomes - for our people, our clients, and our business. Our commitment to DEIB isn’t just about policies; it’s about creating a workplace where everyone feels heard, valued, and empowered to thrive. We are building a truly inclusive Oakland where you can be yourself - no matter your background, gender, age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that makes you, you.

Fair & Inclusive Hiring – Every interviewer completes recruitment and unconscious bias training, and our hiring process is skills-based and structured to ensure fairness and consistency for all candidates.

Support Throughout the Interview Process – If you require any reasonable accommodations to make your interview experience more accessible, our Talent team is here to help - just let us know.