Application Solutions Architect

THE WHITE COMPANY; Northampton; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company is seeking a Solution Architect to lead the design and delivery of technology solutions across applications and data. In this senior role, you will collaborate with senior stakeholders, ensuring that solutions align with business strategies while being practical and scalable. The successful candidate will own solution architecture for key initiatives and actively engage in governance to assure design decisions. This position offers a hybrid working model and competitive benefits.

Benefits

Up to 50% discount

25 days holiday

20% Bonus Potential

Pension Scheme

Private Medical

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience as a Solution Architect, owning end-to-end solution design.
• Proven experience designing application-led solutions and business workflows.
• Experience across enterprise application landscapes like ERP and eCommerce.

Responsibilities

• Design and own solution architectures for priority initiatives.
• Engage with business to translate requirements into architecture artefacts.
• Lead architecture governance forums for key initiatives.

Skills

Solution Architecture

Stakeholder Engagement

Application Design

Integration Patterns

Documentation

Tools

Dynamics 365

SAP Hybris

API Management

Job description

Our Role

Reporting to the Head of Technology, the Solution Architect is a senior, hands‑on role responsible for leading the design and delivery of technology solutions across the application, integration, and data landscape.

You will work closely with senior stakeholders across IT, digital, data, infrastructure, and delivery teams to ensure solutions align with business strategy while remaining pragmatic and delivery-focused. This role balances strategic architectural direction with direct ownership of solution design for priority initiatives.

You will act as a design authority across the portfolio while staying close to delivery teams to ensure solutions are implementable, scalable, and commercially sound.

What you’ll be doing

Solution Architecture & Delivery

• Personally design and own solution architectures for priority initiatives, covering applications, integrations, and high‑level data designs
• Translate business requirements into clear, pragmatic architecture artefacts through direct engagement with business and delivery teams
• Provide architectural leadership across the full delivery lifecycle, from feasibility and design through delivery and transition to support
• Remain actively engaged with delivery teams to adapt designs as delivery realities evolve

Retail Systems & Integration

• Design solutions across core retail systems and processes, including ERP, eCommerce, and surrounding operational systems
• Architect integrations using API‑led, event‑driven, and asynchronous patterns across a distributed application landscape
• Design solutions supporting core retail capabilities such as order management, fulfilment, stock, pricing, promotions, and customer data

Governance Ownership

• Lead and contribute to architecture governance forums, including design authority and architecture review boards, for key initiatives.
• Own and operate architecture governance forums, including design authority and architecture review boards
• Review and assure solution designs produced by internal teams and delivery partners
• Clearly articulate the long‑term implications of design decisions to support informed trade‑offs

Strategy & Collaboration

• Work closely with the Head of Technology to shape and evolve application, integration, and data architecture strategy.
• Produce architecture feasibility and impact assessments at initiative inception
• Support vendor and product selection, ensuring solutions are scalable, cost‑effective, and fit for purpose
• Provide guidance and mentoring to solution and technical architects across the portfolio

Collaboration & Leadership

• Provide guidance and mentoring to other solution and technical architects across the portfolio
• Work effectively with third‑party vendors, software providers, and systems integrators
• Engage confidently with senior stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes

What skills & experience you’ll need

Essential

• Significant and extensive hands‑on experience as a Solution Architect, owning end‑to‑end solution design across applications, integrations, and data
• Proven experience designing application‑led solutions, including system responsibilities, interactions, and end‑to‑end business workflows
• Experience working across enterprise application landscapes such as ERP, eCommerce, operational, and customer‑facing systems (technology‑agnostic experience acceptable)
• Ability to produce clear, high‑quality architecture documentation, including solution design documents, application and integration diagrams, and data flows
• Experience designing production‑ready application architectures, with consideration for performance, scalability, resilience, error handling, and supportability in live environments
• Practical experience with cloud‑based platforms and integration patterns (APIs, events, orchestration) in the context of broader application solutions
• Experience designing solutions that support core business processes (e.g. order lifecycle, stock, fulfilment, pricing, customer data)
• Comfortable working across different delivery approaches and staying close to delivery teams
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, able to communicate design decisions and trade‑offs clearly
• Experience working with third‑party vendors and delivery partners
• Commercially aware and able to make pragmatic decisions in a fast‑paced environment

Desirable

• Experience working in retail and/or commerce environments
• Experience with ERP and commerce platforms (e.g. Dynamics 365, SAP Hybris, or equivalents)
• Experience with modern integration platforms (e.g. API Management, iPaaS, workflow/orchestration tools)
• Experience with modern data platforms, including data ingestion and analytics ecosystems (e.g. Databricks, ADF, or equivalents)
• Familiarity with architecture and modelling tools (e.g. ArchiMate, UML)

What we’ll offer you

• Discount – Up to 50% discount (dependent on contract type)
• Holiday – 25 days, increasing to 28 days with length of service
• Holiday Buy – opportunity to buy up to an additional 5 days holiday
• 20% Bonus Potential – In addition to our competitive salaries, all our permanent employees are entitled to join a discretionary bonus scheme. (dependent on contract type)
• White City House (Soho House Group) Tenants Membership at a discounted rate, offering access to facilities in the House
• Wagestream Money Management app – access to Wagestream gives you power over your pay and supports financial wellbeing
• Continued Development – we offer structured support from our own in‑house Learning and Development Hub
• Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical

Additional Benefits

• Fruit basket daily
• Tea and coffee provided
• Hybrid working pattern with WFH – option on Mondays and Fridays
• Social – Christmas party/social events throughout the year
• Seasonal Sample Sales
• Volunteer Day – with a charity of your choice

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion statement of commitment

At The White Company we are committed to creating an inclusive culture that welcomes and celebrates a diversity of backgrounds and identities. We are working together to ensure our environment is one where people can bring their authentic selves to work, where their contribution is valued, ability enhanced, and perspective appreciated. Where difference is respected, encouraged, and celebrated. Where you can feel you belong. We are committed to an active Equality Diversity and Inclusion Policy, which starts with our recruitment and selection process.

Our Sustainability statement of commitment

We are committed to building a sustainable legacy that will enable a brighter future for people and our planet.’ We believe this should be reflected in everything we do