Lead Solution Architect

Lead Solution Architect Join Jacobs' Design Automation team and play a key role in shaping the software products and platforms used by engineers across our global business. Operating as part of a product-focused software organisation within Jacobs, you'll help define the architectural direction for a diverse portfolio of applications, driving innovation, scalability, and engineering excellence.

This is not simply a delivery role; it is a transformation role. A real opportunity to influence how software is designed, built, and delivered across multiple teams. Your leadership will help strengthen engineering standards, improve development practices, and ensure our technology platforms are ready to support future growth, including the adoption of emerging AI-enabled capabilities.

What You'll Do

As Lead Solution Architect, you'll provide architectural leadership across a broad portfolio of software products and services. Working closely with software engineers, product leaders, and technical stakeholders, you'll translate business needs into robust, scalable, and secure solutions.
You'll guide architectural decision-making, mentor engineering teams, review solution designs, and help establish consistent approaches to software development, cloud architecture, CI/CD, and technical delivery. While this is not a hands-on development role, you'll be comfortable engaging with technology at a detailed level, whether reviewing designs, developing proof of concepts, or helping teams solve complex technical challenges. We're looking for an experienced software or solution architect who combines technical depth with strong leadership and communication skills. Someone who has successfully designed and delivered complex cloud-based software platforms and distributed systems.
You'll have strong architectural judgement, a pragmatic approach to technology decision-making, and the ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams.

You'll also bring:
Experience designing and delivering distributed, cloud-based software solutions in Azure, AWS, or similar cloud environments.
A proven track record of providing architectural leadership across multiple applications, products, or engineering teams.
Strong understanding of modern software engineering practices, including CI/CD, cloud-native development, and software delivery lifecycle principles.
Experience mentoring engineers and influencing technical direction without direct line management responsibility.

The ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders and build credibility as a trusted advisor.

Experience within SaaS, product-led technology organisations, or cloud-native software environments would be particularly valuable. Exposure to technologies such as .NET, C#, Python, microservices, and modern AI-enabled software development approaches would also be beneficial. Experience within the AEC sector or with platforms such as Autodesk or Bentley Systems would be an advantage, but is not essential.

At Jacobs, we deliver solutions that matter. You'll be trusted to shape technical direction, influence engineering excellence, and help teams build high-quality software that makes a real impact across our global organisation. If you're excited by the prospect of solving complex technical challenges, mentoring talented engineers, and helping define the next generation of software platforms, we'd love to hear from you.

Other key info

This is a permanent role, UK based, hybrid (2-3 days/week - office/site) aligned to a local Jacobs office, with business travel to support client and business requirements.

Full time employment at Jacobs is based on a 40-hour working week. We place a strong emphasis on work life balance and flexibility, and flexi-time, other working patterns may be available.

All Jacobs employees will require a BPSS check as part of the hiring and onboarding process.

We offer an excellent and wide range of employee benefits including comprehensive Health Cover, Life Assurance, Income Protection, holiday buy/sell scheme, and a variety of wellbeing, family, parental and fertility support offerings, along with an enhanced contribution pension scheme.

More company details and info below: Cardiff South Glamorgan United Kingdom Bristol Bristol City United Kingdom Exeter Devon United Kingdom Reading Berkshire United Kingdom London Greater London United Kingdom Northminster Peterborough United Kingdom Birmingham West Midlands United Kingdom Manchester Greater Manchester United Kingdom Leeds West Yorkshire United Kingdom Newcastle Tyne and Wear United Kingdom York North Yorkshire United Kingdom Edinburgh East Lothian United Kingdom Glasgow Lanarkshire United Kingdom Belfast Antrim United Kingdom London Greater London United Kingdom Digital and Data Transportation

Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally. Our values stand on a foundation of safety, integrity, inclusion and belonging. We put people at the heart of our business, and we truly believe that by supporting one another through our culture of caring, we all succeed. We value positive mental health and a sense of belonging for all employees.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we've gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You'll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities, from well-being benefits to our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place. No matter what drives you, you'll discover how you can cultivate, nurture, and achieve your goals - all at a single global company. Find out more about life at Jacobs .

We aim to embed inclusion and belonging in everything we do. We know that if we are inclusive, we're more connected and creative. We accept people for who they are, and we champion the richness of different perspectives, lived experiences and backgrounds in the workplace, as a source of learning and innovation. We are committed to building vibrant communities within Jacobs, including through our Jacobs Employee Networks, Communities of Practice and our Find Your Community initiatives, allowing every employee to find connection, purpose, and belonging. Find out more about our Jacobs Employee Networks here .

Jacobs partners with VERCIDA to help us attract and retain talent from a wide range of backgrounds. For greater online accessibility please visit to view and access our roles.

As a disability confident employer, we will interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We welcome applications from candidates who are seeking flexible working and from those who may not meet all the listed requirements for a role.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we're keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support .