Senior Solutions Architect – Workplace, EUC & Networks
Posted 6 days ago
Location: UK based, hybrid working with occasional travel to Shivom and client locations
Employment Type: Permanent, Full Time
Salary: £70,000 to £95,000 per annum, depending on experience
Security Clearance: Applicants must either hold current Security Check (SC) clearance or be eligible to obtain SC clearance. Candidates without existing clearance must be willing to complete the required security vetting process as a condition of appointment.
About the role
Shivom Consultancy is looking for an experienced Senior Solution Architect – Workplace, EUC & Networks to join our growing architecture practice.
This is a senior architecture role focused on modern workplace, end user computing, enterprise connectivity and network services across complex technology environments.
You will help shape secure, resilient and scalable workplace and connectivity services, ensuring that identity, devices, networks, cloud platforms and enterprise applications operate as a coherent service ecosystem.
The role requires someone who combines strong technical depth with broad architectural judgement. You will work closely with enterprise architects, cyber security teams, cloud and platform teams, identity specialists, service management, engineering teams, product teams and technology suppliers.
You will also operate as a senior member of the architecture practice, providing peer review, technical leadership and support across wider architecture activities where required.
This role will support major UK public sector and enterprise transformation programmes within Shivom’s client portfolio.
What you will be doing
You will:
- Lead solution architecture across workplace, end user computing and enterprise network services.
- Define current, target and transition architectures for workplace, EUC and connectivity capabilities.
- Architect modern endpoint environments covering device enrolment, configuration, application deployment, compliance, patching and lifecycle management.
- Define architecture for modern workplace services, collaboration platforms and secure hybrid working.
- Design enterprise LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, internet connectivity, remote access and cloud connectivity solutions.
- Define Zero Trust and secure access architectures covering identity, devices, networks and applications.
- Design secure remote access patterns using Conditional Access, network segmentation, identity aware access and modern access technologies.
- Architect hybrid and cloud connectivity across on premises, cloud and shared enterprise services.
- Define network modernisation approaches covering LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, SD-WAN and secure internet access.
- Architect virtual desktop and cloud desktop services where appropriate.
- Ensure workplace, endpoint and network services are observable, measurable and operationally supportable.
- Promote automation and repeatability through Infrastructure as Code and modern configuration management practices.
- Work with security teams to ensure endpoint, network and access architectures meet security and compliance requirements.
- Define and assure non functional requirements including availability, resilience, performance, scalability, security, disaster recovery, maintainability and supportability.
- Develop solution visions, high level solution approaches and High Level Designs.
- Undertake architecture option assessments and make clear recommendations based on technical, operational, security and commercial considerations.
- Develop technology roadmaps covering future capability, transition states, dependencies, lifecycle and technical debt.
- Identify opportunities to simplify, consolidate and rationalise workplace, network and infrastructure services.
- Support legacy modernisation and technology lifecycle planning.
- Work with engineering and delivery teams throughout discovery, design, implementation and transition into live service.
- Review detailed technical designs and implementation approaches against agreed architecture.
- Identify architecture risks, dependencies and technical debt and recommend proportionate remediation.
- Prepare and present architecture decisions through technical governance and design authority forums.
- Maintain clear architecture documentation, technical decisions and supporting artefacts.
- Support service transition, operational readiness, capacity planning and resilience.
- Provide peer review and mentoring to other architects and technical specialists.
- Support architecture leadership and deputise for senior architecture colleagues when required.
Essential experience and skills
We are looking for strong experience across most of the following:
- Significant experience as a Solution Architect, Technical Architect, Infrastructure Architect or Enterprise Architect within complex enterprise environments.
- Strong architecture experience across modern workplace, end user computing and enterprise networks.
- Experience designing technology services for large or geographically distributed organisations.
- Strong understanding of Microsoft workplace technologies and enterprise endpoint environments.
- Strong understanding of enterprise LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi and connectivity architecture.
- Experience integrating on premises, cloud and shared enterprise services.
- Strong Microsoft Azure architecture knowledge.
- Good understanding of Microsoft Entra ID and the relationship between identity, devices, applications and access.
- Experience designing secure remote and hybrid working solutions.
- Experience with modern endpoint management, device lifecycle and enterprise configuration management.
- Experience designing modern endpoint management architectures using Microsoft Intune, Autopilot and associated Microsoft technologies.
- Strong understanding of Zero Trust architecture.
- Experience with enterprise Wi-Fi, WAN, SD-WAN and secure remote access architecture.
- Experience designing Azure and hybrid network connectivity.
- Understanding of SASE, SSE and Zero Trust Network Access approaches.
- Strong understanding of network security, segmentation and access control.
- Experience defining resilience, availability, performance and disaster recovery requirements.
- Experience applying Infrastructure as Code or automation principles to infrastructure or network environments.
- Experience designing monitoring, observability and operational support capabilities.
- Experience defining technology lifecycle, capacity and service transition requirements.
- Experience producing architecture artefacts including solution visions, HLDs, options assessments, roadmaps, architecture decisions and transition architectures.
- Experience working within technical governance, architecture review or design authority processes.
- Experience working across multiple delivery teams, business areas and technology suppliers.
- Ability to assess technical options and clearly articulate architectural trade offs.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non technical audiences.
- Ability to challenge constructively and make pragmatic architecture decisions that balance strategic direction with delivery needs.
Technology experience
Candidates do not need deep expertise in every technology listed below.
We are looking for strong depth across Workplace, EUC and Networks, combined with sufficient breadth across cloud, identity, security, automation and operational tooling.
Modern Workplace and EUC
Experience with several of the following would be beneficial:
- Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Intune
- Windows Autopilot
- Windows 10 and Windows 11 enterprise environments
- Microsoft Entra ID
- Conditional Access
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Teams Rooms
- Application packaging and deployment
- Endpoint configuration and compliance
- Device lifecycle management
- Windows 365
- Azure Virtual Desktop
- VDI technologies
- Mobile device management
- Enterprise endpoint security
- Secure remote and hybrid working
Networks and connectivity
We would expect strong understanding across areas such as:
- Enterprise LAN and WAN
- Enterprise Wi-Fi and wireless architecture
- Routing and switching
- SD-WAN
- Software Defined Networking
- Network segmentation
- Network Access Control
- 802.1X
- VPN and secure remote access
- Zero Trust Network Access
- SASE and SSE concepts
- Firewalls and network security
- DNS
- DHCP
- IP address management
- Load balancing
- Internet connectivity
- Cloud connectivity
- Azure Virtual Networks
- Azure ExpressRoute
- Azure VPN Gateway
- Private connectivity and private endpoints
- Hybrid cloud networking
Cloud, automation and engineering
Experience across several of the following would be useful:
- Microsoft Azure
- Azure DevOps
- GitHub
- Infrastructure as Code
- Terraform
- Bicep
- Configuration automation
- CI/CD principles
- Policy as Code
- Automated deployment and configuration of cloud and network services
You do not need to be a DevOps engineer, but you should understand how modern infrastructure and network services can be deployed, governed and maintained through repeatable automated patterns.
Monitoring and observability
Experience with several of the following would be advantageous:
- Azure Monitor
- Log Analytics
- Dynatrace
- Grafana
- Network monitoring platforms
- Endpoint health and experience monitoring
- Centralised logging
- Alerting and event management
- Performance monitoring
- Capacity monitoring
- Service health dashboards
- Operational telemetry
Architecture leadership
This is more than a specialist infrastructure architecture role.
You should be comfortable operating as a senior member of an architecture practice and able to:
- Support architecture leadership in setting technical direction.
- Coordinate architecture decisions spanning workplace, network, cloud, identity and security.
- Challenge proposed solutions constructively and pragmatically.
- Resolve architectural dependencies across teams and suppliers.
- Maintain alignment between strategic direction and practical delivery.
- Provide peer review and architecture assurance.
- Represent the architecture function with senior technical and business stakeholders.
- Mentor architects and technical specialists.
- Help improve architecture standards, patterns and ways of working.
- Support cross cutting architecture decisions beyond your immediate technical specialism.
- Step into broader architecture leadership responsibilities when required.
Our architecture approach
At Shivom, we place strong emphasis on:
- Reuse of common platforms and enterprise capabilities
- Simplification and convergence
- Modernisation of legacy technology
- Zero Trust principles
- Secure by design architecture
- Resilience and operational readiness
- Automation and repeatability
- Infrastructure as Code
- Observability and service health
- Technical governance
- Engineering aligned architecture
- Sustainable technology choices
- Effective collaboration across multiple suppliers and delivery teams
Our architects are expected to remain close to delivery while maintaining the wider enterprise perspective needed to avoid unnecessary duplication and short term technical decisions.
Desirable experience
It would be advantageous to have:
- Experience working within UK central government or another regulated public sector organisation.
- Existing SC security clearance.
- Experience designing workplace and network services for organisations with thousands of users.
- Experience supporting estates spanning multiple offices, operational locations or geographically distributed sites.
- Experience integrating organisational technology with centrally provided or group shared services.
- Experience of large scale workplace transformation.
- Experience with Windows device modernisation programmes.
- Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot architecture experience.
- Azure Virtual Desktop or Windows 365 architecture experience.
- Experience with Cisco, Aruba, Juniper, Fortinet or equivalent enterprise networking technologies.
- Experience with SD-WAN, SASE or Zero Trust Network Access platforms.
- Experience with enterprise Network Access Control technologies.
- Experience with network modernisation programmes.
- Experience of Zero Trust adoption.
- Experience with cloud migration or hybrid cloud transformation.
- Experience with Terraform or Bicep for infrastructure automation.
- Experience with Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Dynatrace, Grafana or equivalent observability platforms.
- Experience working within highly secure environments.
- Experience within complex multi supplier ecosystems.
- Experience with enterprise architecture tooling such as Ardoq, LeanIX, Sparx Enterprise Architect or equivalent.
- TOGAF or equivalent architecture certification.
- Microsoft Azure certification.
- Microsoft security or modern workplace certifications.
- Cisco, Juniper, Aruba or equivalent networking certifications.
Professional certifications are desirable rather than mandatory where equivalent practical experience can be demonstrated.
What success looks like
You will be successful when you can:
- Understand complex workplace, infrastructure and connectivity environments quickly.
- Define a clear and achievable architecture direction.
- Balance long term strategic objectives with immediate delivery needs.
- Understand how workplace, networks, identity, cloud and security interact as one service ecosystem.
- Identify opportunities to simplify and consolidate fragmented technology.
- Produce architecture that engineering and infrastructure teams can practically implement.
- Design secure and resilient solutions for large user populations.
- Build automation and repeatability into infrastructure architecture.
- Ensure monitoring and operational support are designed in from the outset.
- Identify resilience, security and performance issues early.
- Influence delivery teams and suppliers without creating unnecessary governance overhead.
- Make clear recommendations when faced with competing technical, business and commercial considerations.
- Build trusted relationships with technical teams, senior stakeholders and fellow architects.
- Provide leadership beyond your immediate technical specialism when required.
Security requirements
Applicants must either hold current Security Check (SC) clearance or be eligible to obtain SC clearance.
Candidates who do not currently hold SC clearance must be willing to complete the required security vetting process as a condition of appointment.
The successful candidate will be expected to work in accordance with applicable client and government security policies when undertaking assignments involving sensitive information or systems.
Working arrangements
This is a UK based hybrid role.
You should be comfortable working remotely while also attending Shivom offices, client locations and other UK sites where collaboration, delivery activities or security requirements make in person attendance appropriate.
The frequency of on site attendance may vary depending on the nature and stage of individual assignments.
Benefits
At Shivom, we want our people to build long term careers while working on meaningful and technically challenging programmes.
Our benefits package includes:
- Private medical insurance
- Critical illness cover
- Employer pension contribution
- Generous annual leave entitlement plus UK bank holidays
- Hybrid and flexible working arrangements, subject to client requirements
- Support for professional certifications and technical training
- Continuous professional development opportunities
- Access to architecture, cloud, security, data and engineering learning opportunities
- Support for maintaining and progressing professional and security clearances
- Career progression within Shivom’s architecture and technology leadership practice
- Opportunities to work on major UK public sector and enterprise transformation programmes
- Regular knowledge sharing, technical forums and architecture communities of practice
- Employee wellbeing support
- Company sponsored social and team events
- Employee referral opportunities
- Recognition and performance related reward opportunities
About Shivom Consultancy
Shivom Consultancy is a UK based technology consultancy specialising in architecture, cloud, data, security, software engineering and digital transformation.
We work with organisations delivering complex and business critical technology services, helping them modernise legacy estates, adopt cloud and digital platforms, strengthen cyber security and develop resilient, scalable technology capabilities.
Our architecture practice focuses on practical architecture that connects strategy with engineering. We believe architects should remain close to delivery, understand the operational impact of their decisions and help teams build sustainable technology rather than simply produce documentation.
You will join a growing architecture community with opportunities to work across workplace technology, networks, cloud, infrastructure, identity, security, data, integration and digital services.
Why join Shivom?
You will have the opportunity to shape modern workplace and connectivity services while developing your career within a growing architecture practice.
We combine the variety and technical challenge of consultancy with the opportunity to build longer term relationships with clients and delivery teams, influence architecture direction and see solutions progress from early design through implementation and live service.
Equal opportunities
Shivom Consultancy is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment.
We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
We will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process where required.
