Senior Solutions Architect

Student Loans Company; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 61,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading education finance organisation in Glasgow is looking for a Senior Solution Architect to shape architectural designs and lead implementation strategies. The role involves collaboration with various stakeholders to co-create innovative solutions and ensure alignment with strategic goals. Candidates should have a strong understanding of architectural disciplines and experience in navigating multi-vendor ecosystems. This position offers flexibility with a blended working model and multiple benefits including generous leave and a pension scheme.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays

Option to buy/sell annual leave

Flexi-time and enhanced flexible working options

Life insurance cover for 4 x annual salary

Contributory lifestyle benefit options

Qualifications

• Good understanding of architectural disciplines including Enterprise Business Domain.
• Ability to navigate complex multi-vendor ecosystems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for presenting to audiences.
• Demonstrates autonomy and self-starting abilities.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for shaping the architectural design of applications.
• Lead the design of scalable integrated solutions.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to co-create innovative architectures.
• Drive the implementation from an architectural perspective.

Skills

Architectural disciplines

Multi-vendor ecosystems

Innovative technologies

Excellent communication

Leadership in technology teams

Education

Degree-level education

Tools

AWS

Salesforce certification

Job description

Salary

61950.00 - 72952.00 GBP Annual a yearly allowance of up to 9000

Pension

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%. Please refer to the Civil Service Pensions website for more information.

Type

Full time

Please note: The advert will close at 11 : 59PM the night before the listed closing date.

SLC offer a blended working model which will typically be 2 days in the office and 3 days from home.

Is it time you unlocked your potential

Student Loans Company is a non-profit making Government‑owned organisation to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. Since 1989 we have enabled our customers to invest in their futures by delivering secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and repayment services.

Our Values

• Honesty: We act with integrity and transparency sharing information openly and addressing challenges with courage.
• Empowerment: We enable people to take initiative, make impactful decisions and continuously learn and grow.
• Accountability: We deliver on commitments, own our successes and mistakes and strive for quality outcomes.
• Respect: We value diverse perspectives, actively listen and create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.
• Trust: We collaborate across teams, build dependable relationships and work as one to deliver for our customers.

These values are more than words – they guide our decisions, shape our collaborations and strengthen our impact on the students we serve.

About the role

SLC currently has a couple of exciting Senior Solution Architect roles to join us within the Enterprise Architecture team. One role is a 12‑month fixed‑term contract and the other role is permanent.

In this role you will be responsible for shaping the architectural design and structure of applications to support initiatives within a broader transformation Programme. This includes contributing to the development and refinement of application and technology roadmaps that align with strategic objectives, leading the architectural execution of solutions to ensure consistency with design principles and technical strategy throughout implementation, and driving the implementation from an architectural perspective.

You will lead the design of scalable integrated solutions across diverse platforms and technologies ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and strategic goals. As a trusted advisor you’ll collaborate with stakeholders across business and technical domains to co‑create innovative architectures that deliver real value and support long‑term organisational vision. If you think this opportunity might be of interest whether the permanent or FTC role, don’t hesitate to apply.

What you bring

• Demonstrates a good understanding of architectural disciplines including Enterprise Business Domain and Data / Information Architecture and maintains up‑to‑date knowledge of emerging trends, technologies and methodologies.
• Proven ability to navigate complex multi‑vendor ecosystems and integrate disparate technologies to deliver cohesive, scalable solutions that align with strategic goals.
• Embraces innovation by adopting new technologies, tools and practices fostering a culture of continuous improvement and driving meaningful change across systems and processes.
• Communicates architectural vision and decisions effectively across all levels of the organisation including executive and partner stakeholders with excellent written and verbal communication skills, confidently presenting to both small and large audiences.
• Demonstrates autonomy and initiative with the ability to self‑start and work independently as well as collaboratively within cross‑functional teams.
• Holds a degree‑level education or equivalent with practical experience in providing estimates and sizing and delivering measurable cost savings and service improvements for customers.
• Proven leadership in guiding technology teams to achieve shared objectives, ensuring alignment with architectural principles and strategic direction.
• Having an architecture certification, a cloud provider certification (e.g. AWS) or Salesforce certification is desirable but not mandatory.

Benefits

• 28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays
• Option to buy / sell annual leave
• Flexi‑time and enhanced flexible working options available
• Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme
• Life insurance cover for 4 x annual salary
• Enhanced company sick pay and family leave including maternity, paternity and adoption
• Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers, cycle to work scheme, access to the Civil Service Sports and Leisure Club for discounted gym memberships and an optional dental insurance scheme

The Legal Bits

We need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept there are some background checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include employment history, criminal record check, credit reference check and fraud check.

SLC are committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are inclusive for all candidates and will make reasonable adjustments for those who consider themselves to have a disability or long‑term condition in line with the Equality Act 2010. Our application process provides candidates with the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments; if you would like to discuss this in more detail please email.

Required Experience: Senior IC

Key Skills

Apache Hive, S3, Redshift, Spark, AWS, Solr, NoSQL, Data Warehouse, Internet Of Things, Kafka, DynamoDB, ZooKeeper