Solutions Architect

Our Client is one of the City's most enterprising and respected merchant banks and a FTSE top 250 listed company.
They are a diversified group of specialist financial services businesses with a long and successful track record operating in three divisions; Banking, Securities and Asset Management.
Due to growth, they are now looking for a solutions architect to join their Commercial team.
**Role Purpose**:
As a solution architect within the Architecture team, you will develop and promote the strategic, business-aligned architectural direction of the Commercial Division.
The role will work closely with the Lead Architect, Business, Delivery and Development Teams to shape technology solutions that deliver key strategic and regulatory change that also follows the long-term IT strategy of the Bank.
**Key Responsibilities**:
**Solution Architecture & Design**
- Work with the business teams to validate high level requirements and provide an early technical assessment and initial recommendations
- Aid in the capture of requirements and interpret technical requirements and business needs into a solution
- Analyse functional and non-functional requirements, and translate them into reliable and cost-effective solution architectures
- Design solutions that;- Encompass Application Integration solutions and introduce integration patterns and styles required to address the desired qualities of the solution
- Support the definition and delivery of API's that delivery requisite functional and non-functional characteristics
- Data integration using modelling techniques, patterns, and styles appropriate to the requirements being addressed
- Resolve architectural implications of performance, scalability, and extensibility of system design
- Meet non-functional requirements that emphasize security and protecting the Bank
- Consider the use of flexible infrastructure environments in exclusively on-premise solutions, cloud, and hybrid deployments
- Manage stakeholders and communicate architectural decisions, compromises, and goals to project teams and senior leadership
- Oversee design implementation, liaising with third party vendors and the wider architecture team.
- Manage Business, Application, Information and Technology architecture
- Support bi-modal delivery models and adapt as required by the project or delivery team. Contribute to best practise and support the ongoing improvement of delivery maturity
Delivery
- Support the project manager in delivery by identifying and leading the mitigation of any technical gaps and/or risks
- Support one or more project teams to understand and implement architectural designs, including timely decisions and acting as the teams' advocate when navigating the relevant governance processes
- Represent the project at governance meetings to discuss technical aspects of the solution and disseminate knowledge amongst a wide group of functions in the Bank
- Act as the senior technical lead on an assigned project - provide technical direction and mentoring for all project resources
Skills & Experience:
Essential
- Experience of working in a regulated environment such as financial services
- At least five years' experience of working as a Solution architect on multiple delivery projects
- Experience designing complex integration solutions using API based techniques
- Experience of design and solutioning data-oriented solutions for common patterns such as data warehouses, data lakes or meshes
- Experience of working with Infosec specialists to build solutions that meet non-functional requirements security and resilience
- Proven stakeholder management skills and the ability to translate complex architectural issues and details for non-technical business teams
- Collaborating with 3rd parties supporting delivery, including near-shore and off-shore partners
Desirable
- Solid experience as a Solution Architect preferably within Financial Services but not essential.
- Data Modelling / Data Warehouse design
- Proven experience in delivering Service Oriented Architectures in a complex technology environment
- Experience of bi-modal delivery and the ability to support both modes simultaneously
- Architecture modelling using tools such as Enterprise Architect, ArchiMate, Visio
- Practical understanding of Enterprise/Solution Architecture (TOGAF)
- An Innovative, creative thinker with a flexible approach to Architecture and Development
- Effective, concise communicator, comfortable presenting at senior stakeholder level
- Translating complex architectural issues and details for Executive Members and non-technical business teams
- Collaborative in decision making but decisive when such decision is required.
- Self-motivated and well organised, with a high level of personal integrity and a passion for quality.
- Manage several concurrent customer requirements providing a balanced assignment to each project.
- Act as a feedback mechanism to the product groups and development teams on features and functionalities; build strong and well-respected relationships with peer levels in these groups
- Appreciation of BPMN techniques
- Salesforce
- IBM Integration Bus
- Informatica PowerCenter
- Knowledge of core infrastructure concepts, Virtual Machines, VLANS, Networks, Cloud
- Testing Methodologies

**Education & Qualifications**:
**Essential**
- Degree (or equivalent) BSc, BEng in Software Engineering, Computer Science

**Desirable**
- TOGAF 9 Certified
- Salesforce Certified Architect