Solution Architect (Cloud & Data Platforms)
Posted 1 week ago by Korn Ferry
£900 Per day
Outside
Remote
City of London, UK
Summary: The Senior Solution Architect (Cloud & Data Platforms) will lead the architecture and design of a modern cloud-based data platform, primarily utilizing Databricks. This role involves bridging investment business needs with technical solutions, ensuring architectural consistency across teams, and engaging with stakeholders. The position is remote with occasional site visits and is outside IR35. The contract is for 6 months with potential extensions as part of a multi-year data and analytics transformation program.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and own end-to-end solution architecture across various domains.
- Establish design patterns, reference architectures, and templates.
- Ensure architectural consistency across multiple squads and pods.
- Build proofs of concept (POCs) when required.
- Get hands-on with code and configuration to unblock teams.
- Review and assure quality of engineering outputs.
- Own architecture decisions on AWS, including networking, security, performance, scalability, reliability, and cost considerations.
- Ensure solutions align with SDLC, security, compliance, and audit requirements.
- Translate investment business requirements into technical solutions.
- Challenge both business and technology assumptions where needed.
- Act as the front-facing technical representative to security architects, infrastructure teams, compliance and audit, and senior technology leadership.
- Produce high-quality architectural artifacts, including architecture diagrams and design decisions.
- Ensure solutions meet risk management and regulatory expectations.
Key Skills:
- Experience in investment or financial services environments.
- Strong preference for Databricks, AWS, and Snowflake knowledge.
- Strong back-end/platform engineering background.
- Comfortable designing and reviewing data pipelines, cloud-native services, and scalable distributed systems.
- Understanding of SDLC, DevOps, CI/CD, and release governance.
- Typically 10+ years of experience as a Senior Solution Architect.
- Proven experience owning architecture for enterprise-scale platforms.
- Experience working in regulated and audited environments.
- Strong engineering-first mindset with a pragmatic approach to technology choices.
- Confident in challenging current technology trends.
Salary (Rate): £800 per day
City: City of London
Country: UK
Working Arrangements: remote
IR35 Status: outside IR35
Seniority Level: Senior
Industry: IT
Role Overview
Title: Senior Solution Architect (Cloud & Data Platforms)
Programme: Multi-year Data & Analytics Transformation
Client Environment: Global investment management
Contract: 6 months, with extensions over multi-year programme. Outside IR35
Pay rate: £800+ per day, to be discussed
This position is Remote working, with some likely occasional trips to site for critical meetings/workshops etc.
This role is a hands-on senior Solution Architect acting as the technical and design authority for a modern cloud-based data platform, with Databricks at the core. The architect bridges investment business needs, data engineering, and platform architecture, setting standards others must follow.
Key ResponsibilitiesArchitecture & Design Authority
- Define and own end-to-end solution architecture across:
- Establish design patterns, reference architectures, and templates
- Ensure architectural consistency across multiple squads and pods
Hands-On Technical Leadership
- Build proofs of concept (POCs) when required
- Get hands-on with code and configuration to unblock teams
- Review and assure quality of engineering outputs
Cloud & Platform Architecture
- Own architecture decisions on AWS, including:
- Networking (VPCs)
- Security
- Performance and scalability
- Reliability and cost considerations
- Ensure solutions align with SDLC, security, compliance, and audit requirements
Business & Stakeholder Engagement
- Translate investment business requirements into technical solutions
- Challenge both business and technology assumptions where needed
- Act as the front-facing technical representative to:
- Security architects
- Infrastructure teams
- Compliance and audit
- Senior technology leadership
Governance & Delivery Enablement
- Produce high-quality architecturalartefacts:
- Architecture diagrams
- Design decisions and trade-offs
- Non-functional requirements
- Ensure solutions meet risk management and regulatory expectations
Required Domain Knowledge (Must-Have)
Candidates must have experience in investment or financial services environments
Technical RequirementsCore Stack (Strong Preference)
- Databricks (Lakehouse architecture, design patterns)
- AWS (deep understanding of cloud-native architecture)
- Snowflake (integration patterns, data sharing)
Engineering Background (Critical)
- Strong Back End/platform engineering heritage
- Comfortable designing and reviewing:
- Data pipelines
- Cloud-native services
- Scalable distributed systems
- Understands SDLC, DevOps, CI/CD, and release governance
Experience Profile
- Senior Solution Architect (typically 10+ years experience)
- Proven experience owning architecture for enterprise-scale platforms
- Has led architecture through full delivery life cycles
- Experienced working in regulated and audited environments
Behavioural & Mindset Expectations
- Strong engineering-first mindset
- Pragmatic and conservative in technology choices
- Confident challenging "latest and greatest" trends
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry unleashes potential in people, teams, and organizations. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers. To learn more, please visit our website