Royal London
Lead Sonata SME
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Lead Sonata SME – Permanent Position
Job Overview
- Contract Type: Permanent
- Location: Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Alderley Park (Wilmslow)
- Working Style: Hybrid – 50% remote / 50% office-based
The Lead Sonata SME provides deep specialist expertise across the Bravura Sonata platform, ensuring its design, configuration, improvement, and operation align with both business and technical objectives. This role involves strategic guidance, solution design, governance, and knowledge sharing to support a scalable, stable, and fit-for-purpose platform.
Key stakeholders include technology teams, business stakeholders, delivery teams, and external vendors.
Key Responsibilities
Solution Design, Configuration & Change Delivery
- Provide Sonata platform expertise across enhancements, projects, and strategic initiatives.
- Translate business requirements into scalable Sonata solutions, covering:
- Configuration, workflows, rules, and product setup
- Process optimisation and integration impacts
- Review proposed changes, assess risks and dependencies, and ensure alignment with:
- Platform standards
- Business objectives
- Offer design guidance to delivery teams throughout the change lifecycle.
Platform Governance & Business Alignment
- Provide governance over Sonata configuration, usage, and platform practices.
- Ensure solutions align with:
- Business needs
- Regulatory requirements
- Sonata platform strategy
- Partner with stakeholders to define improvements, challenge requirements where necessary, and identify optimisation opportunities.
Testing, Releases & Vendor Engagement
- Support Sonata testing, release, and implementation activities, including:
- Solution validation
- Release readiness and post-release assurance
- Act as a key point of contact for:
- Vendor discussions, upgrades, and roadmap alignment
- Platform capability assessments
- Participate in platform governance forums and strategic technology decision-making.
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Knowledge & Capability Development
- Maintain Sonata standards, documentation, and knowledge assets.
- Promote consistent practices and knowledge sharing across teams:
- Delivery
- Support
- Coach teams on Sonata capabilities and reduce dependency on specialist knowledge.
Qualifications & Experience
Technical Skills
Core Requirements:
- Strong understanding of Oracle database operations (schema design, indexing, performance tuning).
- Awareness of Oracle AquaEdge (AQ) and JMS messaging.
- Knowledge of the Sonata data model (desirable).
- Deep understanding of the Sonata application architecture, including:
- Configuration capabilities
- Job setup and scheduling
- Transformation scripts usage
- User/permissions systems (SSO, access controls)
- Azure Entra (Single Sign-On) setup
- Sonata installer process
- Source of Truth (SoT) principles
- **API testing (SOApUI, ReadyAPI, REST/SOAP requests)
- Technical troubleshooting:
- Performance analysis
- Diagnostic tools (e.g., query profiling)
- Experience with Sonata return-to-trunk upgrades and post-release support.
- Familiarity with Operational Data Stores (ODS) and related applications (e.g., Wherescape Red).
Nice-to-Have Skills:
- Monitoring tools (e.g., AppDynamics, Logic Monitor)
- Advanced Sonata Workflow management
- Experience with multiple Sources of Truth
- Basic ServiceNow usage (ITSM/CMDB workflows)
- Exposure to agile methodologies.
Additional Skills
- Expertise in UK pensions operations (deemed essential given domain).
- Troubleshooting & problem-solving skills (complex root cause analysis, vulnerability identification).
- Multi-tasking ability (managing competing priorities in a fast-moving environment).
- High attention to detail (critical for configuration accuracy).
- Adaptability under pressure (resources, deadlines, escalations).
- Continuous improvement mindset (proposing optimisations, user experience enhancements).
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About Kraljic’s (depth clarified; Taylor tweak missed)
(Note: Original mentioned "Royal London" throughout; corrected typo/brand awareness)
About Royal London
We are the UK’s largest mutual life, pensions, and investment company, providing:
- Protection
- Long-term savings
- Asset management
Our Commitment to Employees
Our People Promise ensures:
- An inclusive, responsible, and fulfilling workplace.
Core Values
- Empowered – We value individuality and entrepreneurial thinking.
- Trustworthy – Transparency and integrity drive everything.
- Collaborate – Teams succeed through shared purpose.
- Achieve – We push boundaries to deliver excellence.
Workplace Benefits
- 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays).
- 14% employer pension matching ('Bonus Best Match' scheme).
- Private Medical Insurance.
Inclusion & DEIB
Royal London celebrates diversity in background and perspective, fostering a culture where:
- Everyone feels valued.
- Varied ideas thrive.
- Talent is recognised regardless of experience level, origin, or identity.
If you meet most of these criteria and are eager to learn, we’d encourage you to apply—they understand the market overlook talent versus rigid checklists.
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