Lead Solution Architect — IT Risk Mitigation Programme 

We need a Lead Solution Architect for a large IT obsolescence programme at a Tier 1 UK retail bank. Your job: design the fastest, cheapest, safest path to upgrade or replace obsolete infrastructure — and drive those designs through a governance culture that instinctively pursues perfection over pace.

You'll lead 5–10 architects and PMs, and influence 50–100 client SMEs, architects and managers. You'll need to argue and win exceptions to the bank's target blueprints, justified by the cyber and operational risk being mitigated.

You'll own:

• Solution designs across the end-to-end infrastructure stack — app, DB, OS, hypervisor, network, storage, middleware
• Design approvals and exception cases through client governance
• Trade-off decisions across resilience, attack surface, cost, and speed
• Technical leadership of a blended architect and PM team

You'll bring:

• Deep hands-on infrastructure architecture pedigree across the full stack
• Real-world delivery scars — not ivory tower design work
• Mastery of infrastructure cluster technologies, middleware, ETL and integration
• Understanding of banking application architectures and their infrastructure dependencies
• The credibility and articulacy to win exception approvals against target blueprints
• Grip to drive designs through a governance culture inclined to slow-and-perfect

This is a hard delivery role in a demanding environment with a challenging third-party engineering supplier. Not for architects who prefer to design then hand over.

 

Lead Solution Architect — IT Risk Mitigation Programme Grade: Senior Manager | Practice: Technology & Data Advisory | Duration: 12 months, potential for extension

The Engagement

KPMG is entering the fourth year of an IT Risk Mitigation Programme at a Tier 1 UK retail bank, focused on reducing cyber and operational risk through the systematic reduction of technology obsolescence. The programme spans the full infrastructure stack — web servers, application servers, databases, operating systems, hypervisors, networking, storage, middleware and integration.

The engagement is outcome-based, with KPMG accountable for delivering committed upgrade outcomes by agreed dates…. Else we don’t get paid.

The Role

As Lead Solution Architect, you will own the solution design for the programme's upgrade and replacement activity. The core challenge is not designing the ideal target-state architecture — it is finding the fastest, most cost-effective, and lowest-risk path to remove obsolete components while making the minimum viable compromises to the bank's operating standards.

You will lead a team of 5–10 solution architects and project managers, and work in matrix with 50–100 client technical SMEs, architects and engineering managers.

A defining feature of the role is winning design approvals — including justified exceptions to the bank's target blueprints where the immediate cyber or operational risk warrants a pragmatic deviation. This may include surfacing and articulating uncomfortable trade-offs, such as accepting a temporary reduction in resilience by decommissioning a secondary site or removing a blue/green stack to reduce the attack surface.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Solution design: Design upgrade and replacement solutions across the full infrastructure stack, considering version compatibility, certification constraints and dependencies from top to bottom of the stack.
• Trade-off leadership: Drive design decisions that balance cyber risk reduction, operational risk, cost, delivery time and resilience. Articulate compromises clearly and secure agreement.
• Governance and approvals: Own the design approval pathway through client governance forums. Prepare and argue exception cases against target architecture blueprints where risk mitigation justifies deviation.
• Delivery orientation: Ensure designs are not just technically sound but genuinely deliverable in the time and cost available. Work through delivery blockers with the Delivery Manager.
• Technical leadership: Lead and develop a team of architects and PMs across onshore and offshore locations. Set technical standards and quality bar.
• Stakeholder influence: Build credibility with client architects and engineering leaders in a culture that instinctively prioritises perfection over pace. Bring third-party engineering suppliers along, including where their incentives may work against decision-making and delivery pace.

Qualifications

• Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to inspire teams and develop excellent client relationships with 12+ years of exp

• Prior experience in working with client stakeholders at CxO level 

• Track record in advisory of complex large-scale architectural solutions on cloud 

• Good understanding of infrastructure, network, database, security architecture, IAM for cloud-based solutions

• Understanding of different server categories (Web, WAS, Message Queue, API, Database, etc.)

• Prior Data Center Migration, Cloud Migration, or IT Infrastructure Transformation project experience (assessments, migrations, consolidations, virtualization projects, etc.) would be preferred.

• Embraces a growth mindset for business development, with an ability to influence senior stakeholders 

• Excellent communication (written and oral) skills capable of discussing complex ideas with various groups, ranging from a board room to business unit leads. 

• Good team player with strong commitment to professional and client service excellence.

• A holistic understanding of IT infrastructure inclusive of server, storage, network, database, systems, DR/business recovery and continuity practices, etc.

• Familiarity with application and workload dependencies, architecture, and service level requirements

• Able to execute change control, quality, risk management and communications throughout the project