Infrastructure Architecture & Lead Architect

RM plc; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An education technology provider in the United Kingdom is seeking a Lead Architect to manage their Infrastructure Architecture team. The candidate will ensure the quality of infrastructure designs and collaborate closely with technical architects. Ideal applicants will possess deep knowledge of Microsoft Azure and have prior experience in technical leadership roles. This position offers flexible working arrangements, competitive salary, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Private medical care

Life assurance

Competitive salary

Performance-related bonus

Qualifications

• Experience in a technical leadership role required.
• Deep knowledge of the Microsoft Azure ecosystem necessary.
• Experience designing complex distributed systems a must.

Responsibilities

• Manage Infrastructure Architecture team and provide mentorship.
• Deliver reference architectures for Azure infrastructure.
• Ensure designs are secure, scalable, and cost-effective.

Skills

Technical leadership

Microsoft Azure

Security concepts

Interpersonal skills

Gitlab CI/CD

Docker

Terraform

Ansible

Tools

Azure DevOps

Bash

Packer

Job description

Overview

Would you like to help enrich the lives of learners around the world?

At RM, we’ve been pioneers of education technology since 1973. We provide technology and resources to the education sector, supporting over 10 million students worldwide. We work with over 28,000 schools, nurseries, and education trusts in 115 countries to deliver customer‑centric solutions that improve education outcomes.

What we do helps learners at all stages of their lives, from preschool to higher education and professional qualification; we partner with schools, examination boards, central governments and other professional institutions to enrich the lives of learners.

RM Group operates through three businesses: Technology (Managed Services, Software and Infrastructure for Schools), Assessment (Software and Services) and TTS (Educational Resources).

Within the assessment market we are experts in providing solutions for online exam testing and marking and the management and analysis of educational data. We work with government ministries, exam boards and professional awarding bodies for high‑stakes assessment such as GCSEs, A‑Levels and professional qualifications. Each year, our software is used globally to conduct hundreds of thousands of on‑screen tests and to mark millions of paper‑based scripts. For over a decade we have been partnering with the world’s leading awarding bodies to deliver intuitive, secure and reliable e‑marking solutions.

Responsibilities

As lead architect, you will manage the Infrastructure Architecture team, providing guidance, mentorship and day‑to‑day management of the team’s workload and priorities.

You will be responsible for the quality of our infrastructure design, ensuring the highest standards, consistent patterns and a best‑of‑breed approach to infrastructure design. You will collaborate with Product Architects to challenge decisions and translate conceptual designs into tangible technical deliverables that meet business requirements with high availability and controlled costs.

Key responsibilities:

• Line management and mentorship of the Infrastructure Architecture team.
• Deliver reference architectures and reusable patterns for Azure infrastructure.
• Design secure, performant and supportable architectures for delivery by RM’s Infrastructure Engineering team.
• Ensure designs include observability, resilience, and security by design.
• Ensure designs are scalable, available, cost‑effective and provide cost reporting capabilities.
• Work with technical architects, development leads and project teams to align changes to infrastructure and processes with best practice and a customer‑led focus.

Experience

• Prior experience in a technical leadership role or similar capacity.
• Deep knowledge of the Microsoft Azure ecosystem.
• Solid understanding of Security, IAM, Networking, and Database concepts.
• Experience designing, understanding, and troubleshooting complex distributed systems.
• Experience producing HLDs/LLDs, architecture diagrams, and other documentation. Familiarity with standard project lifecycle processes.
• Time‑management skills: ability to understand business impact and prioritise tasks accordingly.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and alignment to RM’s core values: customer success, high standards, respect for others, innovation, openness and enjoyment at work.
• Excellent collaboration skills.
• Good working knowledge of Gitlab CI/CD, Azure DevOps, Docker, Terraform, Bash, Packer, Ansible.

What’s in it for you?

We provide flexible working options with My Work Blend @RM, allowing you to spend a proportion of your time working at locations that fit your role and life, including home, other offices, customer sites and more. Discuss arrangements with your potential line manager during recruitment.

In addition to a competitive salary and our core benefits package, which includes private medical care, life assurance, and a Group Personal Pension Plan, some roles are eligible for a performance‑related bonus. Voluntary benefits include additional annual leave, dental plan, health assessments and a cycle‑to‑work scheme. You may also earn a bonus for successfully referring a friend or family member.

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment. If you require additional support during the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.