Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to design innovative, scalable tech solutions for Virgin Atlantic's future.
- Company: Join Virgin Atlantic, a pioneering travel company on a mission to be the most loved in the industry.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, competitive salary, and a supportive, inclusive environment.
- Why this job: Shape the future of travel with a visionary team and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Experience in architecture roles, cloud-native development, and strong stakeholder engagement skills required.
- Other info: We celebrate diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Job Details
Flexible working – up to 3 days a week in our VHQ, Crawley
Full-time | 37.5 hours per week | Monday to Friday
Permanent contract
Competitive salary
Closing date: 25th July 2025
In a nutshell
At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world. As we set our sights on becoming the most loved travel company, we’re reimagining what’s possible. Guided by our spirit of innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, we’re rewriting the rules of travel—and we’re looking for trailblazers to join us.
We’re on the hunt for a Principal Solution Architect—a visionary leader and technical strategist who thrives in complexity and can design scalable, future-ready solutions that align with our bold ambitions.
As our Principal Solution Architect, you’ll be a key player in shaping Virgin Atlantic’s technological future. You’ll provide architectural leadership across a wide-ranging portfolio of initiatives, ensuring every solution is robust, aligned, and fit for our evolving enterprise.
Not only will you lead a team of Solution Architects, but you’ll also work closely with senior stakeholders—translating business strategy into practical, actionable architectures that balance innovation, risk, cost, and complexity.
Day to day
- Building trust and credibility with senior business leaders through clear, strategic guidance
- Leading and supporting a high-performing team of Solution Architects
- Designing and reviewing end-to-end technical solutions across multiple business domains
- Assessing technical capabilities, promoting reuse, and identifying opportunities for innovation
- Shaping technical requirements to ensure non-functional needs are met
- Contributing to vendor selection and procurement decisions
- Influencing and evolving our enterprise and reference architectures
- Making confident, insight-driven decisions across a highly matrixed organisation
- Championing inclusive behaviours and leading by example
About you
- Considerable experience in architecture roles, including solution and/or enterprise architecture
- Strong track record designing solutions across complex portfolios and transformation programmes
- Expertise in cloud-native development, integration, and enterprise platforms
- Agile and hybrid delivery experience, with familiarity in DevOps culture
- Previous leadership or line-management experience (highly desirable)
- Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, especially at senior levels
- Confidence to drive strategy while keeping delivery grounded and pragmatic
Our recipe for leadership
At Virgin Atlantic, our leaders empower teams to thrive through collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Explore our Leadership Recipe and discover the 20 core ingredients that define what it means to lead with us, driving our mission to be the most loved travel company and achieve sustainable profit. Want to learn more? Click here
Be yourself
Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world – no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong.
To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you’d like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team, ( ) feeling confident that we’ve got your individual considerations covered.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Principal Solution Architect employer: Virgin holidays
Contact Detail:
Virgin holidays Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Solution Architect
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with Virgin Atlantic's current technology stack and architectural frameworks. Understanding their existing systems will help you articulate how your experience aligns with their needs during discussions.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with current or former employees of Virgin Atlantic, especially those in architecture or leadership roles. They can provide insights into the company culture and expectations, which can be invaluable during your interviews.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss specific examples of how you've led teams through complex architectural transformations. Highlight your ability to balance innovation with practical delivery, as this is crucial for the Principal Solution Architect role.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your understanding of cloud-native development and DevOps practices. Be ready to explain how you've implemented these methodologies in past projects, as they are key components of the role at Virgin Atlantic.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Solution Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Take time to thoroughly read the job description for the Principal Solution Architect position at Virgin Atlantic. Understand the key responsibilities and required skills, so you can tailor your application to highlight relevant experiences.
Tailor Your CV: Customise your CV to reflect your experience in architecture roles, particularly focusing on solution and enterprise architecture. Emphasise your expertise in cloud-native development and any leadership experience you have, as these are crucial for this role.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Write a cover letter that showcases your passion for innovation and your ability to lead teams. Use specific examples from your past work to demonstrate how you've successfully designed scalable solutions and engaged with senior stakeholders.
Highlight Your Soft Skills: In your application, make sure to mention your stakeholder engagement skills and your ability to build trust with senior leaders. These soft skills are just as important as technical expertise for the Principal Solution Architect role.
How to prepare for a job interview at Virgin holidays
✨Showcase Your Architectural Expertise
As a Principal Solution Architect, it's crucial to demonstrate your extensive experience in architecture roles. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you've designed complex solutions and how they aligned with business strategies.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Highlight your excellent stakeholder engagement skills. Prepare examples of how you've built trust and credibility with senior leaders, and be ready to discuss how you translate technical concepts into actionable strategies for non-technical audiences.
✨Emphasise Leadership Experience
Since previous leadership experience is highly desirable, share instances where you've led teams effectively. Discuss your approach to empowering team members and fostering a collaborative environment that drives innovation.
✨Demonstrate Adaptability and Innovation
Given the emphasis on cloud-native development and agile methodologies, be ready to discuss how you've adapted to new technologies and processes. Share examples of how you've identified opportunities for innovation within complex portfolios.
