Solution Architect

Join Barclays as a Solution Architect, where you will play a key role in designing, developing, and implementing innovative solutions to complex business challenges. We are seeking someone who is passionate about automation, data engineering and AI. You will design and document intelligent solutions leveraging automation, cloud, and advanced analytics—including LLMs. You'll architect robust systems and create clear, actionable documentation for technical and non-technical audiences.

To Be Successful, You Should Have

• Proficiency in architecting solutions across disparate technologies to solve complex business challenges, while collaborating with various stakeholder groups and influencing their perspectives on technology-driven innovation.
• Practical experience with one or more SDLC methodologies with the ability to exhibit deep technical understanding conveyed through crisp solution design artefacts and walkthroughs.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical concepts (both written and verbal) to an extensive and varied set of stakeholders, anticipate objections, and effectively persuade others to adopt the most suitable approach — supported by excellent troubleshooting and analytical abilities.

Some Other Highly Valued Skills May Include

• Application, Infrastructure, or Enterprise Architecture training and certification, such as TOGAF.
• Extensive experience in system integration, API design, and API management, including architecting enterprise-wide, end-to-end solutions with a strong focus on cloud-based technologies — particularly AWS, though experience with Azure and Google Cloud is also beneficial.
• Experience in Financial Services or working in a highly regulated environment, particularly within the Cards & Payments domain, as well as familiarity with Scaled Agile frameworks.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

The role is based in Radbroke Hall, Knutsford or Manchester.

Purpose of the role
To design, develop, and implement solutions to complex business problems, collaborating with stakeholders to understand their needs and requirements, and design and implement solutions that meet those needs and create solutions that balance technology risks against business delivery, driving consistency.

Accountabilities

• Design and development of solutions as products that can evolve, meeting business requirements that align with modern software engineering practices and automated delivery tooling. This includes identification and implementation of the technologies and platforms.
• Targeted design activities that apply an appropriate workload placement strategy and maximise the benefit of cloud capabilities such as elasticity, serverless, containerisation etc.
• Best practice designs incorporating security principles (such as defence in depth and reduction of blast radius) that meet the Bank's resiliency expectations.
• Solutions that appropriately balance risks and controls to deliver the agreed business and technology value.
• Adoption of standardised solutions where they fit. If no standard solutions fit, feed into their ongoing evolution where appropriate.
• Fault finding and performance issues support to operational support teams, leveraging available tooling.
• Solution design impact assessment in terms of risk, capacity and cost impact, inc. estimation of project change and ongoing run costs.
• Development of the requisite architecture inputs required to comply with the banks governance processes, including design artefacts required for architecture, privacy, security and records management governance processes.

Assistant Vice President Expectations

• To advise and influence decision making, contribute to policy development and take responsibility for operational effectiveness. Collaborate closely with other functions/ business divisions.
• Lead a team performing complex tasks, using well developed professional knowledge and skills to deliver on work that impacts the whole business function. Set objectives and coach employees in pursuit of those objectives, appraisal of performance relative to objectives and determination of reward outcomes
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.
• OR for an individual contributor, they will lead collaborative assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will identify new directions for assignments and/ or projects, identifying a combination of cross functional methodologies or practices to meet required outcomes.
• Consult on complex issues; providing advice to People Leaders to support the resolution of escalated issues.
• Identify ways to mitigate risk and developing new policies/procedures in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Take ownership for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work done.
• Perform work that is closely related to that of other areas, which requires understanding of how areas coordinate and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the organisation sub-function.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategy.
• Engage in complex analysis of data from multiple sources of information, internal and external sources such as procedures and practises (in other areas, teams, companies, solve problems creatively and effectively.
• Communicate complex information. 'Complex' information could include sensitive information or information that is difficult to communicate because of its content or its audience.
• Influence or convince stakeholders to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.