Solution Architect

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA); Birmingham; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Healthcare plans

EV car benefit scheme

Discounted gym membership

Job summary

West Midlands Combined Authority is seeking a Solutions Architect to shape digital foundations across the organisation. You will translate business needs into practical, secure technology designs, working with the Senior Solutions Architect to align with strategy and standards.

You’ll produce architecture artifacts, advise on options, and guide delivery teams through the lifecycle, ensuring security and interoperability across systems.

Qualifications

• What’s essential: designing technology solutions in complex environments.
• Translating business needs into architecture options and designs.
• Broad understanding of applications, integration, cloud, data, security, and networks.
• Experience of security, resilience, performance, scalability and value for money.
• Clear architecture documentation, diagrams and decisions.
• Identifying dependencies, risks and trade-offs with pragmatic recommendations.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to explain complex concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience with multidisciplinary teams and external suppliers.
• Qualifications such as TOGAF or equivalent; degree in IT or related field.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver solution architecture across WMCA.
• Align designs with technology strategy and standards.
• Collaborate with colleagues, specialists and stakeholders to translate problems into designs.
• Assess options considering cost, risk, security, data and long-term sustainability.
• Create architecture documentation, diagrams and technical decisions.
• Provide architectural guidance throughout delivery lifecycle.
• Ensure designs consider security, data, resilience, performance and interoperability.
• Contribute to architecture governance and design authority processes.
• Work with internal teams, suppliers and partners to implement and operate solutions.
• Contribute to reusable architecture patterns and knowledge sharing.

Skills

Solution architecture

Translate requirements

Security & resilience

Stakeholder management

Communication to diverse audiences

Education

IT-related degree or equivalent

Tools

TOGAF or architecture frameworks

APIs, SOA, cloud & infrastructure

Job description

The West Midlands Combined Authority is delivering ambitious plans to create a better-connected, more prosperous region, where people can access jobs, housing, transport and opportunity. Our Growth Plan and the Mayor's priorities set out what we want to achieve, but delivering these ambitions depends on having the right technology, systems and digital capabilities in place.

Technology plays an essential role in enabling our people to work effectively, supporting better services and decision-making, and helping WMCA deliver its ambitions for the West Midlands.

As a Solutions Architect within our Technology & Insights Team, you will help shape the digital foundations that enable this work. Working closely with the Senior Solutions Architect, you will translate complex business needs into practical, secure and sustainable technology solutions, helping ensure our systems, data and services work effectively together.

You’ll work collaboratively with colleagues, delivery teams, technical specialists and suppliers to develop solution options, guide technical decisions and provide architectural assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Please note that this is a two-year fixed-term contract.

What you’ll be doing.

• Develop and deliver solution architecture across WMCA, translating business requirements into practical, secure and sustainable technical designs that support current and future organisational needs.
• Work closely with the Senior Solutions Architect to ensure solutions align with WMCA’s technology strategy, enterprise architecture principles, standards and strategic direction.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, technical specialists and stakeholders to understand business problems, requirements, constraints and dependencies and translate these into effective solution designs.
• Develop and assess solution options, considering business outcomes, cost, risk, security, data, integration, supportability and long-term sustainability, making clear recommendations to support informed decision-making.
• Create, review and communicate architecture documentation and models, including solution designs, architecture diagrams, options assessments and technical decisions.
• Provide architectural guidance and assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle, constructively challenging proposed approaches and helping delivery teams and suppliers resolve technical issues, dependencies and architectural risks.
• Ensure solution designs appropriately consider security, data, integration, resilience, performance, scalability, interoperability and supportability.
• Contribute to technical governance, architecture standards and design authority processes, identifying risks and opportunities and escalating significant cross-cutting or strategic architecture decisions to the Senior Solutions Architect where appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams, external suppliers and strategic partners to ensure proposed solutions can be successfully implemented, supported, and operated.
• Contribute to reusable architecture patterns, standards, knowledge-sharing and continuous improvement of architecture practice across WMCA.

What’s essential.

• Significant practical experience of designing technology solutions within a complex organisational environment.
• Experience translating business requirements and problems into clear architecture options, recommendations and technical designs.
• Broad understanding of solution architecture across several relevant technology domains, such as applications, integration and APIs, cloud and infrastructure, data, security and identity, enterprise platforms and networking.
• Practical understanding of modern architecture approaches, including cloud-based solutions, APIs, integration patterns, and service-oriented architectures.
• Experience of considering security, resilience, performance, scalability, interoperability, supportability and value for money as part of solution design.
• Demonstrable experience of producing clear, high-quality architecture documentation and models, including solution designs, architecture diagrams and technical decisions.
• Ability to identify and clearly communicate technical dependencies, constraints, risks and trade-offs and provide pragmatic recommendations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to balance technical considerations with business and delivery requirements.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, technical specialists, delivery teams, and external technology suppliers.
• Knowledge of architecture frameworks, methods, or governance practices. Relevant qualifications such as TOGAF or the BCS Foundation Certificate in Architecture Concepts and Domains, or equivalent practical experience, would be beneficial.
• A degree-level qualification in an IT-related discipline, or equivalent to relevant professional experience.

For a full list of duties and essential criteria, please refer to the attached job description.

Location.

The location for this role is 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD with at least 2 days a week spent in the office.

There may be a requirement to work outside normal office hours on occasion, including working within stakeholder and partner offices within the WMCA constituent area on a regular basis.

Salary and benefits.

We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year-on-year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
• Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme where you can build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + Statutory days.
• EV car benefit scheme
• Healthcare plans.
• Discounted gym membership, will writing, and mortgage advice.
• An option to buy a bicycle, including e-bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
• 3 days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
• Interest-free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology.
• Discounted shopping with over 2000 big-name retailers, and more. You can now also obtain a Costco membership through the WMCA.
• Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top-rated UK attractions and loads of extra benefits and discounts.
• Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards your glasses.

For more information, please visit the benefits page on our career site.

Why join WMCA?

WMCA is laser-focused on improving the West Midlands, bringing economic growth, jobs, homes, and better journeys to the region. We target local needs where it matters most, ensuring everyone has a job that pays well and has access to safe and affordable places they can call home.

We put people and place at the heart of everything we do, working hand in hand with our partners to direct funding where it’s needed most. What you do, really matters. Your expertise will help make a big difference, improving people’s lives, every day.

Our Values and Behaviours.

Fostering an environment where people feel valued, included, supported, and proud to contribute to our region is important to us at the WMCA. Our behaviours are more than statements; they guide how we work, make decisions, and treat one another – they set the standards we hold ourselves to and the experience we want others to have.

• Collaborative: We work as one organisation. Together we build trust, connection and shared purpose across teams, partners and residents to create the biggest impact for our region.
• Driven: We are focused on outcomes. We perform at our best to unlock productivity and delivery, achieving the greatest regional impact.
• Inclusive: We value difference. Creating an environment where people belong, and feel psychologically safe, so we can all thrive and shape a West Midlands built for everyone.
• Innovative: We are courageous. We embrace new ideas and challenge the status-quo to continuously improve and shape the future of the West Midlands.

Creating an inclusive workplace.

WMCA holds diversity accreditations, such as the RACE Code Quality Mark, Armed Forces Covenant (Gold status) and has been recognised as one of the Inclusive Top 50 Employers and The Times Top 50 Employers for Women. We're a Disability Confident Employer with 'Leader' status, committed to interviewing applicants with disabilities who meet all the essential role criteria.

We are also proud to be a Ban the Box employer, which means we do not ask about criminal convictions at the initial application stage, and will only ask after an offer is made as part of our onboarding checks, which helps us remove barriers for people with past convictions and supporting fair opportunities for all.

We recognise that certain groups, such as women and people of colour, may be less likely to apply for roles if they feel they do not meet all the requirements. However, we encourage individuals who are passionate about the role and want to make a difference to still apply. We value potential and encourage applicants to highlight their skills, including transferable ones, even if they don't fit the traditional "perfect candidate" mould.

We gladly consider part-time, flexible, and job share arrangements, so please don't let these factors deter you from applying.

Right to Work in the UK

Proof of Right to Work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.

Non-UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant Visa from the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

Attached documents

Solutions Architect - JD.pdf