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Manchester, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Onsite
We’re looking for a Lead Solutions Architect to drive the architecture and evolution of our Marketing Technology (Martech) ecosystem. This is a high-impact role where you’ll shape the future of customer engagement, working at the intersection of digital experience, AI, and scalable cloud platforms. You’ll partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Business teams to define innovative, scalable, and future-ready solutions that support our strategic growth.
Own and evolve Martech architecture and product roadmaps, aligning with business strategy and enterprise architecture
Lead the design of scalable, integrated solutions across customer experience platforms, conversational AI, and automation
Collaborate with product teams, engineers, and business stakeholders to deliver seamless, customer-centric solutions
Drive alignment with enterprise architecture standards, governance, and technology roadmaps
Act as the technical authority, guiding teams through complex design decisions, risk mitigation, and solution optimisation
Evaluate new technologies, vendors, and platforms, contributing to build vs. buy decisions and long-term strategy
Support and enhance architecture governance and best practices across the organisation
Stay ahead of emerging Martech, AI, and cloud trends, bringing innovation into the business
Mentor engineers and architects, helping to build a high-performing, forward-thinking technology team
Significant experience in technology roles, including 3+ years as a Solutions/Technical Architect
Proven experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale Martech or customer experience platforms
Strong knowledge of:
Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or GCP)
Microservices, APIs, and modern integration patterns
DevOps and Agile/SAFe delivery models
Experience with Adobe ecosystem (e.g. Adobe Experience Cloud)
Hands-on expertise in conversational AI (e.g. Kore.ai) and intelligent automation
Strong understanding of architecture governance, risk management, and compliance
Experience in vendor selection, build vs. buy analysis, and ROI/TCO evaluation
Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence across both technical and business audiences
Work on cutting-edge Martech and AI-driven customer platforms
Play a key role in shaping enterprise-wide digital and customer experience strategy
Collaborate with high-performing product and engineering teams
Opportunity to lead architectural direction and influence senior stakeholders
Competitive salary + benefits + flexible working
Special Factors
Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position
This position is hybrid and would require you to be in our office 3 days per week.
Why Vanguard?
Vanguard is a different kind of investment company. It was founded in the United States in 1975 on a simple but revolutionary idea: that an investment company should manage its funds solely in the interests of its clients.
This is a philosophy that has helped millions of people around the world to achieve their goals with low-cost, uncomplicated investments.
It's what we stand for: value to investors.
Inclusion Statement
Vanguard’s continued commitment to diversity and inclusion is firmly rooted in our culture. Every decision we make to best serve our clients, crew (internally employees are referred to as crew), and communities is guided by one simple statement: “Do the right thing.”
We believe that a critical aspect of doing the right thing requires building diverse, inclusive, and highly effective teams of individuals who are as unique as the clients they serve. We empower our crew to contribute their distinct strengths to achieving Vanguard’s core purpose through our values.
When all crew members feel valued and included, our ability to collaborate and innovate is amplified, and we are united in delivering on Vanguard's core purpose: to take a stand for all investors, to treat them fairly, and to give them the best chance for investment success.
How We Work
Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.
