Solution Architect

**Role: Solution Architect**

**Division: Assessment & Qualifications Delivery**

**Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India**

**About Pearson**: At Pearson we ‘add life to a lifetime of learning’ so everyone can realise the life they imagine. We do this by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. Our Purpose | Add Life to a Lifetime of Learning. Pearson was founded in 1844 and has been built on our ability to grow with and adapt to a constantly evolving market. Our 20,000+ employees are dedicated to creating the high-quality, digital-first, accessible and sustainable resources for lifelong learning.

**About UK Assessment & Qualifications**: We are responsible for the delivery of nearly 4 million examination results per annum, including A-Level, GCSE, BTEC and T-levels for students in UK and International centres. Our in-house systems process every learner from registration to marking and certification, in a highly regulated business. We currently operate a hybrid estate of predominantly bespoke systems, with an ongoing strategic transformation programme to migrate from on-prem to cloud based, cost effective, scalable, and resilient services.

**About the Job**

The position is for a Solution Architect, who is responsible for designing architectural solutions that align closely with current software development practices and organizational goals. Currently we are in the middle of a large programme to migrate our existing on-prem estate to AWS, and so designs are focused on this transformation, although there will be other projects coming along with a broader outlook, so being adaptable and open to learning new skills is essential.

This involves working with developers, project managers and SMEs to come up with the optimal design pattern for each project, as well as remaining hands-on during the project’s delivery phase to ensure that designs are being adhered to.

**About you**

This would suit a Solution Architect with a background in complex designs around transformation from legacy to cloud, and who is looking to work on fast moving projects. A strong background in software development is preferred and proven track record in delivering projects is required.

The role requires attendance at business-facing and technical senior stakeholder meetings to present and explain why designs have been chosen, so good communication & planning skills are essential, with the ability to put things into non-technical terms for the wider audience.

**Key Skills & Experience**
- Proven experience in architecting solutions, with a significant focus on collaboration with software development teams to implement best practices and current architectural standards.
- Establish governance on best practices for cloud usage. Work closely with development teams to address technical challenges, optimize cloud usage, and ensure adherence to cloud architecture standards.
- Proficiency in creating comprehensive technical specifications, system architecture diagrams, and other relevant documentation to guide the development and implementation process of cloud solutions.
- Hands-on experience in prototyping cloud solutions.
- Demonstrate strong capabilities in eliciting and analysing technical requirements beyond the initial draft. Work closely with stakeholders, including business users, product owners, and development teams, to understand the objectives and underlying business needs driving the cloud solution.
- Excellent Communication & Planning skills with the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
- A proactive and results-driven mindset, with a passion for keeping up-to-date with the latest cloud technologies and trends.
- Good conceptual design knowledge of:

- Cloud Technologies: A deep understanding of the various cloud computing models and cloud services offered by major cloud providers but especially AWS including AWS Aurora, API Gateway, ECS, DMS, DynamoDB, Lambda, Load Balancing, S3, SNS/SQS etc.
- Architectural Patterns: Proficiency in designing scalable, fault-tolerant, and highly available architectures. This includes knowledge of microservices, serverless computing, event-driven architectures, and distributed systems.
- Cost Management: Ability to manage and optimize cloud costs, including resource provisioning, rightsizing, and utilization tracking.
- AWS Solution Architect Certification

**Desirable Skills & Experience**
- Understanding of relational and NoSQL databases
- DevOps and Automation: Proficiency in DevOps practices and automation tools.
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
- Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing
- Experience with agile development methodologies, enabling collaboration, and iterative improvements.
- Knowledge of scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell) and automation tools to streamline cloud deployments and management tasks.
- Experience with IaC principles and tools (e.g., Terraform, AWS CloudFor