Associate Solution Architect - #1590

Role Overview

We are seeking a motivated and technically grounded Associate Solution Architect to support the design and delivery of secure, scalable and maintainable technology solutions across applications, integration, cloud, data and AI-enabled initiatives. Working under the guidance of senior architects and technical leads, you will translate business requirements into viable technical designs, develop architecture artefacts, evaluate technology options and collaborate across project and engineering teams. This role is suitable for a software engineer, cloud engineer, integration specialist or technical consultant seeking to progress into solution architecture.

Core Responsibilities

· Support the design of end-to-end solution architectures for enterprise applications, platforms and integrations.

· Translate business, operational and non-functional requirements into practical technical designs and solution options.

· Develop and maintain architecture artefacts, including solution design documents, architecture decision records, context and component diagrams, data flows, sequence diagrams and integration specifications.

· Evaluate technologies, frameworks and design patterns based on security, scalability, reliability, maintainability, interoperability, operational complexity and cost.

· Identify assumptions, constraints, dependencies, technical risks and trade-offs, and present recommendations for review by senior architects.

· Assist in designing integration solutions using APIs, GraphQL, messaging, file transfer and event-driven architecture patterns.

· Support cloud solution designs and service selection across Microsoft Azure, AWS or Google Cloud Platform.

· Assess existing systems to identify architecture gaps, technical debt, lifecycle risks and modernisation opportunities.

· Support AI-enabled solution designs involving model APIs, retrieval-augmented generation, enterprise knowledge sources and agentic workflows.

· Contribute to proof-of-concept exercises and evaluate feasibility, security, output quality, reliability, supportability and estimated cost.

· Work with security, infrastructure, data and engineering teams to ensure solutions follow security-by-design, data-protection and operational standards.

· Participate in architecture and technical design reviews and help verify that implementation remains aligned with approved designs.

· Maintain relevant architecture repositories, system landscape information, reusable patterns and technical standards.

· Contribute to internal knowledge sharing and remain current with developments in application, integration, cloud, data and AI architecture.

Core Requirements

Technical Skills and Experience

· Three to five years of relevant experience in software development, cloud engineering, systems integration, platform engineering or technical consulting.

· Experience contributing to the design or delivery of at least one production application, platform, cloud solution or system integration.

· Proficiency in at least one programming language such as C#, Java, Python, JavaScript or TypeScript, with the ability to understand code-level design considerations.

· Understanding of software architecture principles, APIs, distributed systems, data flows and enterprise integration patterns.

· Working knowledge of at least one major cloud platform: Microsoft Azure, AWS or Google Cloud Platform.

· Exposure to microservices, containerisation, Docker, Kubernetes and DevOps practices.

· Ability to produce clear architecture diagrams, sequence flows, data models, decision records and technical specifications.

· Understanding of cybersecurity principles, including identity and access management, data protection, encryption and secure-by-design practices.

· Foundational knowledge of generative AI application concepts, including model APIs, prompts, embeddings, vector search, RAG, tool calling and AI agents.

· Awareness of AI risks such as hallucination, prompt injection, sensitive-data exposure, insecure tool access and excessive model consumption.

· Familiarity with architecture principles, quality attributes, trade-off analysis and architecture governance practices.

· Exposure to ITIL or service-management practices is advantageous.

Qualifications and Personal Attributes

· Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

· Relevant cloud, architecture or AI certifications are advantageous but not mandatory.

· Strong analytical thinking and the ability to decompose complex problems into structured technical solutions.

· Clear and concise communication, with the ability to explain technical concepts and trade-offs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

· Collaborative and comfortable working across business, engineering, security, infrastructure and vendor teams.

· Able to challenge requirements and technology choices constructively while remaining receptive to architecture review feedback.

· Intellectually curious, self-driven and committed to developing into a broader solution architecture role.

· Experience working in Agile or hybrid project delivery environments.

Advantageous Experience

· Exposure to managed AI services such as Azure AI Foundry/Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock or Google Vertex AI.

· Familiarity with AI orchestration frameworks such as Semantic Kernel, LangChain, LangGraph or LlamaIndex.

· Experience with API management, event streaming, CI/CD, infrastructure as code or architecture review forums.

· Familiarity with architecture methods or notations such as TOGAF, ArchiMate or cloud adoption frameworks.