Inside IR35 | Solution Architect (Audit Phase)

Duration: Initial 15 days (with scope to extend up to 12 months)
Day Rate: £500-£550 (Inside IR35)
Location: Fully remote (UK-based contractors only)
Sector: Healthcare/Data & Systems Audit

We're looking for an experienced Solution Architect to support a leading UK healthcare client through an architecture and systems audit. This short initial engagement (approx. 15 days) will assess their current technology landscape and set out the governed runway for a Phase 2 delivery programme. There's strong potential for this to evolve into a 12-month engagement focused on remediation and solution delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead architectural discovery across systems, integrations, data flows, and dependencies.
• Document current-state architecture and define target-state options, balancing trade-offs in security, scalability, and operability.
• Establish NFR baselines (availability, performance, resilience, observability, RTO/RPO, and cost).
• Define and document security architecture posture (Entra ID/OIDC, encryption, key management, network zoning, data protection).
• Produce a high-level design (HLD) with C4 diagrams, threat model (eg, STRIDE), privacy/data handling assessment, and decision logs (ADRs).
• Build the "architecture runway" for Phase 2, with principles, patterns, guardrails, and estimated remediation effort.

Deliverables (by end of the audit)

• HLD with current vs target C4 diagrams.
• Threat model and NFR catalogue with measurable acceptance criteria.
• Architectural risk/assumptions/issues log and ADRs.
• Option analysis with cost/benefit and effort estimates.
• Phased roadmap, integration inventory, and high-level data lineage.

This role suits a hands-on architect comfortable operating in regulated environments, with strong analytical and documentation skills to guide strategy before build