Role: Solutions Architect
Location: Leeds (Hybrid)
Salary: £75,000
Take ownership of Application Architecture Modernisation and Cloud Adoption for a leading Financial Services Organisation. We're supporting a leading Financial Services organisation on a multi-year evolution of its core platforms and technology landscape. This role offers a rare opportunity to step in as the Architect, taking full ownership of architectural direction, governance, and process across the business. You'll operate across both technical depth and enterprise-level thinking, helping the organisation move from a predominantly on-prem Microsoft estate towards a more modern, API-led and cloud-ready architecture, at a pace that aligns with business risk and regulatory requirements.

What You'll Be Doing
This is a broad, high-impact role where you'll combine hands-on technical decision-making with strategic architectural leadership.

Own the Architecture Function
Act as the organisation's primary Architect, establishing architecture practices, governance, and processes, including involvement in and shaping of Technical Design Authority (TDA)

Technical Leadership & Decision-Making
Work closely with Engineers and senior stakeholders to drive key decisions across areas such as APIs, authentication, integration patterns, and application design

Application & Platform Architecture
Lead the evolution of a core Microsoft-based platform, currently on-prem, introducing scalable, modern architectural patterns

API & Integration Strategy
Play a key role in shaping a more API-led ecosystem, including the potential introduction of an API Gateway and improved service-to-service communication

Cloud Readiness & Transformation
Support early-stage cloud adoption, helping define a pragmatic, low-risk path to Azure, balancing innovation with regulatory and operational considerations

Collaboration Across Technology
Partner closely with an established Infrastructure SME, ensuring a clear separation and alignment between infrastructure and application architecture

Governance & Standards
Introduce structure, best practices, and architectural governance across the technology landscape, ensuring consistency, scalability, and security.

What You'll Bring.
Strong Engineering Background
Previous hands-on development experience (ideally within the Microsoft stack), with the credibility to engage deeply with engineering teams

Architectural Experience (Solution or Enterprise)
Able to operate both tactically and strategically, with a clear understanding of how solutions fit within a wider enterprise context
Microsoft-Centric Expertise
Strong knowledge of .NET, C#, SQL Server, and designing within Microsoft-based environments

API & Integration Knowledge
Experience designing or working with API-driven architectures, authentication models, and modern integration patterns

Cloud Awareness (Azure Preferred)
Exposure to cloud architecture and migration concepts, even if the majority of experience to date is within on-prem environments

Governance & Stakeholder Engagement
Comfortable setting up architectural processes, contributing to design authorities, and influencing both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Why Apply.
Be THE Architect Take true ownership of architecture within the organisation, with the autonomy to define standards and direction

Make a Visible Impact
Play a central role in shaping how technology evolves across a key, business-critical platform

Blend Strategy and Hands-On Influence
Stay close to engineering while influencing enterprise-wide decisions

Transformation Without Chaos
Join a business that is committed to modernisation, but taking a considered, pragmatic approach to cloud and change. This role is ideal for an experienced Solutions Architect who wants to step into a lead, high-ownership position, balancing hands-on technical influence with the opportunity to build and mature an architecture function from the ground up.