Senior Solution Architect - Engine by Starling

Starling Bank is the UK’s first and leading digital bank on a mission to fix banking with more than 3,000 people in our UK offices and 4 MILLION customers in the UK! We built a new kind of bank because we knew technology had the power to help people save, spend and manage their money in a new and transformative way. Now we present… Engine by Starling.

Engine by Starling is Starling’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) business, the technology that was built to power Starling Bank, and over a year ago we split out as a separate business. We are on a mission to find and work with leading banks all around the world who have the ambition to build rapid growth businesses, on our technology.

This SaaS technology platform is now available to banks and financial institutions all around the world, enabling them to benefit from the innovative digital features, and efficient back-office processes that has helped achieve Starling's success.

At Engine by Starling, our technologists are at our very heart and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment that is all about building things, creating new stuff, and disruptive technology that keeps us on the cutting edge of fintech. We operate a flat structure to empower you to make decisions regardless of what your primary responsibilities may be, innovation and collaboration will be at the core of everything you do. Help is never far away in our open culture, you will find support in your team and from across the business, we are in this together!

The way to thrive and shine within Engine is to be a self-driven individual and be able to take full ownership of everything around you: From building things, designing, and discovering to sharing knowledge with your colleagues and making sure all processes are efficient and productive to deliver the best possible results for our customers. Our purpose is underpinned by five values: Listen, Keep It Simple, Do The Right Thing, Own It, and Aim For Greatness.

Hybrid Working

We have a Hybrid approach to working here at Engine - our preference is that you're located within a commutable distance of place of work in London, so that we're able to interact and collaborate in person. Supporting these activities on client sites means the role will require travel around Europe, and occasional further travel.

About the role

As a Solution Architect (SA) you will use your understanding of the Engine technology and architecture to explain the Engine product, uncover client requirements and support the design of client solutions.

You will be involved in both the sales and delivery phases of a project as well as ongoing client success, collaborating with teams across Engine in Technology, Delivery, Product, Client Success and Business Development.

What you'll get to do:

This role blends deep technical expertise with strong communication and collaboration skills. You'll become an Engine expert, understanding its architecture, technology, and functionality, allowing you to effectively communicate its capabilities and value to both technical and non-technical audiences.

You’ll lead on technical designs during the Engine implementation phase, building relationships with a variety of stakeholders within clients and SI partners such as their Engineering leads and Service Owners.

You will work closely with our clients and SI partners on the technical detail of implementing Engine, providing solutions to identified requirements and working with our Product and engineering teams to fulfil them. Your contributions will also extend to shaping Engine's product roadmap and supporting existing clients with additional capabilities to meet their strategic aims. You’ll help them maximise Engine’s current and future capabilities to solve their requirements and meticulously document scope and roadmap decisions to guide subsequent delivery waves, bringing in expertise from our Product Owners and engineering teams where required.

You will also be a technical champion for our existing clients, ensuring their ongoing success. This includes taking ownership of the technical aspects of client deliveries, collaborating closely with our SI partners to overcome challenges and achieve seamless integrations. You'll provide expert guidance to client engineering teams, using documentation, API specifications, and sequence diagrams to foster a deep understanding of Engine's architecture and functionalities. Additionally, you will collaborate closely with our Client Success team to troubleshoot technical issues, translate client needs into new technical requirements, and architect innovative solutions that enhance the Engine platform.

Requirements

Must Have:

• Experience of end-to-end software engineering / solution architecture across the software delivery lifecycle
• Experience with software service design and integration, such as RESTful APIs, OpenAPI specification and sequence diagrams
• Experience of cloud infrastructure and large-scale cloud applications
• Experience working in a client-facing role and building relationships with stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal communication and collaboration skills. Experience delivering complex messaging to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• You possess fluent English language skills, and are fluent in at least one relevant regional European language (ideally French or Spain)

Nice to Have:

• Experience relating to retail or business banking, core banking, card processing or payments.
• Experience of delivery and implementation of core banking or large-scale digital transformation programmes, application migration and solution integration
• Commercial acumen with experience of building business cases
• Experience in a SaaS organisation in a Client Solutions or Client Engineering role
• Knowledge of financial regulations around the world
• Speaking multiple european languages is a massive plus

About you:

• You have a focus on delivery and getting things done for a client
• You have the ability to work well with people from a variety of levels, roles and technical backgrounds
• You’re able to communicate clearly about technical subjects
• You’re comfortable working in a varied role, collaboratively in a team, with a flat structure
• You’re comfortable travelling nationally to our London office (initial upskilling will require a period of time working with our Engineers & Product team in London)
• You’re comfortable travelling internationally

Interview Process:

Interviewing is a two way process and we want you to have the time and opportunity to get to know us, as much as we are getting to know you! Our interviews are conversational and we want to get the best from you, so come with questions and be curious. In general you can expect the below, following a chat with one of our Talent Team:

• First Interview (45 mins) - Phone/Video call with existing Engine team members.
• Second Architecture Interview, including small presentation/system design (90 mins)
• Final Interview (60 mins)

Benefits

• 33 days holiday (including public holidays, which you can take when it works best for you)
• An extra day’s holiday for your birthday
• Annual leave is increased with length of service, and you can choose to buy or sell up to five extra days off
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Salary sacrifice, company enhanced pension scheme
• Life insurance at 4x your salary & group income protection
• Private Medical Insurance with VitalityHealth including mental health support and cancer care. Partner benefits include discounts with Waitrose, Mr&Mrs Smith and Peloton
• Generous family-friendly policies
• Incentives refer a friend scheme
• Perkbox membership giving access to retail discounts, a wellness platform for physical and mental health, and weekly free and boosted perks
• Access to initiatives like Cycle to Work, Salary Sacrificed Gym partnerships and Electric Vehicle (EV) leasing

You may be put off applying for a role because you don't tick every box. Forget that! While we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we're always open to discussion. So, if you're excited about working with us, but aren’t sure if you're 100% there yet, get in touch anyway. We’re on a mission to radically reshape banking – and that starts with our brilliant team. Whatever came before, we’re proud to bring together people of all backgrounds and experiences who love working together to solve problems.

Starling is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster diversity & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Starling are considered without regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. When you provide us with this information, you are doing so at your own consent, with full knowledge that we will process this personal data in accordance with our Privacy Notice.

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