Technical Solution Architect - 6 months, West Midlands - £550 day - Inside IR35

Technical Solution Architect - 6 months, West Midlands - £550 day - Inside IR35

We are seeking a highly experienced Technical Solution Architect specialising in Networks to design and deliver robust, secure, and scalable network architectures. This role focuses on industrial environments, supporting the convergence of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT), and driving Intelligent Process Automation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Design resilient, highly available LAN, WAN, and SD-WAN architectures tailored for industrial sites.
• Lead OT-IT convergence, integrating industrial control systems (ICS) with enterprise IT while maintaining strict security boundaries.
• Design and manage industrial Firewall solutions (eg, Palo Alto, Fortinet) and implement network segmentation strategies.
• Conduct technical analysis during project feasibility stages, contributing to business cases and supporting documentation.
• Troubleshoot network architectures, identifying improvements and optimisation opportunities.
• Provide recommendations to leverage existing IT network infrastructure and reduce operational costs.
• Develop network roadmaps, reference architectures, standards, and design patterns aligned with industry best practices.
• Communicate technical requirements, risks, constraints, and dependencies clearly to stakeholders.
• Produce high-level and low-level designs across integration, data, infrastructure, and security domains.

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Network Architect delivering secure, scalable designs across OT and IT environments.
• Strong expertise in SD-WAN and network tools such as Cisco DNA.
• Deep understanding of industrial systems including PLCs, DCS, and industrial protocols.
• Extensive experience with Cisco environments (Nexus switches, enterprise routers, LAN switches, CAT OS).
• Strong Firewall and security knowledge (Cisco ASA, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Checkpoint, VMware NSX).
• Experience with F5 BIG-IP load balancers.
• Solid understanding of network protocols (IPSEC, GRE, HTTP/HTTPS).
• Experience with authentication systems (SAML, SSO, LDAP, Active Directory).

Contract Details

• Location: West Midlands (with some travel required)
• Duration: 6 months
• Start: ASAP
• Rate: £550 per day (Inside IR35)

• Proven experience as a Network Architect delivering secure, scalable designs across OT and IT environments.
• Strong expertise in SD-WAN and network tools such as Cisco DNA.
• Deep understanding of industrial systems including PLCs, DCS, and industrial protocols.
• Extensive experience with Cisco environments (Nexus switches, enterprise routers, LAN switches, CAT OS).
• Strong Firewall and security knowledge (Cisco ASA, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Checkpoint, VMware NSX).
• Experience with F5 BIG-IP load balancers.
• Solid understanding of network protocols (IPSEC, GRE, HTTP/HTTPS).
• Experience with authentication systems (SAML, SSO, LDAP, Active Directory).