Location: London (Hybrid - 3 days per week in office)
Contract Duration: 6 months (strong likelihood of extension)
Clearance Required: SC Clearance
Inside IR35 - up to £725 p/d (Umbrella)
We are seeking an experienced Solution Architect to lead the design and delivery of data-intensive platforms and AI-powered solutions within a highly regulated banking environment. This role sits at the heart of Balance Sheet Management (BSM) initiatives, driving innovation across the full data and AI lifecycle.
You will work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, and engineering teams to translate complex requirements into scalable, secure, and high-performing solutions that deliver measurable business value.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead cross-functional engineering teams to design, build, and deliver data-driven platforms and AI solutions aligned to strategic business goals.
- Oversee end-to-end solution delivery across the data and AI lifecycle-from ingestion and modelling to ML development, deployment, and monitoring.
- Act as Delivery Manager for AIPX, ensuring robust data pipelines and high-quality data products aligned with architectural standards and business needs.
- Provide technical leadership across data architecture, cloud infrastructure, and AI/ML capabilities.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into actionable technical solutions, manage delivery risks, and prioritise backlogs.
- Establish and enforce engineering best practices, including DevOps/MLOps, coding standards, testing frameworks, and documentation.
- Design and deliver innovative, scalable, secure, and sustainable solutions aligned with industry standards.
- Facilitate workshops and stakeholder engagement sessions to gather requirements and validate solutions.
- Mentor and support team members, fostering capability development and knowledge sharing.
- Drive innovation by evaluating emerging technologies, leading proofs of concept, and embedding Responsible AI principles.
Key Skills & Experience
Essential
- Strong experience as a Solution Architect or Technical Lead within data and AI environments.
- Advanced knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and practical experience applying it in enterprise settings.
- Experience with Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs), including selecting appropriate models for use cases.
- Proven ability to deliver solutions in highly regulated environments (e.g., banking, financial services).
- Strong background in data platforms, big application development, and cloud engineering.
- Experience leading fast-paced, cross-functional delivery teams aligned closely with business stakeholders.
- Expertise in delivery management and end-to-end solution ownership.
Desirable
- Knowledge of Agentic workflows and orchestration frameworks.
- Experience with AI-assisted or specification-driven development and automated SDLC approaches.
- Familiarity with AIPX architecture frameworks (or similar enterprise data/AI platforms).
What We're Looking For
- A strong technical leader with excellent stakeholder management skills.
- A proactive problem-solver who can operate across multiple teams and drive key decisions.
- A forward-thinker who stays ahead of emerging data and AI trends.
- A collaborative professional passionate about delivering high-quality, impactful solutions.
