Senior Solution Architect & Practice Leader

Co-op Group; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Holiday allowance 28/32 days

Pension up to 10%

Onsite gym discount

Cycle-to-work

Private healthcare

Job summary

Co-op Group in Manchester city centre is seeking a Principal Solution Architect & Practice Manager to shape technology strategy and lead a team of Solution Architects. This senior role combines architectural leadership with people management in a retail-focused environment.

You will own end-to-end solution architectures for major initiatives, define roadmaps, drive architectural decisions, and ensure secure, scalable, and well-integrated solutions.

Qualifications

• Significant experience as a Solution Architect in retail or similar complex environments.
• Strong architectural judgement balancing business needs and technical considerations.
• Proven people leadership, coaching and developing others.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end solution architecture for key initiatives.
• Define and maintain solution roadmaps aligned with business priorities.
• Lead architectural decision-making and guide teams through trade-offs.
• Support delivery of scalable, secure, and well-integrated solutions.
• Coach and develop a team of Solution Architects.
• Build and evolve the Solution Architecture practice with career pathways.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across teams.
• Drive quality against architecture standards and governance.

Skills

Solution Architecture

People Leadership

Architectural Judgement

Stakeholder Communication

Collaboration

Job description

Co-op Group in Manchester city centre is seeking a Principal Solution Architect & Practice Manager to shape technology strategy and lead a team of Solution Architects. This senior role combines architectural leadership with people management in a retail-focused environment.

You will own end-to-end solution architectures for major initiatives, define roadmaps, drive architectural decisions, and ensure secure, scalable, and well-integrated solutions.