Lead Solution Architect (Contactless EMV)

Lead Solution Architect – Contactless EMV Salary: £62,500 - £87,500 Location: London – Hybrid Contract: Permanent Annual Leave: 30 Days + Excellent Benefits Closing Date: 23rd May 2025 Be Part of the Future of Rail The railway in Britain is undergoing its most significant transformation in a generation, and Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is at the heart of it. With the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), we're helping shape a new era of smarter, simpler, and more connected ticketing. RDG's Digital Ticketing Services (DTS) team leads innovation in smart ticketing, enabling fully interoperable digital solutions across the country. Our work helps Train Operating Companies (TOCs) deliver seamless journeys for millions of customers – now and into the future. About the Role Following the success of contactless 'tap and go' in a few UK cities, the government is now extending contactless EMV ticketing to 400 stations across the Midlands and the North. This role is at the heart of delivering the EMV Back Office for Rail – a major national initiative that will enable passengers to travel more seamlessly and pay effortlessly using contactless bank cards. As Lead Solution Architect, you'll be responsible for the end-to-end architecture of this system, integrating RDG platforms with payment schemes, industry partners, and future GBR systems. You'll ensure that the design supports the government's strategic ambition to expand contactless ticketing across Great Britain – creating a future-proofed, secure, and scalable national solution. Key Responsibilities - Lead the end-to-end solution architecture for your assigned ticketing domain - Create and maintain technical documentation including data flows, integrations and architecture definitions - Assess technical design options and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and policy - Collaborate with delivery teams, project managers and external suppliers to ensure successful implementation - Take ownership of the Architecture Definition Document and present solutions to governance boards - Ensure security, scalability, and interoperability of all solutions - Mentor and guide a team of Solution Architects and support their professional development - Contribute to the strategic roadmap and represent your domain at industry forums Requirements What We're Looking For We're looking for someone with strong technical leadership and domain expertise in digital ticketing. You'll need to balance technical depth with excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, and thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. Essential Skills & Experience: -AWS Certified Solution Architect (or equivalent experience) -TOGAF or similar architectural certification -Extensive experience leading technical architecture in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment -Strong experience with API gateway platforms and integration design -Knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS -Excellent written and verbal communication skills -Hands-on experience with architecture tools such as Visio, Lucidchart or Enterprise Architect -Track record of delivering scalable, secure, high-performance digital solutions

The railway in Britain is undergoing its most significant transformation in a generation, and Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is at the heart of it. With the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), we're helping shape a new era of smarter, simpler, and more connected ticketing. RDG's Digital Ticketing Services (DTS) team leads innovation in smart ticketing, enabling fully interoperable digital solutions across the country. Our work helps Train Operating Companies (TOCs) deliver seamless journeys for millions of customers – now and into the future.