Solution Architect

About us

Our purpose is simple: to save lives at sea. 24 hours a day, every day, RNLI lifesavers are ready to launch to the rescue.

We are currently looking for a Solution Architect to join our Enterprise Architecture Practice. The role contributes to saving lives at sea by ensuring that information technology solutions and programmes across the organisation are suitably architected, designed and co-ordinated to deliver the RNLI’s core purpose through education, influence, supervision and rescue.

Your Role

As a Solution Architect, you will be tasked with the following:

• Produce and lead technical architecture solutions of complex systems in response to technology and business-led demand that considers the business, data, application and technology domains: This multi-domain approach extends across your role in the stages of requirements discovery and review, formulation of solution context, identification of solution alternatives and their assessment, technology selection, and subsequent ownership of detailed design and associated transition support into early life.
• Provides architectural management and rationalisation of the estate, managing risks and gaps, overlaps in capability, reducing cost and increasing value, informing development / investment etc.
• Maintains and manages knowledge of the overall technology estate; using appropriate tools to record and maintain information on the estate including purpose, development technology, integration requirements, support mode etc. working closely with service management and service delivery.
• Acts as a member of the design authority within our architectural governance processes.
• Responsible for identifying, comparing, and recommending solution options, performing high level options analyses, business capability impact analysis and developing conceptual architectures. 

About You

To be considered as the Solutions Architect you will need:

• To be a self-starter, curious and independent team player, able to effectively prioritise activities & requests.
• Strong background in solution architecture with experience of architectural frameworks (TOGAF), integration, middleware and cloud technologies
• Proven experience that includes working directly with cloud native and services, including serverless architectures, on one or more cloud platforms (AWS and/or Azure is preferable).
• Ability to identify architecture driven improvement opportunities to continually improve service quality and reduce costs.
• Experience in mentoring and leading others, and supporting the growth of high performing teams.
• Experience working in a product-centric environment or with human-centred design principles.
• Experience of large transformational projects with multi-year system migration planning

If you consider yourself to be someone who is a technology specialist, who has fantastic communication skills and is used to working with a mix of non-technical people and technical people, then please apply via the button shown.

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.