Principal Solutions Architect

We are looking for a Principal Solutions Architect to serve as a technical lighthouse for our engineering organization. In this role, you will help set the technical vision and principles that guide our most ambitious projects.

Success in this role is built on a foundation of partnership. You will be a technical enabler, working closely with engineering teams to build foundational guardrails and guide them through complex technical conflicts.

You will also collaborate deeply with Product Management and our Business Development colleagues to ensure our technology serves the business problem through a product-minded approach. By bridging the gap between high-level business strategy and technical execution, you will influence the overall direction of the company and help bring big ideas to life.

What will you be responsible for?

• Architectural Steering: Accountable for setting the technical vision and steering the codebase toward future health and scalability.
• Collaborative Leadership: Leading complex projects by example, setting communication standards, and acting as a technical enabler across the organization.
• Technical Governance: Serving as a final decision-maker on cross-cutting architectural decisions and using your proximity to the code to resolve complex conflicts.
• ML Computational Strategy: Developing strategies for heavy ML computation, including optimizing distributed processes, performance, and cost.
• Active Mentorship: Helping others grow through technical pairing and code-level guidance to help senior engineers assume ownership of critical domains. Production Excellence: Mastery of building and maintaining secure, production-grade software while leveraging observability to drive data-driven changes.

• Commercial SaaS Expertise: Extensive, proven experience building and scaling large-scale, cloud-based commercial SaaS platforms where technology is a direct driver of business value.
• Product-Minded Engineering: A deep understanding of how to apply a product-focused lens to technical decisions, ensuring SaaS solutions solve real-world commercial problems.
• Professional Background: Minimum 5 years (ideally 10+) of software development in a commercial environment, with significant experience in cloud-native SaaS architectures.
• Cloud & Infrastructure: High proficiency with Kubernetes and GCP or AWS within a production SaaS context.
• Problem Solving: A proven track record of tackling unique, difficult problems that require deep-level code intervention.
• Self-Direction: The ability to navigate the bigger picture and identify the most impactful methods for success.

Desirable

• ML Frameworks: Familiarity with TensorFlow or other frameworks to support Machine Learning Engineering.
• DevOps Tools: Practical experience with Docker, Terraform, and Jenkins to streamline deployment.
• Automotive Domain Expertise: Experience with simulation development or software applications for automotive testing and calibration.

Our Technical Stack

We prioritize fundamental engineering principles and architectural intuition over specific tool familiarity. Our current environment includes:

• Core: Python (Backend) and TypeScript/React (Frontend).
• Infrastructure: GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions.
• Data & Storage: PostgreSQL and Google Cloud Storage (GCS).
• Observability: ELK Stack, Prometheus, and Grafana.

We offer a working environment that is inclusive, stimulates innovation and continuous learning, and that thrives on growth and change.

Our culture is underpinned by our values; they are what we stand for, part of our DNA. They help us to attract and retain the right talent and customers, help us make the right decisions and clarify how we should all behave and treat one another, they are:

• Delight every customer (Customers)
• No bar too high (Excellence)
• Give more than take (Sustainability)
• Make the impossible, possible (Innovation)
• Celebrate differences, act as one (Inclusion)

We also offer a number of benefits including:

• Competitive salary - reviewed annually
• 25 days annual leave, plus statutory bank holidays
• TGIF: The last Friday of every month is a half day for our employees
• Enhanced family leave policies
• Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme
• Life Assurance of 4x salary
• Private Medical Insurance
• Eyecare Policy
• Dental Cash Plan
• Stock Options (where applicable)
• Free 24 hour access on-site gym
• Discount Shopping & Wellbeing Platform
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Values Award Scheme
• Cambridge Botanic Garden membership
• Social events, game nights and sports groups

Secondmind builds data-efficient engineering AI software that helps teams make better design and performance optimisation decisions faster. Our product reduces simulation and testing requirements without compromising quality, accelerating development and enabling more sustainable. Our positive working culture is founded on a collaborative environment that encourages teamwork and innovation. We foster open communication and cross-functional collaboration, enabling diverse teams to work together to solve complex challenges. Our flexible workplace plan ensures a healthy work-life balance, accommodating various working styles and personal needs, whether through remote work options or adaptable schedules. We also prioritize personal and professional growth by offering development opportunities, including training and mentorship. This nurturing environment empowers our employees to thrive, continuously learn, and contribute meaningfully to our mission of advancing system design and calibration with our data-efficient machine learning solutions. Founded in 2016 and supported by investors such as Mazda Motor Corporation, Amadeus Capital, Atlantic Bridge and Cambridge Innovation Capital, Secondmind was recently recognized with the Automotive Testing Technology International 'Alternative Powertrain Test Innovation of the Year Award 2024'; selected for the Tech Nation Future Fifty scale-up program, and named by Bloomberg as one of the UK's 25 Startups to Watch 2024.