Solution Architect

About the Role

OUP’s application portfolio includes several customer facing systems such as digital-, content-, and data-centric platforms, web and eCommerce applications, learning & assessment services, online journals, other online research platforms.

As a Solution Architect you will collaborate closely with product or system owners to understand their requirements and challenges and then creating high-level design documents to address those issues effectively. You will work with other Enterprise, Application and Solution Architecture colleagues to define all aspects of solution design, appropriate technology, and workflows to develop, implement and quality assure solutions/applications.

You will drive the design and delivery of complex, multi-component solutions that align with architectural principles and support long-term technology strategy. You will translate strategic goals into capabilities, working closely with stakeholders to ensure initiatives are accurately prioritised and deliver essential business growth in a time-sensitive manner. The role involves hands-on technical leadership, guiding development teams and vendors in implementing architectural patterns and coding standards, while providing consultancy and mentoring across the wider architectural community. You’ll collaborate with internal and third-party engineering teams, support application-centric architects within divisions, and partner with Enterprise Architecture to ensure solutions align with target architecture and standards. Additionally, you’ll facilitate design reviews, identify opportunities for framework-oriented strategies, and translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders. You’ll also play a key role in developing technical talent through effective supervision, coaching, and mentoring.

We operate a hybrid working policy that requires a minimum of 2 days per week in the Oxford office.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will ideally have/be:

• Experience in technically leading development teams, acting as the technical authority, guiding and coaching development team members.
• A deep understanding of technology and how it can be both developed and used to meet business requirements.
• Experience in delivering solutions within a customer facing product delivery environment.
• Experience in working with Scrum, Kanban and Scaled Agile methodologies.
• Experience in shaping, advising on, and delivering solutions to required quality within agreed budget and timescales
• Deep domain knowledge and experience
• Knowledge of Enterprise Architecture principles.
• Experience of cloud-based technologies, especially AWS.
• Overall knowledge of application capabilities, integration, data design methodologies and industry best practices.
• Skilled communicator with good stakeholder management skills
• An understanding and knowledge of publishing or closely related industries with an emphasis on the use of digital technology (desirable)

Benefits

We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days’ holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3-days) and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.

We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts.

This role comes with the added benefit of private medical insurance and a management bonus.

Please see our Rewards and Recognition page for more information.

We are committed to supporting diversity in our workforce, and ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive. We seek to employ a workforce representative of the markets that we serve and encourage applications from all.