Lead Solution Architect

Southern Water; Durrington; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus (Company & Performance)

Generous Pension

Life Assurance

Cash Plan Health Benefits

Volunteer Days

28 days annual holiday

Occupational health service

Discount app

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking a Lead Solution Architect to provide leadership and governance across the organisation's solution architecture function. You will drive consistency, set standards, and act as the final authority on design decisions in liaison with Enterprise Architecture.

In this role you will line-manage solution architects, oversee demand management and resource allocation, and ensure delivery aligns with architecture principles and patterns while engaging closely with programme,

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in solution architecture across complex programs.
• Proven ability to manage and develop high-performing architecture teams.
• Strong governance and design assurance with stakeholder influence.
• Experience in utilities or regulated industries is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture function and set delivery priorities.
• Oversee quality of artefacts (HLDs, IA, options) and governance.
• Allocate architects across initiatives and manage demand.
• Engage with programme, product, engineering, and business stakeholders.

Skills

Solution Architecture

Leadership

People Management

Enterprise IT Governance

Systems Design

Stakeholder Management

Decision Making

Architecture Assurance

Commercial & Vendor Mgmt

Communication & Governance

Methods & Tools

Job description

**Job Title: Lead Solution Architect****Location: Durrington (Hybrid)****Contract Type: Permanent****Salary: Competitive depending on skills and experience**The **Lead Solution Architect** is accountable for the leadership, quality, and effective deployment of Solution Architecture across the organisation. The role ensures that architecture support is aligned to demand, consistently delivered to a high standard, and aligned with Enterprise Architecture direction through effective governance and decision-making. This role provides line management for Solution Architects, owns resourcing across initiatives, and drives capability development and architectural consistency across all solution architecture activity and technical governance. This role ensures delivery alignment to enterprise architecture strategy and roadmaps through governance and assurance.**Solution Architecture Leadership*** Lead and manage the Solution Architecture function across the organisation* Establish and embed consistent solution architecture practices, standards, patterns, and ways of working, aligned with Enterprise Architecture direction* Act as the final delegated authority for solution design, assuring quality, consistency, and alignment with Enterprise Architecture direction **People Management & Capability Development*** Line manage Solution Architects, including performance, development, and engagement* Coach and mentor architects to improve capability and influence* Identify capability gaps and support recruitment and development plans **Demand & Resource Management*** Own allocation of Solution Architects across initiatives* Work with demand management to ensure early visibility and engagement* Ensure adequate architecture coverage for intake, assessment, shaping, and delivery* Manage capacity planning and resolve resource conflicts **Architecture Delivery & Assurance*** Ensure quality and consistency of architecture artefacts (e.g. HLDs, Impact Assessments, Solution Options)* Act as a quality gate for solution designs prior to governance* Ensure alignment to architecture principles, patterns, and standards **Governance & Stakeholder Engagement*** Lead solution architecture and technical governance forums, ensuring timely, high-quality decisions and clear outcomes* Act as the escalation point for solution-level design decisions, providing final delegated decisions where appropriate and escalating exceptions for resolution* Build strong relationships with programme, product, engineering, and business stakeholders **Skills & Competencies**The candidate must have significant skills & competency in IT Architecture which include the following:* **Solution Architecture** **–** Leads the development and assurance of solution architectures across multiple initiatives.* **Leadership -** Provides leadership for the Solution Architecture practice, setting delivery priorities, assuring quality, and enabling effective governance in line with Enterprise Architecture direction.* **People Management** **–** Manages, develops, and mentors Solution Architects, supporting performance, growth, and retention.* **Enterprise IT Governance** **–** Applies governance to architecture decisions, ensuring consistency, compliance, and reuse.* **Systems Design** **–** Reviews and assures system designs for quality, scalability, and supportability.* **Stakeholder Relationship Management** **–** Builds and maintains effective stakeholder relationships.* **Decision Making & Design Authority** **–** Makes timely, well-evidenced architecture decisions, balancing risk, cost, delivery, and strategic alignment.* **Architecture Assurance & Risk** **–** Assures solutions against principles and non-functional requirements (e.g. security, resilience, performance), identifying and managing design risks and technical debt.* **Commercial & Vendor Management** **–** Evaluates vendor/third-party solutions and commercial options, assuring fit, value, and contractual alignment to architecture standards.* **Communication & Governance Facilitation** **–** Leads governance discussions, communicates complex technical topics clearly, and drives decisions to documented outcomes.* **Methods and Tools** **–** Defines and embeds architecture methods, standards, and tooling.**Knowledge*** Strong experience in Solution Architecture leadership within complex environments* Proven ability to manage and develop high-performing architecture teams* Experience in demand management, capacity planning, and resource allocation* Strong understanding of architecture governance and design assurance* Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills* Experience working across projects, platforms, and product-based delivery models* Software design (Utilities, regulated industries)* Data & Analytics* Integration & service orientated design* Software delivery (Waterfall, Agile)* Security architecture and secure-by-design principles (e.g. identity, data protection, threat modelling)* Cloud and platform concepts (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS), including landing zones, networking, and cost/performance trade-offs* Service management and operability (monitoring, incident/problem management, support model, SLAs/SLOs)* Risk, compliance, and regulatory considerations relevant to utilities, including auditability and traceability of design decisions* Knowledge of solutions used within the Utilities / Water sector Onsite a minimum of 2 days per week in Durrington office.### Interested in the role?* We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so if you are interested in the position please do send your application over today to ensure consideration.* We truly appreciate every application. Please note, that due to the volume of interest, we may not be able to provide personalised feedback to all applicants.### Our Benefits* Company and performance-related bonus* Generous pension* Life assurance payment equal to four times your annual salary* Health benefits through a Cash Plan* Two paid community volunteering days a year* 28 days annual holiday* Occupational health service* Retail discount app* We offer competitive maternity leave, and flexible return to work options### Everybody Welcome* We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know.### Need flexibility in your work?* Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?