Role Purpose

The Solution Architect supports the design, integration and delivery of secure digital solutions for Nexor customers across defence, government and critical national infrastructure.

The role translates customer needs, business requirements, operational constraints and security obligations into coherent technical solutions. Work may span secure information exchange, cross-domain solutions, cloud services, communications, data integration, cyber security, enterprise platforms and high-assurance environments.

The postholder works closely with senior architects, engineers, security specialists, consultants, project managers, product teams and customer stakeholders.

The role provides a strong development route for an engineer or technologist with approximately two to five years of professional experience after graduation who seeks broader responsibility across architecture, systems integration and customer-facing technical delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture

• Support development of end-to-end solution architectures.

• Translate customer, operational and business requirements into technical designs.

• Produce architecture views, diagrams, specifications and decision records.

• Define solution boundaries, interfaces, dependencies and deployment contexts.

• Contribute to current-state, target-state and transition architectures.

• Ensure alignment with Nexor architecture principles, security standards and delivery methods.

Produce and maintain:

• High-Level Designs.

• Solution descriptions.

• Interface specifications.

• Data-flow diagrams.

• Deployment views.

• Integration patterns.

• Architecture decision records.

Additionally:

• Support Low-Level Design development with engineering teams.

• Ensure designs remain secure, practical, testable, supportable and commercially viable.

Secure Information Exchange

• Support architecture of solutions controlling information movement across networks, systems and security domains.

• Define secure data flows, trust boundaries, policy enforcement points and integration interfaces.

• Contribute to secure gateway, cross-domain and information exchange solution design.

• Support assessment of confidentiality, integrity, availability and provenance requirements.

• Work with security specialists to ensure proportionate control selection and assurance.

Systems Integration

• Support integration of software, hardware, network, cloud and data components.

• Define interfaces between Nexor products, customer systems and third-party services.

• Assist with resolution of technical integration issues.

• Support interoperability testing, technical validation and acceptance activity.

• Maintain awareness of technical dependencies and integration risks.

• Support definition of data flows, service boundaries and information-exchange requirements.

• Promote open standards, modular design and reusable integration patterns.

Security and Resilience

• Incorporate security, resilience and availability requirements into solution designs.

• Apply secure-by-design, least-privilege and defence-in-depth principles.

• Work with cyber assurance and security architecture colleagues to address technical risks.

• Contribute to threat, risk and assurance reviews.

• Support compliance with customer, contractual and regulatory security requirements.

• Ensure suitable consideration of recoverability, continuity and operational resilience.

Technical Governance

• Prepare architecture artefacts for design reviews and governance forums.

• Support Technical Design Authority and Architecture Review Board activity.

• Record assumptions, risks, dependencies and technical decisions.

• Review supplier or partner designs under senior guidance.

• Track actions arising from architecture and technical assurance reviews.

Customer Engagement

Work with:

• Customer technical teams.

• Senior architects.

• Security specialists.

• Software and platform engineers.

• Product managers.

• Project and delivery managers.

• Sales and business development colleagues.

• Technology partners.

Additionally:

• Explain technical designs to technical and non-technical audiences.

• Participate in workshops, discovery activity, design reviews and customer briefings.

• Build trusted and professional customer relationships.

Innovation and Professional Development

• Assess emerging technologies relevant to secure information exchange and high-assurance digital delivery.

• Contribute to prototypes, proof-of-concept activity and internal research.

• Develop knowledge across architecture, cyber security, cloud, systems engineering and Nexor products.

• Work towards recognised professional qualifications and certifications.

• Share knowledge through technical presentations and communities of practice.

  
  

Essential Experience

• Approximately two to five years of professional experience in engineering, software, systems, cyber security or digital technology.

• Experience contributing to technical system design or delivery.

• Experience working within multidisciplinary technical teams.

Exposure to one or more of:

• Systems integration.

• Software engineering.

• Networks and communications.

• Data engineering.

• Cyber security.

• Systems engineering.

Additionally:

• Experience producing clear and structured technical documentation and reports.

• Ability to analyse requirements and develop proportionate technical responses.

• Experience communicating technical information to colleagues and stakeholders.

• Strong interest in secure systems, national security, defence or critical infrastructure.

  
  

Essential Technical Knowledge

Architecture and Engineering

• Fundamental solution architecture concepts.

• Systems engineering principles.

• Requirements analysis.

• Interface and dependency management.

• Technical design documentation.

• System lifecycle principles.

• Non-functional requirements.

SFIA Mapping

Security and Compliance Requirements

Eligibility for UK Security Check clearance.

Compliance with customer and Nexor information-handling requirements.

Compliance with Nexor security, quality and engineering procedures.

Appropriate handling of customer, partner and programme information.

Willingness to work within secure environments where required.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability.

• Intellectual curiosity.

• Structured and methodical approach.

• Clear written and verbal communication.

• Collaborative working style.

• Confidence to ask questions and challenge constructively.

• Commitment to technical quality.

• Adaptability within changing customer environments.

• Ownership of assigned work.

• Willingness to learn from experienced specialists.

• Professional integrity and discretion.

• Strong customer focus.

Development Path

The role provides progression towards:

• Senior Solution Architect.

• Principal Solution Architect.

• Technical Architect.

• Security Architect.

• Systems Architect.

• Technical Lead.

• Chief Architect.

Development support may include:

• Mentoring from senior Nexor architects.

• Customer and programme exposure.

• Architecture and systems-engineering training.

• Support towards professional registration.

• Opportunities to lead defined technical work packages.

• Participation in internal research and innovation.

• Access to specialist communities of practice.

• Exposure to bids, pre-sales and solution shaping.

  
  

Measures of Success

Success within the role shall be measured through:

• Quality and clarity of architecture deliverables.

• Effective contribution to secure and integrated solutions.

• Completion of assigned work against customer and programme objectives.

• Constructive participation in design and assurance reviews.

• Effective management of technical risks and dependencies.

• Positive customer and stakeholder feedback.

• Growth in architecture and domain competence.

• Contribution to successful bids and customer engagements.

• Increasing ownership of solution architecture work packages.

• Progress towards relevant professional qualifications.

  
  

Reporting Line

The role reports to the Head of Services.

Day-to-day direction may also come from Programme Managers, Technical Lead or Delivery Manager.

Career Level

Early to mid-career technical professional.

Typically suited to candidates in their second professional role after graduation, with sufficient delivery experience to take ownership of defined solution architecture activities under senior technical guidance.

Nexor Values 

The role holder will be expected to role model and champion the Nexor core values which are:  Focus, Adaptable, Respect and Collaboration.

This job description is a guide to the work you may be required to undertake but does not form part of your contract of employment and may change from time to time to reflect changing circumstances.