Salary: £45,000 - 45,000 per year Requirements: We are looking for an experienced Architect with a strong track record of designing and governing service-oriented or microservice-based systems. We need deep expertise in Service-Oriented Architecture, distributed system design and messaging. We require experience in data interoperability and integrating systems that move away from monolithic patterns. We need someone comfortable evaluating communication protocols and establishing service contracts. We are looking for experience defining service boundaries and designing integration approaches that balance performance, resilience and maintainability. We need someone confident guiding development teams and influencing stakeholders in environments where the architectural direction is still evolving. Experience working with cloud-based, service-oriented ecosystems would be highly beneficial. Knowledge of message buses or event-driven architecture would be advantageous. Familiarity with real-time, configuration and scientific data environments would be an asset. Responsibilities: We will expect you to gain a deep understanding of our current architecture and identify how services have been implemented and how they interact. You will assess where legacy monolithic behaviours are still influencing design. You will identify architectural gaps, risks and technical debt. You will define the changes needed to achieve a consistent, interoperable service environment. You will shape and mature our SOA foundation. You will define how our services communicate and how data moves across the environment. You will determine how service boundaries should be drawn. You will evaluate whether a message bus or event-driven architecture is appropriate. You will examine our mix of real-time, configuration and scientific data to establish reliable and predictable data flow patterns. You will develop architectural artefacts including diagrams, logical models, communication patterns, service contracts, API standards and integration principles. You will work closely with engineers, product teams and scientific stakeholders. You will ensure services are aligned to SOA best practice and built for scalability, clarity and long-term sustainability. You will challenge assumptions, lead architectural conversations and provide clear direction across the organisation. Technologies: API Architect Cloud Flow Support More: We are a nationally significant scientific and engineering organisation operating in one of the UKs most complex technical environments. As part of our long-term digital modernisation, we are moving away from legacy monolithic applications and building a cloud-based, service-oriented ecosystem to support our experimental workflows, data services and operational capabilities. This is a 12-month contract role starting ASAP, based near Oxford with 3-4 days onsite initially, and offering a competitive daily rate inside IR35. You will join an engineering-focused culture where your architectural leadership will have immediate impact and long-term strategic importance, helping shape the foundations of a mature, scalable and future-proof architecture. last updated 21 week of 2026