Solution Architect Team Lead

The solutions architect provides the necessary leadership, analysis and design tasks related to supporting the development of technology solutions to ensure that solutions meet business needs and align with architectural governance and standards.

You'll be responsible for the delivery of the high-level architectures and solution designs across current and new systems. You'll establish strong relationships with stakeholders by inspiring confidence in the delivery of a portfolio of business-focused projects and initiatives.

What you'll be doing as a Solution Architect Team Lead

• Understand the problem space: delivery of solution architectures and designs through their full lifecycle
• Maintaining alignment with IT/industry standards and company strategy
• Liaison with project stakeholders to understand/improve requirements and specification of a solution design, in appropriate modelling languages, in particular ArchiMate.
• Interface with domain and platform architects to ensure conformance with principles and guardrails
• Facilitate the evaluation and selection of solution options, software product standards and services, as well as the design of standard and custom software configurations
• Supports product managers in product decisions to maintain, refresh or retire services, or systems, including applications, technologies, processes, and information
• Use your experience on projects to suggest, and in some cases implement, changes to our modelling environment to better support the needs of our various stakeholders; this may require an amount of software engineering

Necessary requirements for the role - Educated to degree level or equivalent in a STEM subject, * A degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent practical experience.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across cross-functional and technical teams.
• Proven track record of delivering complex solutions within both Waterfall and Agile delivery environments.
• Hands-on experience applying recognised enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g. TOGAF, ArchiMate) to design and govern solution architectures.
• Working knowledge of software development principles, with practical programming experience or strong technical literacy.

Extra qualities that would be a great fit for our team:

• Experience using enterprise architecture or modelling tools such as BiZZdesign, Sparx Enterprise Architect, LeanIX, CACI MooD, or Orbus.
• Exposure to business or technical process modelling and optimisation.
• Formal certification in an architecture framework (e.g. TOGAF, ArchiMate) or related professional accreditation.

• Competitive salary of up to £95,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• Car Allowance.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family's health and wellbeing, and your finances - from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

We're the UK's largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It's a big job and we've got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come. Learn more about our purpose and values Working at Thames Water Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you'll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits. If you're looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people's lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we'll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet. Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more. We're committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that's extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we're here to help and support. When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you'll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It's also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues. Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.