Solution Architect

Job Description
Job Title: Solution Architect (API Lab & Marketplace Focus)
Location: London/ Edinburgh
Job Type: Full-time
About Us:
At Lloyds Banking Group, we're helping Britain prosper by transforming the way
technology enables our customers, colleagues, and businesses. Through strategic
investment in digital platforms, cloud technologies, and modern engineering practices,
we're creating scalable, secure, and resilient services that power some of the UK's
most important financial journeys.
Within Lloyds Banking Group, the API Lab sits at the heart of our API and Digital
Services Platform. Our mission is to enable teams across the Group to discover, build,
deploy, and reuse high-quality APIs safely and at scale. We provide the products,
standards, and services that underpin our API ecosystem, helping engineering teams
accelerate delivery whilst meeting enterprise standards for security, resilience, and
governance. The API Lab is a key enabler of the Group's move towards a more federated
operating model, empowering platforms to innovate independently while maintaining
consistency and quality across the organisation.
The API Marketplace Team is responsible for one of the API Lab's flagship products:
the API Marketplace. Acting as the front door for API discovery and consumption across
the Group, the Marketplace enables colleagues to discover, reuse, and subscribe to
APIs exposed on Lloyds Banking Group's strategic gateways across both private and
public cloud environments. Our vision is to create a world-class digital marketplace
that drives API reuse, reduces duplication, accelerates time to market, and empowers
teams through self-service capabilities and federated ownership. We are continually
evolving the platform through innovations in discoverability, automation, cloud-native
architecture, AI-enabled experiences, and improved developer journeys, making it
easier than ever for teams to connect, collaborate, and deliver customer value.
Joining our team means working at the forefront of API strategy, cloud architecture,
platform engineering, and digital transformation—helping shape how thousands of
colleagues build and consume services across one of the UK's largest financial
institutions.
The Opportunity:
We are seeking an accomplished and visionary Solution Architect to join our dynamic
API Lab team. In this pivotal role, you will be accountable for all architectural decisions
related to our Marketplace platform, guiding its strategic development and ensuring
technology delivery aligns seamlessly with business priorities.
You will contribute in a high-performing team, driving innovation within an agile
environment to tackle complex and high-impact challenges. This role requires
strong deep technical expertise, and the ability to influence across all levels of the
organization and with external partners. You will play a key role in setting direction and
ensuring the successful delivery of architecturally significant outcomes for our APIdriven initiatives.
What You'll Do:
• Architectural Strategy: Accountable for all architectural decisions within
the API Lab's Marketplace platform, leading and mentoring a small team of
architects.
• Strategic Roadmaps & Delivery: Guide, challenge, and support product
and engineering teams in developing and delivering robust and future-proof
strategic roadmaps for the Marketplace.
• Business & Technology Alignment: Act as a key liaison between
business stakeholders and technology teams, ensuring solution delivery aligns
perfectly with business needs and priorities for the Marketplace.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build and nurture trusted relationships across
platforms, functions, and third-party vendors.
• Solution Shaping & Innovation: Leverage your insights to shape
innovative business propositions, influence vendor products, and foster
strategic industry partnerships to enhance our Marketplace offering.
• Technical Leadership: Drive architectural outcomes for a mid to large
organization, actively participating in and influencing architectural forums and
design reviews.
• Cloud Architecture Leadership (GCP Focus): Lead the design and share
implementation plan of cloud-native and hybrid cloud solutions, with a strong
emphasis on GCP (Google Cloud Platform) and its associated resources. While
Azure experience is a plus, a deep understanding of GCP concepts and best
practices is essential. You will clearly explain complex cloud concepts to diverse
audiences and facilitate their adoption.
• Modern API Strategy: Champion and implement robust REST API design
principles and best practices for the Marketplace and broader API ecosystem,
ensuring secure, scalable, and performant integrations.
• Emerging Technologies: Maintain a keen awareness of emerging
technologies, including GenAI, understanding their maturity, potential business
applications, and alignment with our long-term strategy for the Marketplace.
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation: Foster a culture of continuous
improvement and drive innovation within your domain and across the API Lab.
• Non-Functional Excellence: Design systems with a strong appreciation for nonfunctional considerations (e.g., performance, scalability, security, resilience,
sustainability) relevant to established, complex organizations with large
customer bases.
What You'll Need:
• Extensive Solution Architecture Experience: Proven breadth of
experience in solution architecture, specifically within an API-first
environment or digital platform context, with a focus on Marketplace
platforms or similar multi-tenant systems.
• GCP Cloud Expertise (Essential): Deep knowledge and hands-on
experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and its associated services (e.g.,
Compute Engine, Kubernetes Engine, Cloud Functions, Pub/Sub, BigQuery,
Cloud SQL, Cloud Storage, Apigee). Experience with Azure or AWS is desirable
but GCP is paramount. You can clearly articulate cloud concepts and guide
implementation.
• REST API Mastery (Essential): Strong expertise in designing, developing,
and managing RESTful APIs, including API security, versioning, documentation
(e.g., OpenAPI/Swagger), and API gateway solutions (e.g., Apigee).Extensive
experience designing, developing, governing, and scaling enterprise API
ecosystems. Strong expertise in RESTful API architecture, API security,
authentication and authorization patterns (OAuth2, OIDC, JWT, mTLS), API
versioning, lifecycle management, developer portals, API products, subscription
management, API analytics, Smart Docs, sandbox environments, certificate
management, and API gateway architectures.
. API Management Platform Experience (Essential):
Proven experience architecting and implementing enterprise API management
solutions using leading platforms such as Apigee, IBM API Connect, Kong
Konnect/Gateway, and Azure API Management. Deep understanding of API gateway
patterns, developer onboarding journeys, API productization, traffic management,
policy enforcement, security controls, monetization capabilities, and multi-cloud API
ecosystem architecture. Ability to evaluate, influence, and define enterprise API
platform strategies aligned to business and technology objectives.
• Modern Technology Landscape: Solid technology knowledge across key
areas such as:
o Domain-Driven Design (DDD)
o API and Event-Based Architectures
o Microservices
o Event-Driven Design
o Hybrid Cloud Deployment Models
o DevOps and CI/CD practices
o Modern Data Paradigms
o Cyber Security principles and "Security by Design"
o Resilience by Design
o Sustainability in technology architecture
• Collaborative & Influential: A strong team player with an open,
collaborative, approachable, and friendly style. Proven ability to build strong
relationships at all levels, break down barriers, and influence stakeholders
effectively.
• Exceptional Communication: Ability to use strong storytelling skills, both
written and verbal, when presenting complex technical recommendations and
strategies in line with business priorities.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset: Proven success in establishing a
culture of continuous improvement and driving innovation.
• Complex Organization Experience: Experience working in established,
complex organizations with large customer bases, demonstrating a strong
appreciation for non-functional considerations and how to design systems
accordingly.
Why Join Us?
• Be at the forefront of API innovation and digital marketplace development.
• Make a tangible impact on strategic initiatives.
• Work in an agile and collaborative environment, tackling challenging
problems.
• Access to continuous learning and professional development
opportunities.
• A comprehensive benefits package and a commitment to work-life
balance.
If you are a visionary Solution Architect with a passion for API-driven marketplaces,
deep expertise in GCP and REST APIs, and a desire to lead transformational
change, we encourage you to apply


Requirements
infrastructure