Corporate Domain Architect

The Corporate Domain Architect is responsible for leading and developing the future state architecture for the Corporate domain including the delivery of solution architecture designs for projects. The domain covers Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, Security, Facilities as well as our Point of Sale capabilities. As the Domain Architect you will become the go-to person within IT when it comes to knowledge and understanding of the domain.

Working with the Architecture and Innovation Lead, Business and IT Delivery teams the Corporate Domain Architect will be responsible for building and maintaining a clear view of the IT landscape within the domain, the drivers for change, and articulate the need for change being driven by either the business or technology obsolescence or debt.

The Domain Architect will also lead the solution design for projects within the domain. This will include the delivery of solution options and high-level solution design, ensuring they are well documented, adhere to the core architectural principles and have been through appropriate governance.

To be successful the Corporate Domain Architect will need to have a clear understanding of the domain, how current technology is used to deliver the associated capabilities within the company, and be able to drive good solution architecture that delivers the desired outcomes for the business, while also ensuring a longer term view of its effect on the overall IT Strategy and Landscape.

Principal Accountabilities

• Deliver and maintain high level architecture documentation for the domain as part of maintaining the overall IT Architecture landscape - Current state architecture, future state architecture.
• Identify architectural debt and risks within the domain and work with the Architecture and Innovation Lead to drive these through to a future landscape and identify their related projects required to deliver the changes.
• Lead and deliver solution architecture for the Corporate domain for new projects and programmes.
• Delivery of the solution options and architectural solution designs that will drive delivery for the projects.
• Ensure that solutions are being delivered against the documented solution designs and that issues are resolved and design changes captured and documented and that the domain landscape artefacts reflect the changes.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of IT best practices, technologies, and emerging technologies
• Have a clear understanding of industry best practices within the given domain.
• Develop and maintain architectural standards for the given domain.
• Work with the other Architecture and Innovation Lead, and other domain architects to ensure there is alignment between domains.
• Keep the Architecture Lead, PMO, and project managers informed of progress against their assigned work.
• Review of third-party products and developments; contribute to preparation of Requests for Proposal, evaluation and selection of tenders
• Adhere to the processes and standards within the Architecture team
• Work with the team to identify continuous improvement opportunities
• Maintain standards and processes to drive quality and consistency in Architecture deliverables.
• Adhere to and support ITPMO governance and processes.
• Keep abreast of architecture trends, development and best practice.

Key Skills

• Ability to document and articulate complex architectures at a high level for a given domain.
• Ability to identify changes required within a given architecture to deliver business change, architectural simplification, or removal of technical debt.
• Ability to deliver complex solution design covering data, application, and integration and dependencies on infrastructure change.
• Developed analytical skills with the ability to solve complex and ambiguous problems.
• Well-developed team leadership skills.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication, negotiation, and persuasion skills.
• Ability to think logically to analyse and solve problems.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Ability to prioritise and balance multiple tasks or projects.
• Ability to see beyond the parameters of a single project to identify patterns, risks, trends and strategic context more broadly within the organisation.
• Comfortable with ambiguity.
• Able to build a consensus and drive and agree technical direction.
• Experience with architectural frameworks, tools, service oriented architecture and building architectural artefacts.

Role Requirements

• A strong understanding of technology and data used within a Finance function as well as a strong understanding of at least two of the following functional areas - HR, Procurement, Facilities, Security, and Point of Sale - ideally within a B2C business.
• Background in domain or solution architecture, with a clear understanding of the requirements of an IT Architecture team.
• Consistently adopts strong, logical thinking when solving problems.
• Demonstrates a broad outlook and ability to think medium to long-term.
• Identifies the core of the problem and establishes priorities.
• Thinks conceptually: recognises connections to larger frames of reference (the big picture) and translates between abstract ideas and practical use.
• Demonstrates clear leadership and the ability to influence and persuade at all levels.
• Is recognised as a thought leader in own area of specialism; influences customers / suppliers and industry at a senior level.
• Can coach and mentor both their team and across the wider organisation