Technical Architect

Job Description We're looking for a hands-on Technical Architect to join our Sage HR organisation and play a key role in shaping the technical direction of one of Sage's most strategic growth products. Sage HR sits at the centre of our HR and payroll ecosystem, already supporting over 4 million employees globally and continuing to scale rapidly as we invest in its future.

This role is deeply embedded with our engineering teams - working alongside product managers, engineers, and technical leaders to define architectural direction, establish patterns, and guide teams. You'll act as a technical authority, coach, and consultant: setting direction where needed, rolling up your sleeves to solve complex problems, and helping teams navigate scale, technical debt, and an increasingly service- and event-driven architecture.

*** Please note: This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in our Newcastle office *** Key Responsibilities In this role you'll:

• Act as the architectural authority for Sage HR, defining and evolving the technical architecture as the product continues to scale from a high-growth platform into an enterprise-grade solution.
• Work closely with engineering teams, product managers, and engineering leaders to translate product strategy and commercial priorities into clear architectural direction, patterns, and technical approaches.
• Provide hands-on architectural leadership, staying close to delivery by guiding teams through complex technical decisions, problem-solving alongside engineers, and shaping solutions as work progresses.
• Establish and embed architectural standards, patterns, and best practices (including service-based and event-driven architectures) to address scale, integration, and long-term maintainability.
• Coach and mentor engineers, helping raise technical maturity and architectural capability across teams - particularly in a context with varying seniority and a high proportion of contingent labour.
• Lead architectural thinking around integrations and platform connectivity, working across HR and payroll products and supporting an increasingly API- and event-driven ecosystem.
• Tackle technical debt and legacy challenges, guiding the evolution of existing systems towards more modern, scalable architectures.
• Partner closely with other architects and senior technical leaders across Sage to ensure local decisions align with wider organisational standards while remaining pragmatic and delivery-focused.
• Champion modern engineering practices and AI-assisted development approaches, helping teams adopt and use tools such as GitHub Copilot and similar technologies where appropriate

• Significant experience working as a Technical Architect or Senior Engineering Leader within product-led software teams, with a strong focus on architecture that supports real delivery.
• Deep hands-on technical expertise with Ruby on Rails and strong experience designing and operating systems on AWS (experience with Azure transferable).
• Proven experience designing and evolving service-based and/or event-driven architectures, including APIs and integrations between complex systems.
• Strong background in scaling software products, including refactoring existing codebases, evolving monolithic systems, and supporting vertical or horizontal growth.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance architectural direction and pragmatic delivery.
• Experience working closely with engineering teams as a coach and consultant, not just a reviewer - able to guide, challenge, and, when needed, roll up sleeves and contribute directly.
• Strong communication skills, with the confidence to defend architectural decisions, influence senior stakeholders, and work collaboratively across disciplines.

Nice to Have

• Experience working on HR, payroll, or compliance-sensitive products (not essential).
• Exposure to AI-assisted development tooling (e.g. GitHub Copilot, Claude Code) and interest in applying AI to improve engineering productivity and quality.
• Familiarity with multiple database technologies (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server) and data-centric architectural challenges.
• Experience working in distributed or hybrid teams and navigating complex organisational environments.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCMtTYUUiuU

• Generous bonuses and pension scheme: Up to 8% matched pension contribution plus 2% top-up by Sage.
• 25 days of paid annual leave with the option to buy up to another 5 days.
• 8 bank holiday days.
• Paid 5 days yearly to volunteer through our Sage Foundation.
• 50% income protection.
• Holiday buy + sell.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Work away scheme for up to 10 weeks a year.
• Ongoing training and professional development.
• Hybrid working.
• Healthy Mind app membership
• Access to various helpful memberships for finances, health and wellbeing., Advert Working at Sage means you're supporting millions of small and medium sized businesses globally with technology to work faster and smarter. We leverage the future of AI, meaning business owners spend less time doing routine tasks, like entering invoices and generating reports, and more time pursuing their ambitions.

Our colleagues are the best of the best. It's why we were awarded 2024 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor. Because to achieve extraordinary outcomes, we need extraordinary teams. This means infusing Sage with people who knock down barriers, continuously innovate, and want to experience their potential. Learn more about working at Sage: sage.com/en-gb/company/careers/working-at-sage/ Watch a video about our culture: youtube.com/watch?v=qIoiCpZH-QE

We celebrate individuality and welcome you to join us if you embrace all backgrounds, identities, beliefs, and ways of working. If you need support applying, reach out at careers@sage.com. Learn more about DEI at Sage: sage.com/en-gb/company/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/ Powered by Sage People Recruit