Technical Architect
ROLE TITLE: Technical Architect (SOA)
PURPOSE
Architect a first-class, scalable and flexible IT environment capable of supporting business operations and processes, and business-driven initiatives that supports achievement of commercial objectives, now and into the future. Participate in defining, communicating and ensuring adherence to the company's IT strategy and quality standards.
MAIN AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Define and maintain architecture models to elicit understanding of business requirements and of the impact of change on business functions and supporting technologies
Develop IT Architecture in line both with business strategies and processes.
Ensure compliance with design governance in ensuring the business requirements will be met.
Provide governance and direction to project proposals and developments, ensuring they are implemented in line with IT technology policies and standards
Ensure architectural strategy is aligned with business direction, and opportunities available across the IT industry as a whole
Establish the architectural roadmap and ensure IT projects are aligned to it.
Ensure new projects are aligned to the agreed IT Strategy and compliant with technical standards
Continuously review the current architecture with the purpose of identifying areas of improvement.
Work with software vendors to understand and leverage existing product capabilities and, where possible, shape direction of the product to the benefit of the business.
Establish relationships with vendors and industry experts to increase technical knowledge and awareness of technology trends identifying potential opportunities and benefits.
Maintain a knowledge base of emerging technologies/products and champion their exploitation within the organisation.
Serve as the Technical Design Authority on multiple projects, creating high-level solution designs.
Actively influence technical designs and provide mentoring and guidance.
Communicate IT strategies and architectures to business and IT in terms of technology platforms, applications development technologies and communications technologies.
Perform technical assessments for a range of circumstances including 3rd party integration, business acquisition and software vendor selection.
Develop processes and repositories for storing and sharing architecture models
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
The business has invested heavily in Oracle Fusion as its means of delivering a Service Orientated Architecture and as such skills in Fusion or comparable product both from an infrastructure and application perspective are key.
The ability to clearly define the role of SOA requirements in delivering a customer centric business.
The ability to articulate, document and manage the company's IT requirements to third party providers so ensuring successful delivery.
Broad knowledge of the business and its processes, and detailed knowledge of many of the specific functional areas within the business.
A strong understanding of systems functionality and operation across the entire business function, including knowledge of the underlying technology and the key issues. This will be augmented by detailed knowledge of a number of specific systems areas including the design, functionality and quality of support offered to the business.
Knowledge of current, breaking and future technologies sufficient to understand the underlying concepts and the implications for current and future systems development.
The ability to articulate in a none technical nature any ideas and objectives identified in order to get senior management support.
The ability to proactively work within a dynamic team and to establish personal credentials within the immediate and matrix team structure.
Strong communication skills, and the ability to tailor the form and style of communication to suit an audience that can range from Main Board Directors, through technical peers, to non technical members of the business, and to the vendor community and other outside bodies.
Proven experience within an IT department working on major SOA development projects.
Knowledge of Best Practice principles is required across the broad spectrum of development processes.
Experience of, and be fully conversant with, the full project lifecycle from initiation through to post-implementation support.
Ability to consult with client solutions designers.
Ability to establish robust cost and risk estimates.
KEY DIMENSIONS
The job holder will have influence on IT management decisions, and on IT-related decisions made by Senior Executives.
The job holder may represent the business in consultation with industry experts, outside bodies, and with actual/potential suppliers of IT products and services.
The sphere of influence will typically cover major projects of over £1 million.
The job-holder must be perceived as a highly credible source of information or advice throughout the organisation, and be prepared to be a first point of call for IT related information when no obvious specialist exists.
The job-holder must have the ability to adapt to queries or requests for assistance that are outside the normal remit, and must expect to be asked perform tasks that have no prior process mapped out.
The job-holder must be prepared to make decisions without a clear frame of reference or significant research as back-up. In this respect, previous experience within IT is invaluable as there will always be circumstances when decision-making based on a degree of intuition will be required.
The job-holder must have the ability to understand new concepts and ideas quickly, and to assimilate complex information from many sources. This will be combined with an ability to perform research both internally and externally using a range of information sources and contacts. The job holder will have knowledge of the best places to look for relevant information and know who to contact for information both within and outside of the organisation.
For information on our current Technical Architect vacancies, please contact one of our consultants.
