Solutions architecture
Solutions architecture (or sometimes ‘SA’) is a business function that bridges the gaps between
an organisation’s day-to-day or project-based requirements and its use of technology, products
and services.
What are solutions architects?
Solutions architects often work alongside enterprise architects and IT
architects and have skills and responsibilities linked to both roles: namely, the general business
strategising aspect of enterprise architecture and the data and technological elements of IT
architecture. They use these skills to solve problems and help businesses grow.
With a great solutions architect as part of your team, you’ll be ready to:
● Align technologies to your business’s needs
● Bridge communication gaps between technical and non-technical team members
● Accurately predict the costs and time demands of technology projects
● Better understand the risks and challenges of your plans and actions
● Enable quicker, more cost-efficient growth in your business
The state of the market now
The value of solutions architecture as a function is undeniable but great talent can be hard to
find, like in any STEM field.
According to the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), 89% of STEM sector employers
found it difficult to recruit staff with the required skills in 2021. That equates to an average
shortfall of ten unfilled roles for every business.
But the perfect solutions architect talent for your business is out there.
The candidate pool
Although the market is concentrated heavily in London and the South East (11K candidates),
the recent rise of remote and flexible working means the wider UK pool of 20,000 candidates is
more accessible than it’s ever been.*
With around 500 live positions available at the time of writing, competition among hirers is
strong. This can impact expectations around salary and benefits.
Experience levels
Experience levels in the pool are varied, too. Just over half (53%) of candidates have 8+ years of
experience in the field, but the fact that 27% have 0-3 years behind them shows that fresh
talent is coming in to meet rising demand. This is encouraging news for businesses with early
careers talent nurturing strategies.
Salary expectations
Salaries for solutions architects range from £70k to £137k across the UK, and as with similar
roles, you can expect to pay the upper range for more experienced talent.
Transferable skills
Alternatives to hiring a solutions architect could be to nurture talent from within or bring talent
with transferable skills in to learn from more senior staff.
Among the titles that typically have SA skills are:
● Infrastructure engineer
● AWS developer
● DevOps engineer
● Information security engineer
● IT manager
● Infrastructure architect
● Security architect
● Business Analyst
The job’s nature means most solutions architects will work closely with other departments,
from senior management to customer service and sales teams, so communication skills are just
as important as technical and strategic abilities.
Parity is here to help you
More than a catch-all recruitment company, Parity builds networks of in-demand talent to
solve your most important technology-related challenges.
As experts in technology, transformation, data and digital, with a history spanning more than
45 years, we understand the value a solutions architect can bring to your business.
We also know that for you to get the most value from your hiring investment, you need access
to the market’s best talent.
How Parity can help
Parity helps you identify, attract, retain and grow your talent:
● Provide talent insights and market intelligence to help you make key strategic decisions
- such as where to grow or who to hire to achieve your objectives
● Create an honest, representative Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to better retain
and expand your teams
● Deliver a talent marketing strategy to build your brand and reduce time to hire
● Recruit solutions architects via our talent pipeline
A solutions architect can seem like a costly hire. Even more so if it’s new territory for your
business. But get it right and this kind of talent can be transformational in any sector – not just
tech.
*Data from March 2022, Horsefly Analytics.
