Solutions Architect

Aurora Energy Research Limited; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Parental Support

Salary-Exchange Pension

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Local Oxford Discounts

Cycle‑to‑work Scheme

Flu Jabs

Job summary

Aurora Energy Research Limited in Oxford is seeking a hands-on Solutions Architect to shape and govern our enterprise systems landscape. You will lead architecture for tier 1 programmes, guiding delivery, data governance and system integration.

You will be a technical liaison with internal teams and partners, championing best practices and scalable, secure solutions in a dynamic, data-heavy business environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Solutions Architect across multiple domains and delivery streams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication.
• Hands-on in delivery while guiding engineering teams.
• Experience governing 3rd party partners and ensuring architectural alignment.
• Knowledge of target-state architectures and roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Lead as the Solutions Architect for one or more strategic programmes focused on tier 1 systems.
• Champion enterprise architecture principles and governance.
• Act as technical liaison for 3rd party partners and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure solutions are embedded into operations through engineering functions.
• Define data flows, master data ownership, and integration boundaries.
• Ensure governance and security align with Aurora standards.
• Provide architectural input to stakeholder requirements and deliver scalable solutions.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Hands-on architecture

Microsoft 365 ecosystem

AI mindset

Enterprise Architecture

3rd party governance

Event-driven integration

Cloud/SaaS architectures

Tools

Microsoft 365

Dynamics 365 F&O

Salesforce

SharePoint

SAP SuccessFactors

Microsoft Azure

Job description

Solutions Architect

Department: Internal Technology

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Oxford, UK

Description

We are looking for a passionate, hands‑on Solutions Architect to join our growing technology function. Based in Oxford, you will be working in an architectural capacity on projects and ongoing maintenance of our enterprise systems landscape (including Microsoft Dynamics F&O, Salesforce, SharePoint, Microsoft 365, SAP Success Factors).

You will be part of the architecture function and liaise with internal teams and third parties to ensure systems integrate effectively, and input to processes and practices to ensure they are scalable, secure and robust. We are undertaking several strategic business programmes currently to refine/change our tier 1 systems, in your role you will be aligned to at least 1 of these strategic programmes with overall architectural responsibility, escalating where required, to the Head of Architecture and Engineering, or the Head of Internal Technology.

The successful applicant will have a passion for solving business problems with technology and combine exceptional technical capabilities with great communication skills and understanding of how the business operates.

The successful candidate will work in a creative, intellectually stimulating environment. You will enjoy autonomy, and the opportunity to have a significant impact on Aurora’s digital strategy, ensuring that our enterprise systems are highly effective and meet the needs of this very fast growing, data heavy business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead as the Solutions Architect for at least 1 of the strategic business programmes focused on our tier 1 systems (Microsoft Dynamics F&O, Salesforce, SharePoint, Microsoft 365, SAP Success Factors)
• Champion enterprise architecture principles and governance whilst being hands‑on in delivery where required
• Be a confident technical liaison for 3rd party partners and internal stakeholders
• Ensure solutions are embedded through the engineering functions into operational readiness
• Make key decisions on how systems integrate, where and how data is mastered and how data flows between the systems, ensuring both the velocity and stability required.
• Assure configuration, workflows and automation aligns with technology best practice and architectural standards within Aurora
• Ensure effective governance and integrity of system boundaries; be aware of and mitigate the risk of boundary creep
• Contribute to policies and practices to ensure our enterprise systems remain scalable, secure, and robust and that third‑party software across the business is appropriately managed.
• Be a key resource for our Systems Managers (business partners with Aurora departments), providing architectural input to stakeholder requirements, guiding senior stakeholders as required, identifying and delivering scalable solutions.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Required attributes:

• Proven experience operating as a Solutions Architect across multiple domains, delivery workstreams, and technologies, with demonstrable impact through business solutions, roadmaps, standards, governance, and implementation.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication: can influence at exec level, simplify complex trade‑offs, and align diverse teams behind common patterns and outcomes.
• Strong technical first principles, confidence and willingness to remain hands‑on in solution delivery where appropriate, and an enthusiasm for empowering engineering teams to deliver solutions you design.
• Demonstrable experience working with and governing 3rd Party partners, holding them to account and ensuring delivery and architectural alignment
• Track record defining and executing target‑state architectures and transition roadmaps (incremental, time to value‑led, dependency‑aware).
• Demonstrable experience architecting solutions within a Microsoft 365 ecosystem, with a wider, cloud native, SaaS application estate.
• Experience with event driven integration design patterns, that deliver observability, resilience, and operational effectiveness.
• An AI first mindset. Enthusiastic about the opportunities to improve process, day‑to‑day productivity, and innovate by embedding the power of AI.
• An understanding of Enterprise Architecture principles (business/ data/ application/ technology).

Desirable attributes:

• Practical, recent experience, leveraging enterprise AI such as Microsoft Copilot Cowork, or Claude to deliver business solutions.
• Hands‑on experience implementing architecture governance: principles, standards, architecture reviews, exception management and decision records.
• Experience with any of our tier 1 systems:
  • Dynamics 365 F&O
  • Salesforce (including Revenue Cloud)
  • SAP SuccessFactors
  • Microsoft Azure
• TOGAF certification or equivalent applied EA practice; establishing repositories/tooling, platform guardrails, and measurable architecture outcomes (reuse, risk reduction, simplification)

What we offer

• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Parental Support
• Salary-Exchange Pension
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Local Oxford Discounts
• Cycle‑to‑work Scheme
• Flu Jabs

At AER, we are committed to offering flexibility in the way we work. Most of our roles are hybrid with a mix of in‑office/home working and potentially adjustable working hours. Let’s discuss what works for you and AER during the interview process.

The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity.