Solutions Architect – Contract (Outside IR35)
Location: Remote / Flexible, with travel to client sites as required
Rate: Competitive day rate (Outside IR35)
Clearance: SC eligible
Duration: 6 month rolling
We’re working with a major defence and technology client seeking an experienced Solutions Architect to support a Data Centre Exit & Obsolescence Programme. This is a fast-paced, high-impact project requiring strong architectural leadership, business engagement, and practical experience in cloud migration strategies, particularly to Microsoft Azure.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead and support discovery and assessment activities, working at pace across a complex estate using the 7Rs approach.
* Conduct architectural analysis to assess current applications and determine future state solutions.
* Engage directly with business application owners and stakeholders to capture and validate architectural requirements.
* Drive quick, evidence-based treatment determinations for applications and systems.
* Lead lift-and-shift (re-host) strategies as an initial approach, with scope for re-architecting where appropriate.
* Work with cross-functional teams to reverse engineer and document both source and target application/system architectures.
* Support the migration of workloads to Microsoft Azure, leveraging deep understanding of cloud architectures and capabilities.
* Operate under pressure to meet tight timelines and deliver consistently at pace.
Essential Experience:
* Proven experience on a Data Centre Exit and Obsolescence programme, ideally in a complex or regulated environment.
* Demonstrated ability to lead and contribute to discovery and assessment at speed using the 7Rs methodology (Retire, Retain, Rehost, Replatform, Refactor, Repurchase, or Replace).
* Strong background in both infrastructure and application architecture, including hands-on cloud migration.
* Solid experience with Azure cloud services and deployment models.
* Track record of facilitating and leading meetings with business stakeholders, extracting and challenging requirements as needed.
* Ability to interpret and reverse engineer undocumented legacy systems.
* Experience operating in high-pressure programmes with immovable deadlines
Desirable Skills:
* Exposure to security architecture or governance within transformation programmes.
* Familiarity with tooling to support architecture analysis and migration planning.
* Knowledge of defence, aerospace, or secure government environments.
Why Apply?
* High-profile, fast-paced transformation programme
* Outside IR35 with flexibility to work remotely
* Opportunity to shape a major infrastructure and application migration to Azure
* Work with a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team