Solutions Architect

Solutions ArchitectLondon, England, United Kingdom · Hybrid · Full-time About Simple MachinesSimple Machines is a leading independent boutique technology firm with a global footprint across London, Poland, Sydney and New Zealand. We are a team of creative engineers and expert technologists working at the intersection of data, AI, data engineering and software engineering. We partner with enterprises, technology companies and governments to design and build bespoke data platforms, intelligent systems and high-impact software products that bring data to life. We engineer data to life™.The RoleWe're looking for an experienced Solutions Architect to join our London team. You'll design large-scale, data-intensive platforms and intelligent systems for ambitious enterprise clients, working on hard problems: real-time systems operating at significant scale, complex integration landscapes, and platforms where data and machine learning drive customer-facing outcomes.This is a hands-on architecture role embedded in an established delivery team. You'll own solution designs end-to-end: shaping how new capabilities are architected, producing clear design documentation, and working with engineers, product managers, and client stakeholders to carry those designs through to production.This is a client-facing role. You'll spend much of your time working inside the client's organisation, alongside their architects, governance functions, business owners, and third-party vendors as well as our own delivery team. That takes someone who can win trust quickly, build consensus across groups with competing priorities, and push back when it matters. What You'll Be DoingDesign solutions across large-scale enterprise platforms: APIs, integrations, data flows, and the supporting cloud infrastructureTranslate ambiguous business requirements into well-documented architectures that engineering teams can build fromPresent and defend designs with senior client stakeholders, including enterprise architects, programme leadership, and business ownersWork within client governance processes such as architecture review boards, security reviews, and integration standardsCollaborate day to day with engineers, data scientists, and product managers in an Agile delivery modelBalance strategic direction with pragmatic delivery, judging when to invest in long-term design and when to shipContribute to the wider architecture practice at Simple Machines through standards, reusable patterns, and ways of working The TeamYou'll join a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team delivering a large-scale machine learning platform for a global telecommunications client. The team operates with high autonomy and shared ownership, and works in a hybrid setup with both remote and in-person collaboration with client stakeholders.RequirementsWhat We're Looking ForCore ExperienceSignificant experience as a Solutions Architect on large-scale enterprise platforms, with designs you have taken from concept through to productionA consultancy background, or experience that closely resembles one: client-facing delivery, multiple engagements or programmes, and comfort operating inside someone else's organisationA proven track record of managing complex stakeholder landscapes, aligning technical and business audiences with competing prioritiesStrong grounding in distributed systems, API design, and integration architectureStrong grounding in data processing, data warehousing, sql, no sql, data pipelinesExcellent written and verbal communication, including clear and well-structured design documentationSound judgement on trade-offs across cost, risk, delivery speed, and long-term maintainabilityA software engineering background, able to discuss details and technicalities with the engineering team to bring solutions to life grounded in the capabilities and constraints of the projects. Cloud & InfrastructureExperience architecting cloud-native platforms on a major public cloudUnderstanding of containerised and orchestrated deployments (Docker, Kubernetes, or equivalent) at an architectural levelNice to HaveExperience with decisioning, next-best-action, or personalisation platforms, or the broader martech and commercial platform spaceTelecommunications experience, or experience in similarly large, regulated enterprise environmentsFamiliarity with the JVM ecosystem and event-driven architecturesExposure to pricing, product catalogue, or commercial configuration systemsExperience applying machine learning outputs within real-time customer-facing systemsExperience with agentic solutions