At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape future-state architecture to meet strategic business goals and enhance technology solutions.
- Company: Dynamic organisation in London focused on innovation and efficiency.
- Benefits: Permanent role with competitive salary and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on mentoring and architectural best practices.
- Why this job: Lead impactful projects that drive business innovation and operational excellence.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in solution architecture, strong stakeholder influence, and cloud platform expertise.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
The role is for a Support Architect responsible for shaping the future-state architecture that enables the organisation to meet its strategic business goals. This role ensures that technology solutions directly support desired business outcomes—such as improved efficiency, customer experience, scalability, and innovation—while maintaining strong architectural integrity. The Support Architect oversees the design of systems and applications across the enterprise and regularly reviews the application portfolio to maximise value, reduce complexity, and ensure agility.
Key responsibilities and primary deliverables
- Application & Solution Design Oversight
- Provide architectural oversight on key projects, ensuring solutions are well-designed, secure, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise strategy.
- Guide the design of applications that deliver tangible business benefits such as improved service delivery, cost reduction, or process automation.
- Champion standardisation and reuse across the solution landscape to reduce redundancy and increase agility.
- Business-Aligned Architecture Leadership
- Translate strategic business objectives into scalable, future-ready architectural solutions.
- Partner with business and product leaders to ensure technology decisions enhance business capability, value delivery, and time-to-market.
- Identify technology enablers for business innovation, operational excellence, and digital transformation.
- Innovation & Technology Strategy
- Assess emerging technologies and industry trends for potential business impact.
- Conduct proofs of concept and pilots where new approaches or tools could unlock business improvements.
- Promote cloud-native, API-first, and modular architecture practices that support continuous delivery and business responsiveness.
- Business Application Portfolio Governance
- Support structured reviews of the application landscape to assess business value, performance, cost, and alignment.
- Collaborate with business stakeholders to identify underused or duplicative applications and recommend consolidation or replacement.
- Drive rationalisation initiatives to reduce complexity and total cost of ownership, while improving functional coverage and user satisfaction.
- Architecture Governance & Best Practice
- Define and enforce architectural principles, technology standards, and design patterns that balance innovation with operational integrity.
- Lead architectural governance forums to review and approve solution designs and ensure architectural consistency across the enterprise.
- Maintain up-to-date architectural artefacts that clearly link system components to business capabilities.
- Collaboration & Leadership
- Act as a bridge between technical teams and business stakeholders, ensuring architectural solutions are practical, understandable, and outcome-driven.
- Work closely with the Manager of Systems & Landscape to balance future-state design with operational stability and system constraints.
- Mentor and guide developers, engineers, and solution designers to strengthen architectural literacy across delivery teams.
Skills profile
- Extensive experience (typically 7+ years) in solution or enterprise architecture within complex, multi-system environments.
- Strong experience aligning technology strategies with business objectives in complex, multi-system environments.
- Expertise in enterprise applications, integration design, and scalable architectures (e.g., microservices, APIs).
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and explain complex architectural concepts in business-relevant terms.
- Deep understanding of application lifecycle, cloud platforms (Azure, AWS), and modern delivery models (Agile, DevOps).
- Experience contributing to SaaS selection, vendor evaluation, and procurement processes.
- Ability to assess solutions from both technical and commercial perspectives.
- Familiarity with architecture frameworks (TOGAF, ArchiMate) and modelling tools.
- Relevant certifications (e.g., cloud architecture, enterprise architecture).
Lead Solution Architect in London employer: Zodiac Maritime
As a Lead Solution Architect in London, you will join a forward-thinking organisation that prioritises innovation and collaboration. Our vibrant work culture fosters continuous learning and professional growth, offering you the chance to shape impactful technology solutions while working alongside talented professionals. With a commitment to employee well-being and a focus on strategic business outcomes, we provide an environment where your expertise can thrive and make a real difference.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Solution Architect in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Zodiac Maritime or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Zodiac Maritime.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Zodiac Maritime.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Zodiac Maritime that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Solution Architect in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Zodiac Maritime.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Zodiac Maritime and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Zodiac Maritime
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Zodiac Maritime uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
