Job Description

Become part of a mission‑driven team building secure, resilient platforms that safeguard the nation’s financial system. The Bank of England, in partnership with Inspire People, is seeking a Lead Solution Architect with regulatory data‑collection knowledge, Azure cloud capability and experience delivering complex data‑centric platforms to help deliver BEEDS 2.0 (Bank of England Electronic Data Submission portal). Based in Leeds on a 21‑month FTC with a salary of £72,320 – £81,360 (negotiable) plus an 8% cash benefits allowance, discretionary annual bonus of 10% to 25% and a generous non‑contributory pension.

About role
The Bank of England plays a vital role in maintaining the nation’s monetary and financial stability. BEEDS (the Bank of England Electronic Data Submission portal) is the secure online system that manages regulatory data submissions from banks, insurers and financial firms. As a Lead Solution Architect, you will support the design and delivery of a new data collection platform which will handle large volumes of structured and semi-structured data, ensuring it is securely ingested, validated and integrated into the Bank’s wider data environment.

You will be involved from discovery stages through procurement, design and into delivery. A key part of the role will be supporting vendor selection and shaping the target architecture, ensuring the chosen solution aligns with the Bank’s standards and integrates effectively with existing systems.

The role requires a understanding of data collection, ingestion and validation, alongside the ability to design end-to-end solutions across cloud environments. You will work closely with stakeholders across architecture, data, technology and the business, as well as external suppliers.

This is a hands-on architecture role where you will take ownership of the overall solution design, balancing technical decisions, governance and stakeholder requirements to deliver a secure and scalable platform.

As a Lead Solution Architect you will:

• Develop technology strategies, roadmaps and architectural artefacts (HLDs, blueprints, target states) that guide enterprise and regulatory platforms.
• Lead architectural governance, presenting at design forums and ensuring alignment with Bank‑wide standards.
• Shape secure data architectures across Azure services, including ingestion, validation, modelling and metadata design.
• Partner with stakeholders across Technology, Data, Policy and Delivery to influence decisions and provide thought leadership.
• Support procurement processes, vendor assessments and technical requirements across key programmes.

Essential skills for the Lead Solution Architect include:

• Strong Azure capability (ADLS, Databricks, App Services, identity and integration patterns)
• Knowledge of data collection and submission platforms
• Experience designing scalable, secure architectural artefacts and roadmaps including HLDs, blueprints and target states
• Strong understanding of data ingestion, validation, processing and integration
• Cloud architecture experience, with Azure preferred
• Strong API and integration design experience
• Understanding of data governance, lineage, traceability and data quality
• Experience producing architecture designs and working through governance and assurance
• Strong stakeholder management across technical, business and supplier teams

Desirable skills for the Lead Solution Architect include:

• Experience within financial services, regulatory or other highly regulated environments
• Knowledge of reporting and data standards such as XBRL, XML, JSON or SDMX
• Experience with Azure data services such as ADLS and App Services
• Experience with large-scale platform replacement or migration programmes
• Experience supporting procurement and supplier assurance

In return, you can expect a flexible working culture and benefits, including:

• Non‑contributory career‑average pension.
• 10% - 25% annual discretionary performance award based on a current award pool
• 8% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits.
• 25 days annual leave with option to buy up to 13 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Flexible start and finish times plus adaptable working patterns.
• Working‑from‑abroad policy (subject to approval).
• Inclusive culture that values diversity, wellbeing and development.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.
• Dental cover 
• Interest-free season ticket loan

Why Join?
You’ll work on a nationally significant regulatory platform that directly impacts the financial system.

• The role offers the chance to shape modern, cloud-based architecture within a complex organisation.
• You’ll handle complex data challenges, dealing with both structured and unstructured data.
• You’ll gain exposure to long-term, enterprise-wide transformation, working with senior stakeholders.

If you want to deliver technology that strengthens the UK’s financial stability and underpins critical national infrastructure, we’d love to hear from you. Apply on the link and one of the Inspire People team will be in touch.