​Lead / Principal Solution Architect - Interim to Perm

Location:London - Flexible / Hybrid

Competitive Market Rate on offer

​

Paritas is working with a leading Advisory client who are undertaking a large internal transformation project. We are seeking a Lead / Principal Solution Architect to provide architectural leadership across a portfolio of digital portals and products. The role will ensure consistent implementation design, scalable architecture, and strong governance across both internal engineering teams and third-party product vendors.

​

This individual will play a critical role in shaping solution design, embedding with delivery teams, and maintaining architectural integrity as the organisation scales through a hybrid internal and vendor-led delivery model.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture & Design

• Provide the capacity and technical expertise to drive consistent implementation design across all customer portals and digital products

• Define, own, and evolve solution architecture patterns, standards, and reference architectures

• Ensure solution designs align to target architecture, non-functional requirements, and long-term scalability

Third-Party Vendor Oversight

• Embed with third-party product vendors to provide hands-on architectural oversight throughout design and delivery

• Review and assure vendor solution designs to ensure compliance with architectural standards and best practices

• Act as a key escalation point for architectural risks, dependencies, and design decisions

Delivery & Execution

• Partner closely with product, engineering, and delivery teams to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions

• Support delivery teams through the full lifecycle (design, build, test, implementation) to ensure architectural intent is realised

• Balance pragmatism and architectural rigour to enable timely delivery without compromising quality

Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Provide clear architectural direction and decision-making in complex, multi-stakeholder environments

• Communicate architectural concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences

• Contribute to architecture governance forums and design authorities as required

​

Experience & Capabilities

Essential

• Proven experience operating as a Lead or Principal Solution Architect within complex, enterprise environments

• Strong background designing and delivering digital portals, platforms, and customer-facing products

• Demonstrated experience ensuring consistency of implementation design across multiple products and teams

• Hands-on experience embedding with and leading third-party product vendors from an architectural perspective

• Strong understanding of modern engineering and architecture practices (API-led design, cloud platforms, microservices, security, etc.)

​

Desirable

• Experience in hybrid delivery models combining internal teams and external vendors

• Background in regulated or asset-heavy industries (e.g. energy, utilities, infrastructure, financial services)

• Exposure to large-scale transformation or platform modernisation programmes
  

Key Attributes

• Credible senior architect able to operate at both strategic and delivery levels

• Pragmatic, outcome-focused mindset with strong attention to detail

• Confident influencer with the ability to challenge delivery teams and vendors constructively

• Comfortable operating in fast-moving, evolving environments