Principal Software Architect

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Building the people that build the world.

With platforms in HVAC and Detection and Measurement, SPX Technologies builds innovative solutions that enable a safer, more efficient, sustainable world. Through our RiSE talent development framework, we Reach, Identify, Strengthen, and Engage our employees to support them in their continued development. We’re a global company of problem solvers, collaborators, and innovators, and our businesses build solutions that impact the world.

As part of Detection and Measurement, Radiodetection is a global leader in the design and development of equipment and software used by utility companies to install, protect, and maintain underground infrastructure networks. Through precision and magnetic locators and ground penetrating radar, we help prevent damage to infrastructure utilities and protect lives.

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.

This role is responsible for shaping how our hardware and firmware platforms integrate with cloud, mobile, and desktop applications, ensuring we continue to evolve toward a coherent, scalable, and maintainable architecture across the organisation.

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, the successful candidate will ensure architectural intent translates into practical, deliverable outcomes.

This position combines strategic leadership with hands‑on technical validation. The ideal candidate will be capable of both defining long‑term architectural direction and validating ideas through lightweight prototyping and experimentation where required.

What you can expect in this role (Job Responsibilities)

1. Architecture Vision & System Design

Define and evolve a clear end‑to‑end architecture across:

Firmware / device layer

Cloud platform

Mobile and desktop applications

Own:

Target system architecture and design principles

System boundaries and interaction models

Integration patterns across domains

Ensure architecture supports:

Scalability and maintainability

Product evolution across multiple device variants

Alignment with long‑term business and product strategy

2. Technology Strategy & Standards

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

Responsibilities include:

Establishing an aligned technology stack across domains (cloud, mobile, desktop, firmware)

Ensuring choices reflect:

Industry best practices

Team capability and constraints

Long‑term sustainability

Work collaboratively with domain leads to:

Evaluate trade‑offs

Agree practical adoption paths

Avoid unnecessary fragmentation

3. Architectural Governance & Decision Authority

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

Responsibilities:

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

Escalate where required

Pragmatic flexibility is expected:

Allow exceptions where justified by delivery needs

Ensure deviations are captured as technical debt or feed back 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 and incremental

Aligned with delivery priorities

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:

SW Program Manager → cross‑team coordination and dependencies

Product Owners → ensuring system‑level intent is clear before development

Responsibilities:

Clarify system‑level behaviour and constraints

Ensure cross‑platform interactions are defined early

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.

Expectations:

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 is expected to go beyond documentation and ensure 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

Ensure:

Complex ideas are translated appropriately for the audience

Decisions are understood and adopted

Feedback is actively gathered and incorporated

Key Boundaries

To ensure effectiveness, this role operates with clear boundaries:

The Principal Software Architect does NOT:

Own backlog creation or write user stories (Product Owner responsibility)

Own sprint execution or team‑level delivery

Act as a project or program manager

Replace domain technical leadership

The Principal Software Architect DOES:

Own system‑level architecture and design principles

Own architectural decision‑making and governance

Enable delivery through clarity, not control

Authority & Escalation

Accountable for architectural decisions and standards

Expected to challenge and guide domain teams constructively

Works collaboratively with domain leads to reach alignment

Escalation path:

Resolve directly with domain leads where possible

Escalate unresolved conflicts to Global Software Manager

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by:

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

Practical 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 slowing it down

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

Required Experience

15+ years of experience in software engineering, with significant time in architectural roles

Proven experience 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

How we live our culture

Our culture is at the center of what we do and, more importantly, who we are. Our core values set a standard for how we manage ourselves, and our Leadership Model sets the standard for how we engage with each other. Whether you are an individual contributor or you lead a large team, each of us leads at SPX.

What benefits do we offer?

We know that the well‑being of our employees is integral. Our benefits include:

Competitive and performance‑based compensation packages and bonus plans

Educational assistance, leadership development programs, and recognition programs

Our commitment to embrace diversity to build a culture of inclusion at SPX

We value different backgrounds, experiences, and voices at SPX, and we are committed to challenging ourselves, openly communicating, and striving to improve every day. We believe in creating an inclusive work environment where everyone has a voice and is encouraged to realise their fullest potential.

ABOUT SPX

SPX is a diversified, global supplier of infrastructure equipment with scalable growth platforms in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), detection and measurement, and engineered solutions. With operations in 17 countries and approximately $2.2billion in annual revenue, we offer a wide array of highly engineered products with strong brands.

At SPX, what’s in it for our employees transcends market‑competitive compensation and benefits. Our Total Rewards program also includes opportunities for employees’ personal development, career growth, and recognition. These programs focus on alignment and assessment of organizational, team, and individual efforts toward achieving business results. Our development and career growth programs empower our employees to enhance their skills, develop new competencies, and pursue career goals. SPX benefits package provides choices designed to help employees manage their well‑being. Our compensation programs are performance‑based to recognize and reward employees who work hard, display the values and leadership practices we embrace, and deliver exceptional results.

OUR VALUES

Integrity

Accountability

Teamwork

Results

At SPX, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We use our values every day to help us make the right decisions. We embrace a common purpose and strive for improvement. We respect and value each other as individuals and recognizethat only by working together, as a team, can we reach our full potential. We take responsibility for our actions, build strong relationships with each other and our customers, and always act ethically. Our values inspire us to achieve the high standards of quality, safety, and performance that our customers expect and deserve.

WORKING AT SPX

Our work environment is established on a work‑life philosophy supported by policies, programs, and practices that help employees achieve success within and outside the workplace.We believe in creating an inclusive work environment where employees strive to realize their fullest potential. 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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