Role Title: Lead Solution Architect - Infrastructure & EUC
We anticipate paying a salary from £66,240 - £86,940 DOE
Location: Derby, Manchester OR Warrington offices - Hybrid working flexibility
We are Rolls-Royce SMR and we’re doing something that’s never been done before. We’re revolutionising an industry. That’s a once-in-a-career opportunity for those excited by such a challenge. This is more than just a job; this is a legacy.
We are now recruiting for the exciting role of Lead Solution Architect - Infrastructure & EUC, to be involved in industry leading, cutting-edge design project for a new type of power station.
The Lead Solution Architect is a technical leadership role responsible for guiding, governing, and overseeing the design and development of technology solutions within a defined business Digital/IT delivery domain. This role ensures that individual solutions are strategically aligned, technically sound, and integrated within the broader solutions within that domain and with the wider enterprise architecture. This includes overseeing the end-to-end solution lifecycle, but with particular focus on initial concept architecture, requirements gathering and technology selection. They work closely with business stakeholders, enterprise architects and solution architects within the delivery team, to ensure that solutions are integrated, scalable, and aligned with strategic objectives and design principles.
Key Responsibilities:
- Solution Design Leadership - Provide architectural direction across multiple projects and technical areas, ensuring that solutions are robust, scalable, and aligned with business and IT strategy.
- Governance and Assurance - Act as the design authority within the domain, leading design reviews and ensuring adherence to architectural principles, integration standards, and security policies.
- Integration and Alignment - Ensure that all solutions integrate effectively with existing systems and platforms, and contribute to a cohesive and sustainable technology landscape.
- Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement - Work closely with business stakeholders, enterprise architects, and delivery teams to translate business requirements into effective solution designs.
- Mentoring and Capability Development - Support and mentor solution architects and technical leads, promoting best practices and architectural thinking across delivery teams.
- Domain Architecture Development - Define and maintain domain-specific reference architectures, patterns, and standards to guide consistent and high-quality solution delivery.
Rolls-Royce SMR’s Digital & Information Technology team use SFIA (Skills Framework for the Information Age), to define the key accountabilities for the roles within our team: SFIA 9 skills directory. The key SFIA competency areas and accountability levels for this role are stated below.
Key Results & What can be achieved in the role
Short-Term Goals (First 6 Months)
- Define Concept Architecture Approach - Create a clear and consistent method for shaping early-stage solution designs across the domain.
- Lead Discovery for Key Initiatives - Support early solution shaping by running discovery sessions and producing concept architectures for priority projects.
- Set Up Technology Selection Criteria - Develop a simple framework to help teams evaluate and choose technologies that align with enterprise standards.
Medium-Term Goals (6 to 18 Months)
- Build a Library of Concept Designs - Capture and share reusable concept architectures and patterns to guide future solution work.
- Support Business Case Development - Ensure early architecture input is included in business cases to improve planning and decision-making.
- Align Solutions Across Domains - Work with other Lead Solution Architects to make sure solutions integrate well and support the wider enterprise systems strategy.
Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job. But we'll let you in on a secret: there's no such thing as a 'perfect' candidate. If you feel you meet 75% of the requirements for this role, we would love to hear from you.
Also, if you are considering a career move or a sector-jump, please get in touch, we welcome applications from people with transferable skills.
Key Selection Criteria
ARCH Solution architecture – SFIA Level 6
- Oversees the development of architectures for complex solutions ensuring consistency with agreed requirements.
- Establishes policies, principles and practices for the selection of solution architecture components.
- Manages trade-offs and balances functional, service quality, cost efficiency and systems management requirements within a significant area of the organisation. Communicates proposed decisions to stakeholders.
- Coordinates and manages the target architecture across multiple projects or initiatives. Maintains a stable, viable architecture and ensures consistency of design and adherence to appropriate standards across multiple projects or initiatives
DESN - Systems design – SFIA Level 6
- Develops and drives adoption of and adherence to organisational policies, standards, guidelines and methods for system design.
- Champions the importance and value of system design principles and the selection of appropriate systems design lifecycle models.
- Leads system design activities for strategic, large and complex systems development programmes. Develops effective implementation strategies consistent with specified requirements, architectures and constraints of performance and feasibility.
- Develops system design requiring the introduction of new technologies or new uses for existing technologies.
SINT - Systems integration and build - Level 5
- Plans and drives activities to develop organisational systems integration and build capabilities including automation and continuous integration.
- Identifies, evaluates and manages the adoption of tools, techniques and processes to create a robust integration framework. Provides authoritative advice and guidance on any aspect of systems integration.
- Leads integration work in line with the agreed system and service design. Assesses risks and takes preventative action. Measures and monitors applications of standards.
- Contributes to the development of organisational policies, standards and guidelines for systems integration.
STPL Enterprise and business architecture – SFIA Level 5
- Develops models and plans to drive the execution of the business strategy, taking advantage of opportunities to improve business performance.
- Contributes to creating and reviewing a systems capability strategy which meets the business's strategic requirements.
- Creates and maintains roadmaps to guide the execution of business strategy and capability improvements.
- Determines requirements and specifies effective business processes, through improvements in technology, information or data practices, organisation, roles, procedures and equipment.
Other important SFIA Skills:
- Requirements definition and management REQM: Managing requirements through the entire delivery and operational lifecycle
- Data management DATM: Developing and implementing plans, policies and practices that control, protect and optimise the value and governance of data assets.
- Information systems coordination ISCO: Coordinating information and technology strategies where the adoption of a common approach would benefit the organisation.
- Data modelling and design DTAN: Developing models and diagrams to represent, communicate and manage data requirements and data assets.
- Emerging technology monitoring EMRG: Identifying and assessing new and emerging technologies, products, services, methods and techniques.
- Stakeholder relationship management RLMT: Systematically analysing, managing and influencing stakeholder relationships to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes through structured engagement.
We are Rolls-Royce SMR
Rolls-Royce SMR is a rare employer because it blends the world-class brand of Rolls Royce with an exciting start-up that has a hugely challenging mission. We’re doing work that contributes to the survival of the planet. Because of our mission, there’s a pace and energy that is palpable, and our leaders draw you in with their passion, energy, and determination.
We’re one of a handful of employers who can genuinely say we’re a strengths-based organisation – our people are here because of what makes them great, and our job is to help them make the best contribution of their careers doing work they love.
The start-up mentality coupled with our strengths-approach to people means there are opportunities to grow in ways and jobs you probably would be barred from doing in more traditional companies.
Each Rolls-Royce SMR power station will have the capacity to generate 470MW of low carbon energy, equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines and enough to power a million homes. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years, helping to support the roll out of renewable generation and overcome intermittency issues
Our Culture
At Rolls-Royce SMR, we are committed to ensuring that our teams reflect the communities we serve and that everyone can be themselves at work. We know that diverse teams are more innovative and get better results, and that our people can thrive and be more successful in truly inclusive cultures. Join us and help shape our culture. Find out more about our inclusion pledge.
Rolls-Royce SMR is a place where everyone can grow, so whatever background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day and help shape our culture.