Lead Solutions Architect  

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water: 

• We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience (up to £95,000).
• A company car lease/allowance scheme (£600 per month/£7,200 per year, based on full-time employment on joining the company).  You can opt to sign up to the EV Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme 6 months after joining the company.  
• Annual incentive related bonus (up to 15% of annual salary, increasing to 20% in the 26 to 27 performance year). 
• Private health care (Self and partner, if applicable)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution) 
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary 
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus 2 extra wellness days! 
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.  
• Retail savings scheme  
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more! 

Location: This role will initially be based in Bradford but we’re moving our office to Leeds Valley Park in summer 2026, so you’ll be based there in the future - Hybrid Working (2-3 days> office a week – Bradford/Leeds)

Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Lead Solutions Architect to join the Technology team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity. 

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. The Technology function are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in Yorkshire Water’s technology transformation journey. You'll have the chance to build and lead a highly skilled architecture team, influence strategic business decisions, and shape the technology landscape that supports millions of customers across the region.

Where you fit in:

As our Lead Solutions Architect you will:

• Shape and build Yorkshire Water’s Solutions Architecture function, creating and leading a high-performing team of Solution Architects across Applications, Security, Data, Operational Technology (OT) and Infrastructure.
• Define and drive the vision, strategy and roadmap for Solution Architecture, ensuring the function is positioned to support both current priorities and future transformation goals.
• Attract, recruit and nurture exceptional architectural talent, proactively building capability through workforce planning, succession management and targeted development.
• Inspire and develop your team through coaching, mentoring and leadership, creating an environment where people can thrive, grow and perform at their best.
• Champion architectural excellence by embedding best-practice frameworks, standards and governance, using methodologies such as TOGAF to deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes.
• Act as the Lead Architect for major business and technology transformation programmes, providing clear direction, leadership and architectural assurance.
• Bring together multi-disciplinary architecture teams to solve complex business challenges, ensuring alignment and collaboration across application, technology, infrastructure and data domains.
• Work closely with Enterprise Architecture to ensure technology decisions, investments and initiatives align with Yorkshire Water’s long-term strategy and objectives.
• Stay ahead of emerging technology trends, identifying opportunities to leverage innovation and translating industry developments into tangible business value.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with business stakeholders, understanding their priorities and translating them into practical, scalable and future-focused technology solutions.
• Design architectures that strike the right balance between strategic ambition and practical delivery, maximising value while ensuring successful implementation.
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships with third-party providers to enhance capability, provide independent assurance and bring valuable market insight.
• Collaborate closely with delivery teams to ensure solutions are implemented in line with architectural principles, standards and agreed designs.
• Establish and maintain robust governance and assurance processes, ensuring quality, consistency and compliance throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Serve as a trusted technology advisor, influencing key decisions and helping shape the future technology landscape of Yorkshire Water.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Proven experience leading and inspiring architecture teams, creating a shared vision and delivering successful outcomes across complex technology environments.
• A strong track record of building and bringing together the right teams to solve complex architectural challenges and deliver business value.
• Experience identifying, managing and reducing technical debt, ensuring solutions remain scalable, sustainable and aligned to long-term strategy.
• Strong architectural expertise with the ability to tackle complex challenges both hands-on and through the leadership of others.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to communicate effectively and build credibility at all levels, including senior leaders and executives.
• Practical experience applying architectural frameworks and methodologies, with the judgement to adapt approaches to suit different business needs.
• Experience establishing, growing and recruiting for architecture functions, developing high-performing and engaged teams.
• The ability to create clear, high-quality and visually engaging architectural artefacts, strategies and roadmaps.
• To have a broad technical knowledge across applications and technology landscapes, with a strong understanding of how technology enables business outcomes.
• An inspiring leadership style, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and a positive, proactive "can-do" attitude.
• A passion for coaching, mentoring and developing others, with the ability to unlock potential and help individuals and teams achieve more.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy! Do we sound like your cup of tea?   

If you’ve got experience in leading and inspiring architecture teams and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.   

Advert closing date is the 9th July 2026.

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.
All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required. Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

No agencies please.