Solutions Architect - AWS (We have office locations Cambridge, Leeds & London)
Company Description
Genomics England partners with the NHS to provide whole genome sequencing diagnostics. We also equip researchers to find the causes of disease and develop new treatments – with patients and participants at the heart of it all.
Our mission is to continue refining, scaling, and evolving our ability to enable others to deliver genomic healthcare and conduct genomic research.
We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody.
Job Description
As a highly proven AWS Enterprise Solution Architect, you will be a responsible for defining our AWS Cloud Strategy in conjunction with other infrastructure architects, solution architects and AWS.
You will be a key member of our team creating the GEL Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE) and evolving our Platform as a Service offering across both our cloud and on-premise estate. This role sits within the leadership team of the Scalable Tech Service and underpins our Healthcare and Research services.
Your previous roles will include having designed and implemented large-scale, high-end cloud computing services ideally including high-performance compute (HPC), large-scale complex data storage (petabyte scale) and integration with an equally complex on-premise estate.
You will have extensive knowledge of AWS services, good knowledge of on-premise infrastructure and ideally knowledge of other cloud service providers. You may have previously worked under a variety of different job titles within engineering and/or architecture, and you will have worked in a variety of organisational contexts. Whatever your past experience, it will have given you both technical breadth and depth.
About our Tech Stack - We currently use a wide range of AWS services but are focussed on those that support the specific requirements of genomics e.g. FGPA Servers (DRAGEN) both on-premises and in AWS, as well as standard HPC Compute nodes both on-premises and in AWS (c7i) and AWS HealthOmics sequence store. We use IBM LSF for our workload management currently.
Key Responsibilities:
· Lead the design and implementation of AWS-based architectures, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards, regulatory requirements and best practice.
· Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define cloud adoption strategies, migration plans, and operational models.
· Architect solutions that integrate AWS solution with a complex on-premise estate, including high-performance compute (HPC) and petabyte-scale storage.
· Contribute to the development of reusable architecture patterns and engineering “Golden Paths” to streamline delivery and improve developer enablement.
· Provide architectural oversight for major programmes.
· Support the establishment and scaling of the Cloud Centre of Excellence, including AWS Landing Zone design and governance.
· Foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement.
· Work as an Infrastructure Architect within Scalable Tech and externally with Healthcare and Research teams - consisting of Product Managers, Squad Engineers, Bioinformaticians, Data Scientists and other subject matter experts to continuously evolve a roadmap for change.
· Be the leader and subject matter expert with a complete view AWS solution architecture.
· Working in a Hybrid environment, collaborate with other architects and engineers to create the best overall solution.
Essential Skills and Experience:
· Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale AWS solutions in a hybrid compute environment.
· Deep understanding of AWS services, including networking, security, compute, and storage.
· Experience with hybrid cloud environments and integration with legacy systems.
· Broad experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code.
· Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
· Ability to assess and mitigate security risks in cloud environments.
· Detail orientated with strong technical documentation skills.
· Strong interpersonal skills with a temperament that builds trust and connection within and across squads through open, honest communication.
· Comfortable engaging responsively with teams both remotely and in person when required.
· Ability to navigate rapidly to effective solutions through engaged and inclusive listening, clarity of thought, clear documentation, and succinct presentation.
· Experience shaping and guiding architectural choices, both tactical as well as long-term architectural strategy and direction.
Desirable Skills and Experience:
· Experience of working in a Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCoE).
· Experience in AWS Platform as a Service (PaaS) or AWS as a product.
· Experience in healthcare, genomics, or research domains.
· AWS certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional).
· TOGAF Certification or equivalent
· Certification in related technology such as Ansible, Terraform Certification etc.
Qualifications
While we recognise the value of relevant qualifications or certifications, we are primarily interested in your real-world, hands-on experience.
Additional Information
Salary from: £93,500
Closing Date: Monday 18th August at 23:00 (UK time)
Being an integral part of such a meaningful mission is extremely rewarding in itself, but in order to support our people, we’re continually improving our benefits package. We pride ourselves on investing in our people and supporting them to achieve their career goals, as well as offering a benefits package including:
- Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, additional leave for long service, and the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
- Family-Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
- Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double-matches up to 10%, however you can contribute more if you wish), Life Assurance (3x salary), and a Give As You Earn scheme.
- Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
- Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
- Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.
Equal opportunities and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace
Genomics England is actively committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion best practice both within our community and in any other area where we have influence. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of any disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background.
Genomics England’s policies of non-discrimination and equity and will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently becoming a parent, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, whether full or part-time or employed under a permanent or a fixed-term contract or any other relevant factor.
Genomics England does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or bullying at work. Such behaviour is contrary to our virtues, undermines our mission and core values and diminishes the dignity, respect and integrity of all parties. Our People policies outline our commitment to inclusivity.
We aim to remove barriers in our recruitment processes and to be flexible with our interview processes. Should you require any adjustments that may help you to fully participate in the recruitment process, we encourage you to discuss this with us.
Blended working model
Genomics England operates a blended working model as we know our people appreciate the flexibility that hybrid working can bring. We expect most people to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month. However, this will vary according to role and will be agreed with your team leader. There is no expectation that people will return to the office full time unless they want to, however, some of our roles require full time on site attendance e.g., lab teams, reception team.
Our teams and squads have, and will continue to reflect on what works best for them to work together successfully and have the freedom to design working patterns to suit, beyond the minimum. Our office locations are: Canary Wharf, Cambridge and Leeds.
Onboarding background checks
As part of our recruitment process, all successful candidates are subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We therefore require applicants to disclose any previous offences at point of application, as some unspent convictions may mean we are unable to proceed with your application due to the nature of our work in healthcare.
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For more information about the organisation please view our Genomics England Insights and Welcome Pack.
