62 Tech Job Titles Defined: The Difference Between a Solutions Architect and a Systems Architect (and 60 Others)

Tech job titles are not standardised. Employers invent them, and the same words mean different things at different companies — which is why so many applications go to roles that turn out to be something else entirely.

This is an index. Every role below links to its glossary entry, where you will find the official O*NET (US Department of Labor) and ESCO (European Commission) definitions side by side, the essential skills the frameworks associate with it, and links to the source records. If you want the background on those two frameworks first — and why they sometimes disagree — read O*NET vs ESCO.

First, the architect question

Untangling the architect titles

The most common title confusion in tech is the architect family, so let us take it head on.

A Solutions Architect designs how a specific business problem gets solved with technology: which systems, which integrations, which trade-offs, for one solution or programme. The scope is a solution.

A Systems Architect — and this is the important part — is not a standard occupation in either framework. It is a market title, used most often for someone who designs the internal structure of a particular system or platform. Depending on the employer, it maps closest to a Software Architect (structure of an application), an Enterprise Architect (structure across the organisation), or occasionally a Systems Analyst. If you see it in a posting, read the responsibilities rather than the title.

For the rest of the family: an Enterprise Architect works at organisation-wide scope, aligning technology strategy with business capability. A Software Architect owns the internal design of applications. Data, Cloud, Security, and Network Architects apply the same discipline within their domain.

This is a good illustration of the general rule: the title tells you less than the scope does.

Engineering & development

Engineering roles

Data & AI

Architecture

Networking

Security

Security roles

Infrastructure & operations

Product, delivery & project management

Analysis, consulting & leadership

Design & documentation

ERP: SAP, Oracle & Dynamics

How to use this list

Using the glossary properly

Read the definition before applying, not the title. If the posting's responsibilities do not match the framework definition, the employer means something specific — ask.
Check where your title maps. Salary statistics and matching engines work by occupation, so knowing your standard occupation explains a lot of otherwise confusing data — see what really moves a tech salary, then check your own range in the salary calculator.
Use the essential skills as a gap list. Each entry shows the skills the frameworks associate with the role — a concrete checklist for what to build or evidence next, and the basis of the CV Fit Score.
Note the honesty flags. Where the closest official occupation is only an approximation rather than an exact match, the entry says so instead of pretending otherwise — DevOps Engineer is the clearest case.
Expect screening to follow. Matching engines are moving from keyword overlap toward these published skill lists.

Browse the full role glossary, or check what a role's official skill list says about your CV with the ATS score checker.