Solution Architect

John Lewis Partnership; London; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading retail organization as a Solution Architect, focusing on enhancing inventory management and technology capabilities at Waitrose. In this hybrid role, you'll lead architecture initiatives and collaborate with various stakeholders to drive impactful solutions. This position requires a strong understanding of architectural practices and team collaboration, essential for adapting and transforming the business through technology.

Qualifications

• Experience with Systems Integrators as an architect.
• Understanding of Inventory Management and Stock Accounting.
• Able to assess deliverables in waterfall and agile environments.

Responsibilities

• Direct the work of Systems Integrators for tech solutions.
• Apply architectural best practices to increase value and reduce risks.
• Engage stakeholders and track project deliverables.

Skills

Governance of architectural decisions

Retail context understanding

Collaboration skills

Pragmatic decision-making

Influencing across stakeholders

Simplifying architecture

Curiosity and self-starting attitude

Tools

Oracle Retail Merchandising Suite

Domain driven design

Microservices

Cloud Native

CI/CD

Containerisation

PaaS on GCP or AWS

Event streaming

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Solution Architect, focused on Waitrose’s store inventory management, stock ledger, and sales audit capabilities, you will play a critical role in shaping and modernising the technology capabilities that enable getting the right stock to the right place at the right time and keep our stock accounting accurate & compliant.

You’ll be part of a larger team of Architects sitting in the Technology & Transformation operating model, working to identify the technical capabilities and changes that will enable the Partnership to successfully operate, adapt, and transform through technology across Waitrose.

At a glance

• Contract type: 12 Months Secondment

• Working pattern/flexible working: This is a hybrid role, primarily working from home and the Bracknell Head Office, with occasional visits to other locations as needed.

• Our Architecture team currently works from the office roughly once a week, with ad-hoc meetings depending on business needs.

• We are looking for Immediate joiners.

What will you be doing?

• Steering, directing, and assuring the work of our Systems Integrator to deliver effective, efficient, and sustainable technology solutions, ensuring business understanding of design implications.

• Applying architectural best practices during solution design to increase value, reduce risks, and control technical debt.

• Modernising applications by removing unnecessary customisations and simplifying solutions.

• Supporting the programme by defining architecture work, engaging stakeholders, and tracking deliverables against the project plan.

• Influencing senior stakeholders by providing technology options, guiding product backlogs, and representing the programme within the wider architecture community.

What you'll have

• Experience working with a Systems Integrator as an architect or solution analyst, with effective governance of architectural decisions.

• Experience in architecting, designing, and delivering solutions in a Retail context or understanding of Inventory Management and Stock Accounting capabilities.

• Experience collaborating with IT and Financial control teams.

• Knowledge of deliverables in waterfall and agile environments and ability to assess their quality.

• Pragmatic decision-making skills balancing strategic goals with cost and timeline constraints, and the ability to build consensus.

• Influencing skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders, with adaptable communication styles.

• Impact evaluation skills across a complete value chain.

• Ability to simplify and standardise architecture.

• Curiosity, self-starting attitude, diplomacy, and networking skills.

Desirable skills / Competencies

• Familiarity with Oracle Retail Merchandising Suite modules and Trust’s Store Inventory Management.

• Understanding of current techniques and tooling such as Domain driven design, Microservices, API-first design, Cloud Native, CI/CD, Containerisation, PaaS on GCP or AWS, Event streaming, data lakes, etc.

Additional Information

• Application involves CV upload and questions; prepare questions in Google Docs before applying.

• Internal applicants can view the job outline at https://bit.ly/SA-DL.

• Vacancies may close early due to high volume of applications; apply promptly.

#LI-HEADOFFICE #LI-Hybrid #LI-LS1

Closing Date: July 3, 2025

Pay: £59,500 - £115,000 annually

Contract Type: Temporary

Hours of Work: 35

Job Level: Partnership Level 6

Location: Bracknell Campus, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA

We’re the largest employee-owned business in the UK, home to John Lewis and Waitrose, committed to building a happier world. Join us to innovate, adapt, and thrive, embracing diversity and fostering a culture where everyone can thrive.

Note: Some roles require pre-employment vetting, including DBS checks and financial probity checks. Flexible working arrangements are supported; discuss options with the hiring manager.