Principal Software Architect

Job Summary

SPX Technologies builds innovative HVAC and Detection and Measurement solutions. Through its RiSE talent development framework, the company supports employees’ development. As part of Detection and Measurement, Radiodetection leads the design and development of equipment and software used by utility companies to protect underground infrastructure networks.

How you will make an Impact (Job Summary)

SPX is a diverse team of unique individuals who all make an impact. As an experienced and pragmatic Principal Software Architect you will define and drive the technical vision for our evolving software ecosystem, shaping how our hardware and firmware platforms integrate with cloud, mobile, and desktop applications.

The Principal Software Architect will serve as the focal point for architectural direction, system design principles, and technology strategy. Working closely with domain leads, the Software Program Manager, and the Global Software Manager, you will ensure architectural intent translates into practical, deliverable outcomes. The position combines strategic leadership with hands‑on technical validation, defining long‑term architectural direction and validating ideas via lightweight prototyping and experimentation where required.

Job Responsibilities

1. Architecture Vision & System Design

Define and evolve a clear end‑to‑end architecture across firmware/device layer, cloud platform, and mobile/desktop applications. Own target system architecture and design principles, system boundaries and interaction models, and integration patterns across domains. Ensure the architecture supports scalability, maintainability, product evolution across multiple device variants, and alignment with long‑term business and product strategy.

2. Technology Strategy & Standards

Define and maintain a coherent technology strategy across the software organisation.

• Establish an aligned technology stack across cloud, mobile, desktop, and firmware.
• Ensure choices reflect industry best practices, team capability and constraints, and long‑term sustainability.

Work collaboratively with domain leads to evaluate trade‑offs, agree practical adoption paths, and avoid unnecessary fragmentation.

3. Architectural Governance & Decision Authority

Act as the accountable owner for architectural integrity across the organisation.

• Review and sign off major design decisions.
• Define and enforce architectural standards and guardrails.
• Ensure consistency across teams without blocking delivery.

Where conflicts arise, drive resolution with domain leads and escalates when required. Pragmatic flexibility is expected: allow justified exceptions, capture deviations as technical debt, or feed them into architectural evolution.

4. Current State Assessment & Transformation Roadmap

Build a clear understanding of the current software landscape and define a path forward. Deliver documented view of current architecture and technology stack; identified gaps, risks, and constraints; target architecture aligned to business and product direction; migration and/or retirement proposals for legacy systems. Ensure transition plans are realistic, incremental, aligned with delivery priorities, and understood by engineering and product teams.

5. Cross‑Domain Alignment & Delivery Support

Support effective delivery by ensuring system‑level clarity across teams.

• Work closely with the SW Program Manager for cross‑team coordination and dependencies.
• Collaborate with Product Owners to ensure system‑level intent is clear before development.

Clarify system‑level behaviour and constraints, define cross‑platform interactions early, and reduce late‑stage integration issues. This role does not own delivery execution but enables it through clarity and alignment.

6. Hands‑On Prototyping & Technical Validation

Validate architectural ideas through practical experimentation.

• Build lightweight proofs of concept where needed.
• Use modern tooling, including AI‑assisted development, to accelerate validation.
• Test feasibility of new technologies and patterns before wider adoption.

This role goes beyond documentation and ensures ideas work in practice.

7. Communication & Influence

Communicate architectural concepts clearly across all levels of the organisation.

• Engage with executive stakeholders, engineering leadership, technical leads, and engineers.
• Translate complex ideas appropriately for each audience and ensure decisions are understood and adopted.
• Gather and incorporate feedback actively.

Key Boundaries

• The Principal Software Architect does NOT own backlog creation or write user stories, own sprint execution, act as a project or program manager, or replace domain technical leadership.
• The Principal Software Architect DOES own system‑level architecture and design principles, architectural decision‑making and governance, and enable delivery through clarity, not control.

Authority & Escalation

• Accountable for architectural decisions and standards.
• Expected to challenge and guide domain teams constructively.
• Resolve directly with domain leads where possible; escalated conflicts go to the Global Software Manager.

Success Measures

• Clear, adopted target architecture across domains.
• Reduced integration issues and late‑stage surprises.
• Consistent and aligned technology choices.
• Improved system coherence across firmware, cloud, and applications.
• Visible reduction in architectural ambiguity.
• Progress on legacy system simplification.

What Good Looks Like

• Architectural decisions are understood, adopted, and followed.
• Teams build in alignment rather than diverging.
• Trade‑offs are explicit and well managed.
• The architect is visible, engaged, and proactive.
• The role accelerates delivery rather than slows it down.

What we are looking for (Experience, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education)

Required Experience

• 15+ years of software engineering experience, with significant time in architectural roles.
• Proven designing distributed systems across cloud and application layers.
• Strong experience with at least one major cloud platform (Azure, AWS, or GCP), ideally across multiple.
• Experience integrating hardware or embedded systems with cloud‑based platforms.
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture patterns and best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams.
• Excellent communication skills across both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Preferred Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience in hardware‑software or IoT environments.
• Exposure to mobile and SDK‑based architectures.
• Experience modernising or migrating legacy systems.
• Familiarity with AI‑assisted development approaches.
• Track record of delivering pragmatic, implementable architecture (not just conceptual design).

Travel & Working Environment

• Hybrid role with strong on‑site presence expected (typically 3 days per week in Bristol).
• High level of engagement with engineering teams required.

Benefits

• Competitive and performance‑based compensation packages and bonus plans.
• Educational assistance, leadership development programs, and recognition programs.

We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer committed to making selection decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

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