BBC
Head of Solution Architecture – SAP
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JOB DETAILS
JOB BAND: F
CONTRACT TYPE: 12-month fixed-term contract, full-time
DEPARTMENT: Corporate Systems
LOCATION: London, Birmingham or Cardiff
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: up to £140,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
This exciting role sits within BBC Media Tech, which delivers the technology capabilities that underpin the BBC’s broadcast, enterprise and digital services, aligned to the strategic priorities of the organisation.
Reporting to the Director of Corporate Systems, you will lead the solution architecture for the BBC’s SAP and adjacent enterprise application landscape primarily across the HR and Finance domains, working in partnership with business partners, technology suppliers, delivery partners and peers across the wider Corporate Systems portfolio.
You will provide architectural leadership across SAP and complementary integrated non-SAP technologies, ensuring solutions are Compliant, Adaptable and Agile and aligned to enterprise architecture principles whilst delivering measurable business outcomes for a complex global operation
Working with Solution Architects across the BBC and our wider partner ecosystem, you will define the solution architecture roadmap and establish architecture standards and governance. Alongside the Head of Architecture for Data and the Head of Architecture for Technology, you will collaborate closely with colleagues across three architecture domains: Business Architecture, focused on business strategy, capabilities and operating models; Data Architecture, focused on information, data assets and governance; and Application & Technology Architecture, focused on applications, integration, platforms and technology services. Through this partnership, the architecture function supports the BBC's strategic ambitions while balancing innovation, operational resilience, cyber security, regulatory obligations, cost and long-term sustainability.
A critical responsibility of the role is making pragmatic business architecture decisions that balance strategic direction, delivery pace, cost, resilience and business value, ensuring technology solution investments support both immediate organisational priorities and long-term enterprise capability.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
It is an exciting time to join the BBC as we continue to invest in transforming our enterprise technology landscape to enable data, process and technology modernisation, supporting our ambition to become a truly data-led efficient Media organisation.
You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future architecture of critical HR and Finance platforms, helping deliver major strategic initiatives including ERP cloud transformation, enterprise data capabilities, automation and AI-enabled services.
Working alongside Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Product, Data and Cyber Security teams, and our HR and Finance Business Partners, and strategic technology partners, you’ll influence technology strategy across some of the BBC’s most business-critical services, ensuring our solutions remain adaptable, sustainable and capable of supporting the BBC’s public service and Studio's commercial mission.
This is a unique opportunity to influence solution decisions at enterprise scale and modernise the BBC’s crucial enterprise application landscape, helping shape the future architecture of our corporate systems through an exciting period of transformation.
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Your Key Responsibilities And Impact
Your key responsibilities and impact will include:
- Provide architectural leadership across the HR and Finance technology solution or business landscape, working collaboratively with Solution and Domain Architects across the BBC and our strategic partner ecosystem to drive consistent solution design, governance and best practice.
- Define and own the solution architecture strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture, technology strategy and business priorities.
- Lead business solution design across SAP and complementary non-SAP platforms supporting HR, Finance and Corporate Services.
- Collaboratively Establish architecture principles, standards and governance to ensure secure, scalable, resilient and high-quality technology business solutions.
- Provide solution architecture leadership across major transformation programmes, ensuring solutions deliver strategic business outcomes while reducing complexity and technical debt.
- Partner closely with Business Architects, Product, Engineering, Delivery, Data, Technology, Integration and Cyber Security teams to deliver integrated end-to-end solutions.
- Foster collaboration across BBC architecture, engineering and supplier communities to develop shared architectural capability, reusable solution patterns and consistent technology standards.
- Lead solution architecture assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle, managing architectural risk and ensuring compliance with security, regulatory and operational resilience requirements.
- Identify opportunities to leverage SAP innovation, cloud capabilities, enterprise data, AI and automation to improve business performance, colleague experience and operational efficiency.
- Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing strategic technology decisions and helping maximise long-term value from technology investment.
Essential Criteria
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Significant experience leading business solution architecture across large, complex enterprise organisations, defining business technology strategy, architecture roadmaps and governance, and providing leadership across business and technology transformation programmes with a focus on resilience, security, compliance adaptability, agility and delivering measurable business value.
Proven track record delivering major ERP cloud transformation programmes, including SAP S/4HANA Finance and SuccessFactors Employee Central, from strategy through to successful implementation, leading sequencing options to manage risk and ensure successful outcomes.
Extensive experience designing and governing end-to-end solution architectures across SAP and complementary non-SAP enterprise applications, ensuring seamless integration, interoperability and alignment with enterprise architecture across complex technology landscapes.
Deep knowledge of the SAP ecosystem, including SAP S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, Concur, Ariba, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), SAP Business Data Cloud and modern enterprise integration architectures.
Strong understanding of enterprise data, analytics and AI capabilities, with experience designing solutions that enable trusted data, automation, reporting and AI-driven business outcomes.
Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and collaborate effectively across business, technology, architecture and strategic partner communities to deliver enterprise outcomes.
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Strong commercial acumen, communication and decision-making skills, with experience supporting technology investment decisions, supplier management, value realisation and communicating complex technical concepts to senior business and technology leaders.
Understanding of payroll and how it integrates end to end across the HR and Finance technology landscape
Understanding of how common Data models, data integrity and data quality across all Systems of records are critical to enabling success when transforming Systems of Record.
Desired But Not Required
Experience integrating SAP solutions with AWS and modern enterprise cloud platforms.
Experience of enterprise data architecture, enterprise data governance and master data management.
In Depth Knowledge of AI, automation, process mining and intelligent workflow technologies.
Experience working within media, highly regulated and/or public sector environments.
Experience supporting global organisations with complex HR, Finance and Corporate Services landscapes.
Understanding of agile, product-centric and DevSecOps delivery models
Being a leader at the BBC
Being a leader at the BBC means putting the organisation’s interest, goals and values first, ahead of individual team or function needs. The characteristics of an enterprise leader are: Focuses on outcomes over activity, adapts quickly, and simplifies complexity. They balance short-term actions with long-term impact, take full accountability for actions and decision-making, and prioritise capability development to create teams fit for the future.
If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.
Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.
Disclaimer
This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.
Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.
Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.
For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk
We are unable to accept applications via CV and only applications made online will be considered. Please click on the APPLY NOW button to proceed with your application.
Redeployment
The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.
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