Software Architect

Overview: As a Software Architect in the IP Development team, you will help shape and guide solution architecture across software delivery, ensuring designs are scalable, secure, and aligned with product goals and engineering standards. You will work collaboratively with Principal Developers, Lead Developers, DevOps Engineers, and Engineering Managers to influence architectural direction while supporting teams to deliver high-quality, maintainable software. You will partner closely with Product Managers, UX Designers, and Business Analysts to translate complex requirements into clear technical designs, providing architectural input early and supporting teams through delivery. The role focuses on strengthening architectural capability across the team, balancing pragmatism with long-term platform health rather than acting as a single decision-maker or gatekeeper. Responsibilities:

• Shape and contribute to solution architecture for internally developed platforms, services, and integrations across cloud, hybrid, and on-premise environments
• Collaborate with engineering and DevOps teams to guide architectural decisions and align approaches across squads
• Define and evolve architectural principles, patterns, and reference designs in partnership with engineering teams
• Partner with Product Managers, Business Analysts, and UX Designers to translate product requirements into clear technical designs
• Provide architectural input early and support teams through delivery, ensuring designs translate into working software
• Balance short-term delivery needs with long-term platform health, surfacing trade-offs and risks rather than acting as a gatekeeper
• Promote modern engineering practices including APIs, containerisation, automation, CI/CD, and cloud-native approaches
• Contribute to pragmatic architectural governance covering security, performance, resilience, and operational constraints
• Review solution designs collaboratively, offering guidance, challenge, and support
• Stay up to date with relevant technologies and architectural practices, contributing to shared standards and continuous improvement

• Strong experience in a software development environment, working as a Solutions Architect, Technical Architect, Senior Engineer, or similar
• Solid understanding of modern application architecture, including APIs, containerisation, and cloud, hybrid, and on-premise deployment models
• Experience designing or supporting solutions on AWS and/or Azure, including container-based deployments
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with engineering and DevOps teams across the delivery lifecycle
• Ability to influence technical direction through collaboration rather than authority
• Comfortable working in environments with ambiguity, evolving requirements, and competing priorities
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience designing for security, performance, scalability, reliability, and operational constraints
• Hands-on background in software or platform engineering
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and DevOps practices
• Experience working in cross-functional product teams
• Exposure to AI-enabled features or AI-assisted development tools