Two Circles is a leading sports agency, specialising in helping sports organizations across the globe enhance their customer experience, increase revenue, and optimize their marketing strategies. With a team of over 600 professionals across three regions (north America, EMEA and ANZ), with eight offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, Paris, Bern, and Melbourne) we are dedicated to delivering innovative and effective solutions.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Solution Architect to join our dynamic consultancy team. As a Senior Solution Architect, you will play a pivotal role in creating innovative solutions for content and video-based digital experiences.

In this role, you will be responsible for architecting scalable, high-performance systems that deliver compelling multimedia content across various digital platforms.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in solution architecture, strong client-facing skills and a deep understanding of content management systems, video streaming technologies, digital media workflows, and personalization technologies, coupled with a strong technical acumen and a passion for creating immersive digital experiences.

At Two Circles, we value collaboration and innovation. We believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible and constantly seeking new ways to improve and optimize our solutions. If you are passionate about sports, technology, and delivering exceptional results, we would love to hear from you.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities:

• Client Engagement: Engage with clients to understand their business objectives, challenges, and technology requirements. Collaborate with stakeholders to define project scope, goals, and success criteria. Build and maintain strong client relationships through effective communication and delivery excellence.
• Solution Design: Lead the design and development of end-to-end solutions that address client needs and align with business goals. Develop architectural blueprints, reference architectures, and technical specifications. Ensure solutions are scalable, resilient, and future-proof, leveraging industry best practices and emerging technologies.
• Architecture Governance: Establish architecture governance frameworks and best practices to ensure consistency, quality, and compliance across client projects. Define standards, guidelines, and templates for solution architecture artifacts, reviews, and approvals.
• Technology Assessment: Evaluate client's existing systems, infrastructure, and processes to identify opportunities for improvement and optimization. Assess technology trends, platforms, and tools to recommend innovative solutions that drive business value and competitive advantage.
• Content Workflows: Analyze content creation workflows and identify opportunities for optimization and automation, streamlining processes and reducing time-to-market for new content.
• Multimedia Delivery: Design scalable and resilient architectures for multimedia content delivery, including video streaming, audio streaming, and rich media experiences across web, mobile, and OTT platforms.
• Data-driven Personalization: Design and implement data-driven personalization strategies that leverage customer data, behavioral analytics, and machine learning algorithms to deliver relevant and contextual experiences to users.
• Integration and Interoperability: Define integration strategies between content creation tools, DAM systems, content management platforms, distribution channels and AI personalization capabilities , ensuring seamless data flow and interoperability.
• Security and DRM: Implement robust security measures, digital rights management (DRM) solutions, and encryption techniques to protect content assets, prevent piracy, and ensure compliance with content licensing agreements and industry standards (e.g., DRM-X, FairPlay, Widevine).
• Scalability and Performance: Design highly scalable and performant architectures that can handle spikes in demand and deliver optimal user experiences under varying workloads.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams including developers, engineers, data scientists, business analysts, and project managers to translate architectural designs into actionable plans and deliverables. Foster a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning.

Skills we'd like to see:

• Proven experience (8+ years) as a Solution Architect, Technical Lead, or Consultant, preferably in a digital consultancy or professional services environment. With the ability to think strategically and creatively to solve complex business challenges.
• Excellent client-facing skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization. Experience in leading workshops, presentations, and executive briefings.
• Strong expertise in solution architecture principles, patterns, and practices, with experience designing and delivering complex, enterprise-scale solutions.
• Leadership qualities, including the ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams, drive consensus, and lead change in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in a wide range of technologies and platforms, including cloud computing, software development frameworks, Video streaming, Content, and personalisation.

• Deep understanding of content creation workflows, digital media formats, and delivery technologies, including video streaming protocols (e.g. HLS, MPEG-DASH), audio codecs, and image compression algorithms.
• Experience with digital asset management systems and their configuration, customization, and integration capabilities.
• Experience with digital experience platforms (DXPs) and personalization solutions

• Excellent understanding of software development methodologies, DevOps practices, and CI/CD pipelines.

Nice to have

• Expertise in Content protection and DRM solutions (e.g., Widevine, PlayReady).
• Experience with content management systems (CMS), digital experience platforms (DXPs), and personalization engines
• Understanding of machine learning algorithms, statistical modeling techniques, and data mining concepts.
• Relevant certifications such as TOGAF, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert are a plus.

Benefits

We have a list of flexible benefits that we offer; as a taste:

• Hybrid working: we'd love for you to come into our office at least 2-3 days a week, especially during your onboarding
• Performance planning: potential to have a salary increase every 6 months and progress your career
• Discretionary company bonus
• Tickets to sporting events
• Renowned Team Days and events (this June, we went to Spain)
• Lunch on a Wednesday, breakfast and continuous supply of snacks
• Private healthcare schemes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Learning and Development opportunities, including certification in certain areas