Solutions Architect (Network Automation & Connectivity)

Job Title: Solutions Architect (Network Automation & Connectivity)

Duration: Until 31/12/2026

Workload: Full time hours

Setup: Day rate contract (inside IR35)

Location: London

We are seeking an experienced Solutions Architect to design and deliver enterprise‑grade network automation and connectivity solutions aligned to strict architecture, security, and operational standards.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the single point of contact for solution architecture across assigned IT projects.
• Produce high‑quality end‑to‑end solution designs covering business process, data, application, infrastructure, and security.
• Own high‑level design from concept through deployment, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture and technology direction.
• Review and approve detailed designs from designers and business analysts.
• Drive Security by Design and Privacy by Design, ensuring GDPR and regulatory compliance.
• Contribute to reference models and architecture governance, including review boards.
• Evaluate tools and vendors, ensuring data model and service integration.
• Coach delivery teams on architecture standards and best practices.

Must‑Have Skills:

• 7–10 years’ IT experience with strong stakeholder engagement skills.
• Deep networking expertise (Routing, TCP/IP, SSL).
• AWS and Azure cloud networking (VPC/VNET, VPN, Transit Gateway, virtual firewalls).
• Network automation using Ansible, APIs, GitHub, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Smart inventory tooling (e.g. NetBox) integrated with automation workflows.
• Identity and authentication (SAML, PingID, Entra ID).

Nice‑to‑Have:

• Cisco data centre design knowledge.
• Aruba ESP (Central, ClearPass, Wireless).
• Experience contributing to enterprise reference architectures.