Solutions Architect

The FA and PGMOL are partnering to create a digital product for referee operations across the professional and semi-professional game. This product will sit at the heart of football operations in England. As a result, a newly created Solution Architect opportunity has arisen. If you aspire to have a significant impact at scale within professional sport, this could be the role for you.

This digital product will be at the operational core of football in England. It ensures competitions run smoothly and supports referees at every level of the game. You will design and deliver robust, scalable, and cloud-first solutions that serve key stakeholders across multiple teams and departments. This is your chance to make a real impact on how football operates while applying the latest technology and architectural best practices.

Working within our Digital Technology division based at Wembley Stadium (in‑office two days required), you will oversee solution architecture and design, collaborating with onshore and offshore teams in an Agile delivery environment. As a member of the Solution Architecture Practice, you will partner with the Enterprise and Data Architecture teams to align designs, roadmaps, and technology decisions, ensuring high‑quality, future‑ready systems that integrate and transform data from multiple sources.

• Design best‑in‑class solutions with a focus on cloud‑first architectures, particularly Microsoft Azure.
• Ensure solutions are scalable, reliable, and aligned with enterprise standards and product strategy.
• Champion best practices in solution architecture, integrations, and system performance.
• Stay up to date with emerging technologies and identify opportunities to enhance platforms and processes.
• Lead and collaborate with Tech Leads and development teams to ensure the agreed solution architecture is followed throughout the development lifecycle.
• Work with Product and Delivery teams to shape epics and features early, ensuring feasibility, value, and strategic alignment.
• Collaborate with Enterprise and Data Architecture teams to optimise integrations, data delivery, and user experience.

• Define governance for solution architecture, ensuring traceability between design decisions, standards, and business value.
• Maintain and improve technical standards and practices to ensure reliable, maintainable, and high‑performing solutions.

• Certified in Solution Architecture, with extensive hands‑on experience desired.
• Proven experience designing and delivering cloud‑based solutions, particularly Microsoft Azure.
• Highly experienced in application design and delivery across varied architectural patterns (microservice experience desired).
• Comfortable in Agile delivery environments, particularly Scrum.
• Excellent communicator, able to explain technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Experienced working with cross‑functional teams, including offshore development teams.
• Knowledgeable in enterprise software design patterns, integration design patterns, and DevOps practices.
• Experience in sports organisations, stadium operations, or football is desirable.
• Strong technology background experience.

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, to achieve this we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world‑class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high‑performing England teams and leaders. We pride ourselves in offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role.

But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well‑being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave (based on a full‑time, permanent contract).
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

Currently, we are working within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model, and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.