Solution Architect

Solution Architect – Salary £65,000–£70,000 plus benefits. Permanent full‑time (35 hours per week).

Location:

Wimbledon (flexible and hybrid working).

About CIPD – We’ve championed better work and working lives for over 100 years. We help organisations thrive by focusing on their people, supporting our economies and societies. CIPD is the leading professional body for HR, L&D, OD and all people professionals – experts in people, work and change. With over 160,000 members globally, we give trusted advice, independent thought leadership and a wide range of professional development opportunities.

We offer an inclusive and stimulating culture and a commitment to wellbeing, including a cashback health scheme.

Benefits – 28 days’ holiday (option to buy/sell days), personal development allowance, award‑winning pension scheme, wellbeing commitment.

As a Solution Architect you will lead the definition, governance and end‑to‑end design of CIPD’s digital architecture. You will direct technical designs, ensure all solutions align to enterprise architecture principles, long‑term strategy and organisational technology goals.

• Lead definition and governance of the core architectural building blocks underpinning CIPD’s digital landscape.
• Set and maintain architectural standards, patterns and guardrails across digital and technology delivery.
• Act as the solution authority for major programmes, guiding evaluation and selection of technology approaches.
• Design end‑to‑end solutions that address functional and non‑functional requirements, ensuring scalability, security and longevity.
• Ensure architectural decisions translate into executable programme delivery and remain aligned to long‑term strategy.
• Provide authoritative technical direction throughout the project lifecycle to unblock progress and reduce risk.
• Balance immediate delivery priorities with long‑term architectural strategic vision.
• Lead architectural estimating, technical risk assessment and GAP analysis.
• Support data architecture.
• Define and deliver proofs of concept to validate architectural choices.
• Oversee successful delivery of integrated, resilient digital solutions across the organisation.

• Extensive experience designing complex, distributed architectures.
• Expert knowledge of APIs, SaaS, iPaaS, cloud environments, IAM, integrations and security models.
• Ability to lead architectural governance and influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong experience translating strategic objectives into architectural roadmaps.
• Skilled in Agile delivery, modelling tools and Dev Ops‑aligned approaches.
• Attend and participate in requirements sessions with business stakeholders and vendor‑led workshops.
• Good verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain digital concepts and technologies for senior leaders and key stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders and across organisational boundaries to achieve results through Agile Methodology, Modelling Tools (Bizzdesign), Continuous Integration and Dev Ops.

We are determined to ensuring employment policy and practice promote and deliver EDI at every stage of the employment relationship. By embracing our differences and creating equal opportunities and inclusive cultures we can build environments where everyone feels respected, valued and able to thrive.

If this role describes you and your career aspirations, click apply.