Solution Architect

Job Description

Location(s): UK, Europe & Africa : UK : London || UK, Europe & Africa : UK : Guildford || UK, Europe & Africa : UK : Leeds

BAE Systems Digital Intelligence is home to 4,500 digital, cyber and intelligence experts. We work collaboratively across 10 countries to collect, connect and understand complex data, so that governments, nation states, armed forces and commercial businesses can unlock digital advantage in the most demanding environments.

Job Title: Solution Architect

Location: Frimley, London, Leeds, Manchester We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: Competitive

Who we are

Join BAE Systems and you’ll be part of something bigger. As a valued member of our global colleague network, you’ll bring your unique skills and perspectives to help pioneer progress and protect what matters most. You’ll be trusted to play your part in delivering the advanced, technology-led defence, aerospace and security solutions of tomorrow – shaping a safer future, for all of us.

From the depths of the ocean, to the far reaches of space – there’s no limit to where a career at BAE Systems could take you.

Role Description

BAE Systems Applied Intelligence has a number of opportunities for creative problem-solvers, to play a decisive role in a wide variety of exciting projects. As a Solution Architect you will take ownership for the solution elements of major opportunities and delivery programmes and manage the solution design process for initial concepts through to end of life.

Core Duties

• Shaping and driving solution thinking for complex bids and delivery engagements
• Shaping solution blueprints and/or designs – for example through the tailored application of architecture frameworks (eg Zachmann, TOGAF, MODAF) and other design articulations (including the UML)
• Overseeing the implementation of the design in collaboration with other design team members such as Technical Architects, System and Software Designers, Data Architects, Security Architects, Functional and Information Architects
• Ensuring the design meets key functional and non-functional requirements and allows for operational and through life scenarios required for the solution to be satisfied
• Working with client technical authorities or architecture functions to ensure that they have a clear understanding of architecture and design proposals at an appropriate level, and that environmental and other standards/constraints within the client domain have been dealt with appropriately
• Working with quality and test management functions to ensure that the approaches and test strategies followed are appropriate for the solution
• Working with Delivery Assurance functions to agree how the quality and progress of a given solution delivery should be tracked, and become an expert resource to support interventions on projects where solution quality or progress has become an issue
• Retaining overall ownership of solution through delivery and transition into operation and/or subsequent refinement, or modification
• Leading estimation efforts to develop an understanding of potential solution costs and delivery timescales including appropriate Service regimes for solutions in production operation
• Establishing policy and strategy for the selection of systems architecture components, and co-ordinates design activities, promoting the discipline to ensure consistency

You will provide extensive solution engineering experience in a high-performance secure environment from requirements and sizing through design and build to acceptance and test. Experience designing solutions where reference designs do not apply and need understanding of how a technology works to adapt it to a specific set of challenging requirements.

You will also be involved in the majority of the following:

• Responsible for the solution architecture in the context of an overall system design
• Designs the specific solution to meet the customer requirements (and any derived/internal requirements)
• Document the specific customer design, both to the customer and internally
• Elaborate the requirements for the Engineering teams needed to meet the customer requirements (ie URD to SRD)
• Experience of interacting and presenting to both internal and external stakeholders to understand, influence and shape requirements and solution approaches
• Manages solution scope externally and internally
• Data-intensive systems – acquisition, processing, storage and exploitation, with emphasis on performance as well as functionality
• Awareness and application of security considerations (CIS hardening, security by design)
• Liaison with development teams around requirements, elaboration, integration and testing
• Creating solutions for new opportunities.

The Team

We work hard and often go the extra mile, but we recognise people’s efforts and that everyone has a life outside of work. We encourage people to speak up if they want to rotate to a new project.

Why BAE Systems

Here you’ll build a career with purpose and limitless possibilities. With lifelong learning and meaningful work – this is a place where you can grow your career with confidence and be empowered to be your best. You’ll be recognised for your contribution and enjoy rewards tailored to what’s most important to you and your family – support for your financial and personal wellbeing, as well as a balanced lifestyle. In an environment embracing sustainable ways of working and with a strong sense of shared purpose, our supportive culture is a place you can feel you belong and proud of the difference you make.

A place where everyone can thrive.

We’re committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. We know that a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences strengthens our teams and is vital to the work we do.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Life at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence

We are embracing Hybrid Working. This means you and your colleagues may be working in different locations, such as from home, another BAE Systems office or client site, some or all of the time, and work might be going on at different times of the day.

By embracing technology, we can interact, collaborate and create together, even when we’re working remotely from one another. Hybrid Working allows for increased flexibility in when and where we work, helping us to balance our work and personal life more effectively, and enhance well-being.

Diversity and inclusion are integral to the success of BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. We are proud to have an organisational culture where employees with varying perspectives, skills, life experiences and backgrounds – the best and brightest minds – can work together to achieve excellence and realise individual and organisational potential.

Division overview: Government

At BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, we pride ourselves in being a leader in the cyber defence industry, and Government contracts are an area we have many decades of experience in. Government and key infrastructure networks are critical targets to defend as the effects of these networks being breached can be devastating.

As a member of the Government business unit, you will defend the connected world and ensure the protection of nations. We all have a role to play in defending our clients, and this is yours.