Solutions Architect (Contract, Outside IR35)

Hedgehog Lab; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 100,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

Hedgehog Lab is seeking a solutions architect to design the systems behind client projects and act as the technical voice in client discussions. You will work with delivery and product teams, guiding engineers and building proofs of concept to validate ideas early.

Ideal candidates will have experience designing production cloud architectures (preferably AWS), working directly with clients, and explaining complex decisions to non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Designed systems on commercial projects, as a solutions architect or similar.
• Designed cloud architecture for production systems, ideally on AWS.
• Worked directly with clients to agree what gets built.
• Able to explain technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Designing systems and cloud architecture for client projects.
• Working with clients to understand needs and shape the technical approach.
• Guiding engineering teams on how to implement the design.
• Building proofs of concept to test ideas early.
• Reviewing technical decisions on live projects, including security.
• Helping estimate new work.

Skills

Client-facing communication

Cloud architecture

System design

AWS

Tools

AWS

Job description

Design how it's built, and help clients get there

You’ll design the systems behind our client projects and be the technical voice in the room when clients are working out what they need.

What's in it for you

You’ll work with clients from the early conversations, alongside delivery and product.

You’ll work alongside engineers who build with AI agents every day.

Who you’ll be doing it for

hedgehog lab is a digital product consultancy with 20 years behind us. We build apps, websites and AI platforms for public and private sector clients in health tech, retail and financial services.

Our project teams are 5 to 15 people, made up of agentic engineers, software engineers, QA and designers.

We’re around 100 people across the UK and Europe, about a quarter of them contractors.

What you’ll be doing

• Designing systems and cloud architecture for client projects
• Working with clients to understand what they need and shaping the technical approach
• Guiding engineering teams on how to build what you’ve designed
• Building proofs of concept to test ideas early
• Reviewing technical decisions on live projects, including security
• Helping estimate new work

Experience you’ll need

• You’ve designed systems on commercial projects, as a solutions architect or under another job title
• You’ve designed cloud architecture for systems running in production, ideally on AWS
• You’ve worked directly with clients to agree what gets built
• You can explain technical decisions to people who aren’t technical, such as client stakeholders and product owners

Experience that would help, but isn’t essential

• You’ve written production code in TypeScript, Python or Node
• You’ve run technical reviews across more than one team
• You’ve worked on a large replatforming or data migration
• You’ve worked in a consultancy or agency
• You’ve been involved in pre- and post-sales work, such as scoping new projects and supporting delivery once they’re signed
• You’ve built with AI agents

Contract details

Outside IR35.

Start within a week, for three months.

Remote first, with potentially some time on client sites for workshops and key meetings on an ad-hoc basis.