Solution Architect

Summary:

Solution Architect role at a top UK independent school with competitive salary and benefits.

About the School:

A school with a long-standing tradition of excellence, offering a holistic education that nurtures academic, personal, and character development. It is located in a peaceful and inspiring environment, surrounded by natural beauty and a vibrant local community.

The Opportunity:

As a Solution Architect, you will lead the technical transformation of a school’s HR and Payroll systems, ensuring a seamless transition to a modern, unified platform. This is a pivotal role in delivering a strategic upgrade that impacts the entire institution, from HR operations to IT infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define the “To-Be” architecture for the new HR and Payroll system, ensuring integration with existing platforms.
• Design and document the Joiners, Movers, and Leavers (JML) process for automated data flow between HR and IT systems.
• Create High-Level Designs (HLDs) and Interface Specifications for vendor implementation.
• Design secure and structured data flows across HR, Payroll, and IT systems.
• Define integration patterns that support operational efficiency and reliability.
• Deliver robust API-driven integrations that connect systems without disrupting school operations.
• Plan the decommissioning of legacy data silos and ensure compliance with statutory data retention.
• Produce comprehensive technical documentation for ongoing maintenance and future scalability.

Qualifications & Skills:

Required

• Proven experience leading HR/Payroll system migrations in complex environments.
• Deep understanding of Identity Management and user provisioning into Active Directory/Azure Entra ID.
• Strong Data Migration skills with advanced SQL and Excel experience.
• Experience designing REST API and flat-file integrations between SaaS platforms and on-premise systems.
• Ability to balance architectural excellence with project constraints and vendor capabilities.

Preferred

• Experience within the Education sector, particularly with Schoolbase or similar MIS.
• Knowledge of Power Platform for lightweight integration workflows.
• Understanding of data analytics tools like Power BI for future HR reporting.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Competitive salary of £81,000.
• Generous benefits package including free lunch during term time and a BUPA cash plan.
• Full health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.