Solution Architect - Media Systems

The Guardian; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 30 days + 5 days purchase

Pension scheme (employer contribution

Volunteer days

Season ticket loans

Life cover & income protection

Eye tests

Dental insurance

Enhanced parental leave

Diversity and inclusion policies

Job summary

The Guardian is seeking a Solution Architect for Media Systems to lead the evolution of our multimedia technology estate. You will shape architecture for media asset management, storage, editing and delivery, aligning platforms with business and technology strategy.

You will collaborate with business, technology and supplier teams, set standards, assess new tools, and guide delivery projects while ensuring security and interoperability across platforms.

Qualifications

• Experience design for multimedia/ broadcast environments.
• Strong understanding of ingest, editing, asset management, storage, delivery workflows.
• Experience evaluating platforms, producing high/low level designs, and integration planning.
• Knowledge of integration, APIs, automation, metadata, access, interoperability; vendor collaboration.
• Experience with cloud, hybrid and on-prem storage environments.
• Excellent communication with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain architecture for multimedia technology estate including core platforms and workflows.
• Set standards, design principles, and roadmaps for scalable, secure platforms.
• Ensure designs meet performance, resilience, DR, and operational requirements.
• Lead technical assessment of new multimedia tools and platforms before adoption.
• Provide architectural guidance to delivery teams during projects and migrations.
• Define security architecture, data access, authorization models, and compliance.
• Collaborate with business, tech and vendors to translate requirements into practical solutions.

Skills

Multimedia architecture

Media workflows

Platform evaluation

APIs & integration

Cloud storage

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Join our team at the Guardian and be a part of a diverse and inclusive global organisation that delivers fearless, investigative journalism, and holds power to account. Our team of award-winning journalists, cutting-edge commercial professionals, and industry-leading digital experts are committed to making a difference and represent a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. We offer a challenging and exciting environment for career development, with a focus on training, growth and fostering an inclusive culture.

We are now looking for a Solution Architect - Media Systems to join our Group Technology & Data team.

The Multimedia Architect role is crucial for defining and evolving the organisation's entire multimedia technology estate, including media asset management, storage, editing, and content delivery systems, ensuring that all platforms and workflows are integrated, scalable, and secure, directly aligning them with the overarching business and technology strategy. The Architect achieves this by setting technical standards, defining the roadmap for sustainable platform development, leading the technical assessment of new tools, and providing technical leadership and subject matter expertise across internal teams and external suppliers.

About the role

• Define and maintain the architecture for the multimedia technology estate, covering core platforms, workflows, integrations, and supporting infrastructure
• Set technical standards, design principles, and roadmaps to ensure platforms are scalable, secure, maintainable, and aligned with business needs
• Ensure platform designs meet key functional and non-functional requirements, including performance, resilience, disaster recovery, and operational stability
• Lead the technical assessment of new multimedia tools and platforms before acquisition
• Support delivery teams with architectural guidance during projects, upgrades, migrations, and complex technical change
• Define the security architecture, including data access, authorisation models, and compliance requirements, ensuring all multimedia platforms meet organisational security policies
• Work closely with business, technology, and vendor teams to translate requirements into practical technical solutions

About you

• Experience in architecture design within a multimedia, media, broadcast, publishing, or creative technology environment
• Strong understanding of multimedia workflows across ingest, editing, collaboration, asset management, storage, archive, and delivery
• Experience evaluating new platforms, producing HLDs and LLDs, and defining how solutions integrate into an existing estate
• Strong knowledge of integration, APIs, automation, metadata, access, and interoperability, with the ability to support practical implementationExperience working with vendors and supporting technology selection
• Experience of cloud, hybrid, and on-premise storage environments
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage and inform with specialist and non-specialist stakeholders

We actively encourage applications from groups traditionally underrepresented in the UK media

We operate in a hybrid environment working 3 days a week from our offices in Kings Cross and 2 days a week remotely.

We value and respect all differences (seen and unseen) in all people. We aspire to have inclusive working experiences and an environment that reflects the audience we serve, where our people have equal access to career development opportunities, their voices are heard and can contribute to our future. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Many of our staff work flexibly and we will consider all requests for flexible working arrangements.

All roles at the Guardian are open for everybody to apply. It is important to us that you feel supported and comfortable throughout your recruitment process, in order to perform your best.

Benefits at the Guardian

• You will have 30 days of annual leave per year (plus bank holidays) with the option to purchase an additional 5 days.
• Our pension scheme is generous; if you contribute 5% then we will contribute 8-12% (depending on your age).
• Employees are given 2 volunteering days annually and the option of payroll giving.
• Season ticket loans are also available.
• You are entitled to life cover, income protection, and eye tests.
• You can also opt in to dental insurance.
• We have enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave policies in place.
• We also support our employees by offering an IVF, menopause, baby loss, and trans equality policy.

Culture and wellbeing

We want everyone to feel like they belong at the Guardian and we champion diversity of thought. Our various employee forums provide a platform to use their voice to foster an inclusive workplace. We became the first major media organisation to achieve B Corp status.

We offer tools to help you prioritise your wellbeing including access to our employee benefits platform which provides tailored support for health and wellbeing. In addition, we also offer free yoga and pilates classes. These run alongside our corporate gym membership and cycle to work scheme.

Our canteen has views overlooking the Regents Canal and caters for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Learning and development

We encourage personal and professional growth. Employees have access to a broad range of tools and solutions, and we are happy to support the pursuit of professional qualifications through vocational courses and apprenticeships.

Guardian News and Media is proud to be a London Living wage employer. The minimum salary for any full-time role within the organisation is £30,000 per annum. Salary ranges are dependent on skills and experience