Solutions Architect

The Role of a Solutions Architect at Ryanair Labs

Ryanair Labs is the technology brand of Ryanair, Europe’s Largest Airline Group, currently expanding its operation to 800 aircraft and 300 million guests within the next 10 years. As a Solutions Architect/Principal Engineer, you will be joining a state-of-the-art digital & IT innovation hub dedicated to creating Europe’s Leading Travel Experience for our customers.

You will play a pivotal role in shaping our future by defining high-level system architectures and delivering best-in-class applications. This involves mapping out business processes, identifying system gaps, and pinpointing opportunities for automation and digitalization.

Key Responsibilities

• Define the high-level systems architecture and deliver best-in-class applications.
• Map out business processes and identify gaps and opportunities for automation/digitalization.
• Develop high quality, testable, and performant software using agile practices.
• Drive best technology and software development practices within the team with passion and enthusiasm.
• Collaborate with analysts and business stakeholders in shaping, estimating, and planning new requirements.
• Lead workshops with various stakeholders.
• Evaluate build-vs-buy options, assess vendor solutions, and support vendor selection and RFP processes, including technology evaluations and recommendations.
• Participate in regular showcases of new work to product owners and business stakeholders.
• Recommend integration approaches with enterprise platforms (e.g., HR, finance, procurement).
• Strive for continuous improvement within the team.
• Produce architecture documentation, data models, and system interface designs.
• Work with project management to create a roadmap and phased delivery plan.
• Guide development and integration teams during implementation.
• Design solutions with scalability and performance in mind, ensuring compliance with security, data protection, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the implementation and adherence to governance frameworks and standards.
• Mitigate risks by designing resilient, maintainable architectures with built-in Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) capabilities.

Requirements for a Solutions Architect

• 10+ years’ experience as a Software Engineer in large-scale enterprise or aviation-related projects.
• Experience working as a software architect or principal engineer.
• Expert knowledge in .NET or Java development.
• Excellent AWS knowledge.
• IT Bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Experience working on large applications and their underlying databases.
• Experience in system integration (APIs, middleware, data flows).
• Proven ability to come up with unique solutions to complex problems.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Drive technical excellence within engineering teams.
• Background in aviation, aerospace, or heavy engineering environments, knowledge of MRO systems (aircraft/engine maintenance, inventory, work package management) or familiarity with airline platforms would be a distinct advantage.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Discounted and unlimited travel to over 250 destinations.
• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme – Matched up to 5% or €5,000.
• Death in Service Benefit – Up to 2 times of annual basic salary.
• 20 Days Annual Leave – Increasing to 22 days after 12 months and 25 days after 3 years of continuous service.
• Option for up to 5 additional unpaid leave days per year.
• Cycle 2 Work Scheme.
• Unrivalled career progression.

Competencies

• Attention to Detail
• Creativity/Innovation
• Critical Thinking
• Decision Making/Judgment
• Dependability
• Communication

Key skills/competency

• Software Architecture
• .NET Development
• Java Development
• AWS Cloud
• System Integration
• Enterprise Platforms
• Agile Practices
• Stakeholder Management
• Scalability Design
• Aviation Domain