Solution Architect

About Engine by Starling

Starling Bank, the UK's first and leading digital bank, is on a mission to redefine banking with over 3,000 employees and 4 million UK customers. Built on a foundation of technology to transform how people save, spend, and manage money, we now introduce Engine by Starling.

Engine by Starling is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business, leveraging the same technology that powers Starling Bank. Having spun out as a separate entity over a year ago, we aim to partner with leading banks worldwide that aspire to build rapid growth businesses using our innovative platform. This SaaS technology platform offers global banks and financial institutions the innovative digital features and efficient back-office processes that have been instrumental in Starling's success.

Our technologists are at the core of Engine by Starling, thriving in a fast-paced environment focused on creation, disruption, and cutting-edge fintech. We operate with a flat structure, empowering individuals to make decisions. Innovation and collaboration are fundamental to everything we do, with ample support available across teams in our open culture – we truly are in this together! To excel at Engine, you must be self-driven, taking full ownership from building and designing to knowledge sharing and ensuring efficient processes to deliver exceptional customer results. Our purpose is guided by five values: Listen, Keep It Simple, Do The Right Thing, Own It, and Aim For Greatness.

Hybrid Working

Engine embraces a Hybrid working approach. Our preference is for you to be located within a commutable distance of our Sydney CBD office, facilitating in-person interaction and collaboration.

About The Role

As a Solution Architect (SA), you will leverage your deep understanding of Engine's technology and architecture to articulate the product's value, gather client requirements, and facilitate the design of tailored client solutions.

This role spans both the sales and delivery phases of projects, as well as ongoing client success, requiring close collaboration with Engine's Technology, Delivery, Product, Client Success, and Business Development teams.

Supporting these activities often involves working on client sites, necessitating travel across Australia and New Zealand, with occasional further international travel.

What You'll Get To Do

• This role combines profound technical expertise with strong communication and collaboration abilities. You will become an Engine expert, comprehending its architecture, technology, and functionality, enabling you to effectively convey its capabilities and value to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• You will lead technical designs during the Engine implementation phase, cultivating relationships with various client stakeholders and SI partners, including their Engineering leads and Service Owners.
• You will work closely with our clients and SI partners on the technical specifics of implementing Engine, devising solutions for identified requirements, and collaborating with our Product and engineering teams to fulfill them.
• Your contributions will also extend to influencing Engine's product roadmap and assisting existing clients with additional functionalities to achieve their strategic goals. You'll help them maximize Engine's current and future capabilities to meet their needs and meticulously document scope and roadmap decisions to guide subsequent delivery waves, bringing in expertise from our Product Owners and engineering teams as needed.
• You will also serve as a technical champion for our existing clients, ensuring their continuous success. This involves taking ownership of the technical aspects of client deliveries, closely collaborating with our SI partners to overcome challenges and achieve seamless integrations. You'll provide expert guidance to client engineering teams, utilizing 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.

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

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 (30 mins)

Benefits

• 25 days holiday. You'll also get your birthday on us
• The option to opt-out of public holidays
• The option to buy/sell up to 5 days of annual leave a year
• 16 hours paid volunteering time a year
• Enhanced Pat & Mat leave
• Perkbox
• Length of service increased annual leave

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.

Engine by 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 Engine by 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. By submitting your application, you agree that Engine by Starling and Starling Bank will collect your personal data for recruiting and related purposes. Our Privacy Notice explains what personal information we will process, where we will process your personal information, its purposes for processing your personal information, and the rights you can exercise over our use of your personal information.

Key skills/competency

• Solution Architecture
• Software Engineering
• Cloud Infrastructure
• Client Engagement
• RESTful APIs
• OpenAPI Specification
• System Design
• Fintech Innovation
• SaaS Delivery
• Stakeholder Management