Lead Software Architect

Job Title: Lead Software Architect

Salary: £68,600 to £91,700

Location: Cambridge, UK – Hybrid

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time, 35 Hours Per Week

Are you enthusiastic about shaping technology that delivers impact at scale?

As we continue to evolve our digital platforms to support learners, lecturers and researchers around the world, we are looking to appoint an experienced and motivated Lead Software Architect to join our Academic Technology group here at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

This is a fantastic opportunity to play a meaningful role in shaping the technical foundations of globally used digital products, ensuring they remain scalable, secure and fit for the future. 

About the role  

As Lead Software Architect, you will be accountable for owning the software architecture and engineering delivery across a product or platform vertical within our Academic Technology group.

Working at the intersection of solution architecture, product and engineering, you will translate solution designs and product priorities into well‑architected, shippable software, ensuring that technical direction is sound and delivery is sustained from planning through to production and live operation.

You will provide technical leadership across the full engineering lifecycle, including backend and frontend architecture, infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines and operational readiness. While this is not primarily a hands‑on coding role, it requires a strong engineering background and the ability to review code, challenge design decisions, unblock engineers and engage directly where it adds value.

A core aspect of the role is leading the adoption of AI‑enhanced engineering practices. You will shape how teams use AI‑assisted tooling across planning, development and quality assurance, focusing on responsible, practical use that measurably improves delivery quality, throughput and maintainability.

You will work closely with Solution Architects, Product Owners and UX colleagues to ensure requirements are technically feasible, well specified and correctly decomposed, acting as the key technical bridge between solution intent and engineering execution. 

Additional responsibilities and accountabilities: 

• Owning the software architecture for an assigned product or platform area, ensuring solutions support both current delivery and future scalability.
• Driving engineering delivery from planning through to production, translating solution designs into implementable engineering plans with clear scope, dependencies and sequencing.
• Providing technical leadership and direction to distributed engineering teams, including Far shore, near shore and contract resources.
• Removing technical blockers, making pragmatic trade‑off decisions and keeping delivery on track.
• Defining and upholding technical standards, patterns and engineering conventions.
• Leading the adoption of AI‑assisted software development practices and tooling across engineering teams.
• Owning operational readiness, including infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, monitoring and developer experience.
• Evaluating technology and tooling choices, including build‑vs‑buy decisions, with clear and defensible rationale.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition. 

About You  

As a senior software architecture or engineering leader, you will have a proven record of owning complex platforms or digital products end‑to‑end. You will be confident operating across technical and non‑technical audiences, bringing sound judgement, strong communication skills and a pragmatic approach to decision‑making.

You will have experience translating product and solution designs into engineering delivery, leading distributed teams, and balancing technical quality with delivery pace in complex environments.

If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply.

Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate experience in content platforms, education technology, modern web technology stacks, or introducing new engineering tools and practices.

For a detailed job description, refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site. 

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition. 

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for. 

Rewards and benefits  

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:  

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays 
• Private medical, Dental and Permanent Health Insurance  
• Discretionary annual bonus  
• Group personal pension scheme 
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary  
• Green travel schemes 

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.  

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 8th May. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place shortly after it closes.

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:   

• 2 questions to answer at the application stage with a CV.
• A 15-minute screening call with the Hiring Manager.
• First stage interview, in person (if possible) with senior engineering and product colleagues.
• Final stage interview: with Hiring Manager and Group Director, in-person at our offices in Cambridge.  

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. 

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.    

We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter. 

Why join us 

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers, and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society, and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration. 

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background. 

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.