Job Title: Solution Lead 

Salary: £65,300 - £87,350 

Location: Cambridge/Hybrid  

Contract: Permanent  

Join Cambridge University Press & Assessment as a Solution Lead to design, develop, and implement IT solutions. This role requires technical expertise, leadership, and strategic thinking. Be part of a top academic publisher and assessment organisation.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

About the Role 

As a Solution Lead, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and implementing comprehensive IT solutions that align with our business strategies. You will guide initiatives from conception to completion, ensuring they are scalable, secure, and cost-effective. You will nurture and lead a diverse team of Development Leads, DevOps Leads, Technical Leads, QA Leads, and SRE Leads, with approximately 5+ direct reports with possible indirect reports.  

Key Responsibilities: 

• Architect and Design Solutions: Lead the design and architecture of IT solutions in collaboration with solution architects. 
• Requirement Analysis: Gather and analyse requirements from stakeholders, translating them into technical specifications. 
• Promote Best Practices: Encourage innovation and efficiency by promoting best practices in solution design and development. 
• Stay Updated: Keep abreast of the latest industry trends and technologies, integrating them into our solutions where appropriate. 
• Team Management: Oversee recruitment, training, performance management, and other HR activities for your team, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. Development of team members (e.g. upskilling/re-skilling on newer technologies) 
• Collaboration: Work closely with other Solution Leads, Delivery Leads, Enterprise and Solution Architects as well as Senior Leadership for technical guidance and transformational activities.  Working within and developing Guilds for other solution leads. 

About You 

• Technical Expertise: 10+ years in a technology role or equivalent degree and previous line management.  Proficient in cloud migration, API integrations and / or AI certifications. 
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to foster effective relationships with delivery leads, project managers, and a wide range of stakeholders. 
• Problem-Solving Skills: Innovative problem-solving abilities and meticulous work delivery. 
• Leadership Skills: Strong leadership skills, including recruitment and performance management. 
• Industry Experience: Extensive professional IT industry experience, with proficiency in Agile methodologies. 
• Partner Management: Experience managing partners and third-party relations. 
• Take Accountability: Takes accountability for their delivery, whilst enablers others and driving success of delivery through our people. 

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 and Permanent Health Insurance  
• Discretionary annual bonus  
• Group personal pension scheme 
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary  
• Green travel schemes  

We are a hybrid working organisation, and we offer a range of flexible working options from day one. We expect most hybrid-working colleagues to spend 50%-60% of their time at their dedicated office or location. We will also consider other work arrangements if you wish to work more flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability. 

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.  

We review applications on an ongoing basis, with a closing date for all applications being 14th February although we may close it earlier if suitable candidates are identified. Interviews are scheduled to take place shortly after the campaign closes.

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

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. 

Why join us 

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's 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's 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.  

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