Senior Solutions Architect

ALTEN is a global engineering and technology consultancy operating across over 35 countries worldwide. We partner with industry leaders across sectors including Aeronautics, Aerospace, Defence, Naval, Automotive, Energy, Rail, IT and many more to deliver innovative engineering solutions that drive technological advancement & support sustainable transformation.

Our teams of passionate and agile engineers work on cutting-edge projects that shape the future of technology and sustainability. At ALTEN, we empower talented engineers to innovate, solve complex challenges, and deliver impactful solutions that build tomorrow’s world—today.

Join us and start building tomorrow’s world today!

Join our team as a Senior Solutions Architect supporting the design and delivery of complex, autonomous and mission‑critical systems within a defence environment. You will be responsible for defining, managing and delivering end‑to‑end solution architectures, working across multidisciplinary teams to ensure systems meet operational, regulatory and performance requirements.

This role spans the left side of the V‑model, requiring strong architectural judgement, technical leadership, and the ability to balance design trade‑offs across software, infrastructure and system integration.

Location: Stockport (Manchester)
On-site: 4–5 days per week
Seniority: Senior
Clearance: Candidates must be willing and eligible to obtain SC clearance.

Key Responsibilities

• Create, manage and deliver solution architectures for complex defence systems
• Analyse stakeholder needs and system requirements, assessing architectural options and technical trade‑offs
• Develop and manage System and Sub‑system Requirements Specifications
• Define and authorise design descriptions, interfaces and verification objectives
• Support the definition and application of architectural frameworks and engineering standards
• Conduct impact analysis, compliance assessments and requirement resolution
• Provide technical leadership and architectural direction across engineering teams
• Engage with key stakeholders to ensure alignment of architecture, delivery and operational intent
• Review technical risks, opportunities and mitigation plans throughout bids and project lifecycles
• Ensure solutions comply with regulatory, safety, security and environmental requirements

Required Skills

• Proven experience working as a Solutions Architect or Senior Systems Engineer on complex systems
• Strong understanding of software‑led system architectures, operating on the left side of the V‑model
• Ability to work across multiple programming and scripting languages, including Python, Java, C/C++, and Bash / PowerShell
• Experience with containerised and virtualised environments (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes, VMs)
• Working knowledge of Linux‑based systems, networking fundamentals (TCP/IP), and cloud architectures
• Familiarity with UML (basic) and architectural modelling approaches
• Experience in regulated or safety‑critical environments, with exposure to manual and automated testing

Soft Skills & Collaboration

• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to communicate complex architectural concepts clearly at all levels
• Confident providing technical leadership and influencing decisions
• Structured, analytical thinker with strong deductive reasoning
• Self‑motivated and able to operate effectively under pressure

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline, or relevant technical military background with equivalent experience.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with automated deployment and CI/CD approaches
• Exposure to robotics or autonomous systems
• Broader systems engineering background spanning software, infrastructure and networking
• Previous experience working across multidisciplinary engineering teams

Why join us? 

We bring together entrepreneurial, tech-driven people to deliver innovative solutions for leading companies.

At ALTEN, you’ll work on exciting projects, supported by ongoing learning, mentoring, and clear career development tailored to your goals.

Join a passionate team and help build tomorrow, today.

In short you get: 

• A personalised career path and a rewarding management style 
• A huge diversity of engineering projects and industries
• Private Medical Insurance
• Cycle & Tech Scheme 
• Employee assistance programme
• Life insurance & Pension Scheme
• Social atmosphere, regular gatherings & team buildings
• Flexible way of working (role dependent)

We are proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant & actively encourage applications from members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists, service leavers, and military spouses/partners. We recognise the value of military skills and experience and are committed to ensuring that no applicant is unfairly disadvantaged during our recruitment and selection processes. 

ALTEN is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and values the strength that comes from a global mix of backgrounds and perspectives. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of background or protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. 

This role may require you to have or be willing to go through Security Clearance. As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard; details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website Gov.UK. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected . Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.