Provide architectural oversight and technical assurance, reviewing and challenging architectural deliverables including High-Level Designs (HLDs) and Low-Level Designs (LLDs).
Hold the delivery partner to account for technical decisions, ensuring designs align with agreed architectural principles, integration constraints, and customer standards.
Provide architectural guidance on hosting, access, and design documentation to support effective technical integration into the customer network and operational environment.
Assure interoperability across systems and platforms, including the evaluation of architectural designs for deployment to alternative or evolving hosting environments.
Support delivery by engaging with customer technical stakeholders, providing clear technical direction, and resolving architectural issues that may impact delivery or live service.
Provide technical governance and assurance of the live service, ensuring architecture decisions remain valid, documented, and supportable through service operation.
Evaluate emerging requirements, including new data types or evolving user needs, and assess the impact on existing architecture and delivery approaches.
Recommend architectural patterns, options, and trade-offs to support informed decision-making by the customer.
Support the establishment and ongoing operation of technical governance, standards, and assurance artefacts as the service and capability evolves.

Demonstrable experience operating as a Solutions Architect or equivalent role in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
Proven ability to review, assure, and challenge supplier architecture and technical deliverables.
Strong understanding of system architecture, integration, hosting, and service considerations across the delivery lifecycle.
Experience providing client-side technical governance and assurance rather than direct solution delivery.
Ability to engage credibly with senior technical stakeholders, delivery teams, and suppliers.
Comfortable operating at pace, managing ambiguity, and supporting evolving requirements.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to articulate architectural decisions, risks, and trade-offs clearly.
Desirable (not essential)
Experience working in secure, regulated, or government environments.
SFIA Level 5 capability in Architecture, Solution Design, or Technical Governance.
Familiarity with service governance and live service assurance models.
Experience working alongside data, security, or infrastructure architects.
Knowledge of common architectural frameworks or patterns used in large-scale systems.
Experience supporting delivery assurance on behalf of a customer organisation.

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are!
We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants.
Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible.

Solutions Architect

Key skills