Senior Solutions Architect

Lead Solution Architect – Large-Scale Transformation

A major platform transformation is underway — moving from legacy systems to a modern, scalable, event-driven architecture. This role sits at the heart of that journey, shaping both the target state and how it’s delivered.

You’ll operate as a senior technical authority, balancing strategic architecture with hands-on leadership across a complex, high-dependency environment.

Responsibilities

• Own and define end-to-end solution architecture across a multi-year transformation programme
• Set the architectural direction for modern, scalable, and platform-independent systems
• Act as the senior bridge between enterprise architecture and engineering delivery teams
• Establish standards, patterns, and governance for the evolving technology landscape
• Ensure consistency and integration across legacy and modern platforms
• Lead architecture reviews, solution walkthroughs, and key technical decisions
• Drive proofs-of-concept and prototype development to validate critical design choices
• Provide hands-on technical leadership (Java), while mentoring and guiding engineering teams
• Engage senior stakeholders, clearly articulating architecture decisions, trade-offs, and risks

Requirements

• Extensive experience in solution architecture within complex, enterprise-scale environments
• Strong hands-on background in Java and object-oriented design
• Deep experience with event-driven architectures (Kafka or similar)
• Proven track record designing distributed systems/microservices architectures
• Experience defining scalable, resilient, platform-agnostic solutions
• Strong understanding of integration patterns and system interoperability
• Experience working with containerised environments (OpenShift, Kubernetes, etc.)
• Ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels

Desirable:

• Experience in regulated or high-availability environments
• Exposure to large-scale system modernisation or migration programmes
• Familiarity with messaging standards and distributed data systems
• Agile delivery experience

This is a good opportunity to shape foundational infrastructure in the evolution of digital assets within regulated financial services.

If you’re open to a confidential discussion, I’d be happy to connect.