Solution Architect

Leonardo UK Ltd; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace and defense company in the UK is seeking motivated Junior Solution Architects to join their growing team. This role involves designing integrated solutions for complex challenges with a focus on collaboration and technical leadership. Candidates must be UK Nationals with Security Clearance and will work in a hybrid environment, ensuring seamless stakeholder engagement and innovative solution architecture.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package

Generous leave and flexi-days

Award-winning pension scheme

Access to mental health support

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Candidate must be a sole UK National with SC clearance.
• Experience with client/server solutions and network solutions.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills necessary.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate within a diverse Solution Architecture community.
• Assess and define clear requirements for solutions.
• Provide technical oversight and problem-solving support.

Skills

Systems infrastructure engineering

Architecture design

Excellent documentation skills

Requirements analysis

Knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server

Tools

ITIL based Service Management

Virtualisation solutions

Job description

Job Description:

As the Cyber and Security Division continues to grow and evolve, we are expanding our Solution Architect team and seeking motivated Junior Solution Architects to join us.

In this role, you will take a holistic, “bird’s-eye” view of complex challenges—ensuring that all systems, components, and stakeholders work seamlessly together to meet both functional and non-functional requirements. Working under the guidance of experienced Solution Architects, you will be accountable for designing integrated solutions that fit together perfectly, minimising confusion, and fostering a culture of peer review and collaboration.

You will quickly immerse yourself in Leonardo’s culture and the unique requirements of our key customers, including government and UK MOD environments. Your architecture skills will be applied to new systems integration projects as well as enhancements to existing systems.

Success in this role requires strong teamwork and communication skills, balanced with the confidence and discipline to take individual responsibility and deliver results independently.

Work locations will vary depending on project needs.

Your Impact:

You will collaborate within a diverse, skilled Solution Architecture community and Integrated Project Team (IPT), providing technical leadership and oversight across all technical aspects of the team, including:

• Interpreting customers’ business objectives, concerns, statements of work, and target markets to define clear requirements and success criteria for solutions. You will break down EPICs into stories and facilitate the Agile approach to deliver effective solutions.
• Assessing current and desired states of systems and environments with an open and inclusive mindset, considering diverse stakeholder needs.
• Understanding contextual factors, constraints, and perspectives from a variety of stakeholders—including business, users, and operations—to define comprehensive use cases.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of IT, security, emerging technologies, supplier offerings, and internal capabilities to construct innovative and accessible solutions.
• Applying broad technical expertise and creative problem-solving to define, evaluate alternatives, and communicate solution architectures that meet functional and non-functional requirements while integrating effectively within their environments.
• Supporting project, programme, and service managers in developing and delivering transformation and operational plans that implement solution architectures and services, while proactively identifying and mitigating risks.
• Translating solutions into high-level designs for engineering teams to implement, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Providing technical oversight, guidance, and problem-solving support to operational and delivery teams to maintain high-quality outcomes and resolve challenges related to implementation, integration, and maintenance.

Responsibilities include maintaining up-to-date technical knowledge by:

• Staying informed on evolving technologies to support effective technology and solution selection.
• Keeping current with available qualifications and certifications related to technologies used across all systems.
• Staying abreast of relevant industry standards, policies, methodologies, and frameworks.
• Understanding and applying customer-preferred or mandated standards, policies, methodologies, and frameworks.
• Balancing design principles and characteristics drawn from client needs and internal best practices, tailored to the requirements of specific contracts.

What you'll bring:

• The role requires the candidate to be a sole UK National with SC clearance and who is willing to gain higher clearance levels
• Systems infrastructure engineering and architecture design including network solutions, storage solutions, virtualisation solutions, client/server solutions, Windows and Red Hat operating systems, and high availability solutions.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server and Group Policy; Security Enforcing technologies and secure gateway solutions providing interconnectivity to external ‘untrusted’ networks.
• Knowledge of ITIL based Service Management technology and processes
• Requirements analysis and solution design experience.
• Experience of the complete systems development lifecycle from requirements/design through to operation/maintenance including transition, migration and disposal.
• Excellent documentation skills including initial development/production.

Additional Information

This is an office-based role using a variety of equipment, including display screen equipment and working full time hours, which can often be in a demanding environment. Travel will be required in mainland UK.

The position will require travel to Leonardo Office or Customer locations as required.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

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Primary Location:

GB - Bristol - Coldharbour Lane

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid