Solution Architect

Ecclesiastical Insurance Group; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services group is seeking a Solution Architect to join their Gloucester office. This role involves designing and implementing technical solutions to drive innovation and efficiency, requiring expertise in the insurance sector and strong leadership skills. The position offers a competitive salary, bonus opportunities, and extensive benefits including personal development support and a strong commitment to workplace diversity.

Benefits

Group Personal Pension - up to 12% employer contribution

Generous annual bonus scheme up to 30%

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Private healthcare and income protection

Full study support for professional qualifications

Access to virtual GP

Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

Qualifications

• Experience in solution architecture and technical leadership.
• Knowledge of insurance industry standards and best practices.
• Familiarity with enterprise integration patterns and technologies.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop end-to-end architectural solutions.
• Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture principles.
• Provide technical leadership to development teams.

Skills

Communication

Problem-solving

Leadership

Analytical skills

Tools

TOGAF

Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud)

Job description

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Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Duration: Permanent

Location: Gloucester

Job Ref:203555

About the role

Benefact Groupare looking for a Solution Architect to join ourGloucesteroffice.

We are seeking a highly skilled Solution Architect to join our dynamic team, where you will be responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of comprehensive technical solutions that align with our business goals and technology strategy.

The ideal candidate will possess anunderstanding of insurance processes and systems, along with strong technical expertise to drive innovation and efficiency within Benefact Group.

Key responsibilities

• Design and develop end-to-end architectural solutions that meet business requirements and integrate seamlessly with existing systems.
• Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture principles and industry best practices.
• Assess the business impact various technical choices have and ensure trade-offs are well documented
• Ensure all cross-functional aspects for solution design including compliance, security, governance, adopted as well as Group wide best practices are considered
• Create and maintain architectural documentation, including diagrams, models, and guidelines

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate with business leaders, product managers, and other stakeholders to gather and analyse requirements
• Translate business needs into technical solutions and communicate architectural visions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Technical Leadership:

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to development teams throughout the project lifecycle
• Ensure adherence to architectural standards and governance processes
• Conduct code reviews and mentor team members to promote best practices

Innovation and Strategy:

• Identify emerging technologies and trends in the insurance industry and evaluate their potential impact on the organisation
• Develop and advocate for innovative solutions that drive business value and operational efficiency
• Contribute to the development of IT strategies and roadmaps
• Assess and mitigate technical risks associated with architectural decisions and solution implementations
• Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and compliant with relevant regulations and standards

Knowledge, skills and experience

Experience:

• Proven experience in solution architecture
• Desirable: Experience of working within a regulated environment/financial services (ideally insurance industry)
• Desirable:Proven track record of designing and implementing complex technical solutions in insurance, including policy administration, claims processing, underwriting, and customer management systems

Technical Skills:

• Ideally knowledge of insurance industry standards, regulations, and best practices
• Proficiency in architecture frameworks and methodologies (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman)
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure (preferred), AWS, Google Cloud), microservices and event-driven architecture
• Familiarity with enterprise integration patterns and technologies (e.g., APIs, ESB, messaging systems)
• Understanding of data architecture, including data modelling, ETL processes, and data governance

Soft Skills:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
• Leadership and team collaboration skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

What we offer

• A competitive salary - let's discuss it
• Group Personal Pension - up to 12% employer contribution
  
• Generous annual bonus scheme up to 30%
  
• 28days annual leave plus bank holidays, and a holiday buy and sell scheme
  
• A range of health and wellbeing benefits, including private healthcare, income protection and life assurance
  
• £200 annual personal grant to a charity of your choice
  
• Encouraged to take at least one volunteering day per year
  
• Employee Assistance Programme
  
• Full study support to gain professional qualifications
• Access to virtual GP
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay

About us

Benefact Group is a unique international financial services Group made up of over 30 businesses. We are owned by a charity and have been the 3rd largest UK corporate donor over a decade*, having given away £250 million since 2014. We have ambitious plans to become the UK’s number one corporate donor, with strategic objectives in place to double the Group’s size.

We believe it’s essential to attract, empower, grow and reward talented people, offering fantastic opportunities for career and personal development. Our giving ethos, 135-year history and the diversity of what we do, has enabled us to build a culture of kindness, great ambition, and of passionate people driven to do better and be better.

At Benefact Group, we are committed to creating aninclusive culture and building an environment where each and every one of usfeels valued and respected. We are a community made up of people with arange of different backgrounds, abilities, perspectives, beliefs and interestsand we value the strength this brings to us as a Group. We welcome applicationsfrom everyone.

If you need any additional support during therecruitment process, then please let us know.

*Directory of Social Change’s UK Guides to Company Giving 2017-26