Solutions Architect

3 days a week on site - Manchester

Insurance

Must have insurance experience.

Our client, a global Insurance organisation, requires a Solutions Architect (SA) to have overall technical authority for one or more programs/Agile Release Trains (ARTs) within a portfolio, with accountability for product outcomes and solutions delivered by Engineers and Business Analysts.

The SA works closely with an Enterprise Architect, Development Managers, and the Transformation delivery team (PMs, BAs, etc.) to ensure ongoing alignment of technical and business outcomes. They also work with Technical Architects, as needed, to ensure architectural outcomes are within required guardrails. The SA owns the creation, maintenance and communication of the Architectural Runway, along with oversight through implementation by one or more development teams.

Responsibilities

• Builds and continually refines detailed Architectural Runway and Vision, and Enabler Epics in collaboration with various stakeholders, for applications, data or infrastructure architectures.
• Contributes to and influences the program roadmap, backlog and prepares architectural outcomes for program increment planning.
• Incrementally builds and shepherds the scaled agility mindset, values, principles, and practices across teams.
• Owns measurable velocity, specifically around overcoming hurdles, implementing new designs, and implementing best practices.
• Provides expert knowledge to, and participates in, weighted shortest job first prioritisation of deliverables.
• Guides and negotiates with Developers/Engineers, Business Analysts, Business Relationship Directors, Project Managers & Transformation team to ensure architectural alignment.
• Engages with Technical Architects as needed for support and guidance, working with them and Enterprise Architects to ensure technical standards, procedures and methodologies are adhered to and/or provide feedback where changes are needed.
• Actively engages in all ART events, collaborating, coaching and guiding stakeholders to ensure ongoing alignment with the Architectural Vision.
• Influences and creates the ongoing requirements for maintaining and stabilizing delivery of application changes and pipelines; including upgrades of technology, frameworks, and infrastructure.
• May have management responsibility for the performance and development of subordinate staff, including resource planning, hiring, talent, performance, and career development.
• Presents Architectural Overview at program increment planning, socializing and enabling delivery teams to successfully complete associated changes.
• Negotiates scope adjustments, as needed, and accepts them as they are completed.
• Ensures technical guardrails are enforced via designs.
• May perform additional duties as assigned.