Business Solution Architect

 

 

RESTRICTED INTERNAL USE ONLY

Job Title Solution Architect

Business Area Information Technology

Location Parktown, Johannesburg

Role reports to IT Executive: Enterprise Architecture

Number of direct reports 0

OFO code

Special Categories:

Critical role (succession planning required)

Yes

External Customer Facing role No

FAIS role No

Job Code ID Number (Sage system)

Date of Completion June 2020

Role profile approved by

 

Overall Job Purpose

To improve the current IT infrastructure, optimise business operations, and set the direction and

approach for integrating information applications and programs. This role is responsible for

cataloguing, developing, coordinating, communicating, maintaining, and enforcing overall enterprise

architecture models, representations, initiatives, capabilities, and components to adequately perform

the organisation's business and technology activities. Areas covered include the following:

infrastructure, data, workflow, integration, encompassing applications, hardware platforms, interfaces

with peripheral systems, internal and external checks and controls, and the evaluation of 3rd party

vendor solutions.

 

Key Accountabilities

 

Enterprise Architecture

• Evaluating internal functions, business development strategies, and IT processes and

suggesting improvements.

• Define the scope of programs that has been identified i.e “Suggesting ideas to reduce costs in

IT and business leadership”

• Ensuring the efficiency, security, and support of the organization's goals.

• Find ways in which to improve our IT department's functions so they support the business’

future goals

• Evaluate our systems engineering, talent recruiting and accounting models for discrepancies

or vulnerabilities

• Locate ways to reduce costs in IT and business leadership

• Identify ways to increase employee knowledge and skills to support future growth

• Provide business architecture and systems processing guidance

 

Solutions Architecture

• Review, interpret and respond to detailed business requirements specifications (BRS) to ensure

alignment between customer expectations, current or future ICT capability

• Ensure the operational readiness of the business units.

 

 

 

RESTRICTED INTERNAL USE ONLY

• Ensuring the standardization and re-use of architectural artefacts and avoiding duplication of

solutions

• Define roadmap to reach target architecture and drives implementation of the technical

architecture roadmap

• Use appropriate tools, including logical models of components and interfaces to contribute to

the development of systems architectures in specific business or functional areas

• Supports the IT Executive: Enterprise Architecture in driving the solutions architecture and end-

to-end solutions design

• Co-create IT architecture disciplines and frameworks that supports adaptability, scalability,

availability, and re-use

• To keep up-to-date with emerging technologies and architectural approaches and promote

alignment between technology and business strategy

• Within the agreed enterprise architecture, define and design technology solutions to assist the

business in meeting their business objectives.

• Manage and maintain technology solutions and business continuity

• Works closely with the Development team to organise the development efforts

 

Solutions Design

• Produces detailed component specifications and translate these into detailed designs for

implementation using selected products.

• Within a business change programme, assists in the preparation of technical plans and

cooperates with business assurance and project staff to ensure that appropriate technical

resources are made available.

• Provides advice on technical aspects of system development and integration (including

requests for changes, deviations from specifications, etc.) and ensures that relevant technical

strategies, policies, standards and practices are applied correctly.

• Identify ways to increase employee knowledge by advising and providing consultation on

solutions proposed and available in the market. ie, scoping the gap and providing the priority

items to close that gap.

• Specifies and designs large or complex systems using appropriate design standards, methods

and tools.

• Reviews other systems designs to ensure selection of appropriate technology

• Assesses new requirements and makes design recommendations.

• Evaluates and undertakes impact analysis on major design options and assesses and manages

associated risks.

• Ensures that the system design balances functional, service quality and systems management

requirements

 

Technical Support

 

• Provide solutions in areas of disaster recovery, data integrity and security. Evaluate and

recommend software technologies in these areas, evaluate alternatives and analyse problems

• Support the creation and communication of program architecture guiding principles, strategic

technology standards, frameworks, and roadmaps

• Hands on design for a secure, efficient, and adaptable connected services model.

• Work closely with Applications Architects and Development groups to meet program

functional and non-functional requirements

 

 

 

RESTRICTED INTERNAL USE ONLY

• Support design reviews, gap analysis and assessments

• Support failure mode and performance management analysis processes

 

IT Environment

• Influence and enable the technology environment with best practice solutions

• Ensure that the solutions architectural capabilities are up to date and cost effective

• Engage with business and IT leaders to ensure that architecture roadmaps continually align

with business objectives

• Collaborate with IT management to suggest and guide innovation of new solutions software

and technologies aligned to best practices

 

IT Governance

• Adhere to the architectural governance framework in order to mitigate risk and abide by

requirements protocols

• Deliver software programs, applications, and third-party solutions to support the delivery of

business goals within the set IT standards

• Report architectural risks and suggest alternative and solutions

• Participates in the governance process for reviewing specific solutions to assure they are

properly leveraging program frameworks and standards.

 

Effective Communication and Stakeholder management

• Collaborates with key business stakeholders, marketing, production, and operations, sharing

insights to improve multichannel experiences, product development and needs identification

• Communicate requirements of any future infrastructure solutions, in collaboration with the

other IT capabilities

• Anticipates and responds appropriately to the needs, reactions and feedback of stakeholders

• Ensures that key business inhibiting capabilities are highlighted with a solution orientation

approach

• Regularly communicate with stakeholders in a thorough manner using appropriate and

effective communication tools

• Harnessing business improvements and optimisation to the IT business objectives

• Expresses opinions, information and key points of view clearly and assertively

• Is confident in conceptualising, building and presenting concepts and plans

• Create and sustain networks for best practices and insights across the architecture environment

so that multi-disciplinary approaches are leveraged

• Provides regular information and insights to improve the architect design and software

applications principles

 

Person Specification

Education:

 

• Bachelor’s degree in either Information Systems, Informatics or Computer Science or

Engineering (or equivalent work experience)

• Honours or master’s in information systems, Informatics, Computer Science or Engineering is

preferred

• TOGAF Framework or equivalent certification

 

Experience:

 

• At least 5 -7 years’ experience in an IT technical specialist role

 

 

 

RESTRICTED INTERNAL USE ONLY

• 5 - 7 years’ experience in a current solutions architect position in a sizable organisation;

preferably in banking or financial services industry preferred

• Experience creation and operations of IT solutions architecture roadmaps in a medium to

large division / company.

• Proven experience in adopting architecture and governance frameworks e.g. TOGAF or

Zachman

• Advanced experience in the design and implementation of complex computer systems

• Experience in code refactoring, design patterns, design-driven development, continuous

deployment, highly scalable applications, application security.

• Experience in pair programming, continuous integration, test-driven development &

incremental design.

• Project management experience

 

 

Knowledge and Skills:

 

• Sound knowledge of software development, with knowledge of Agile software development

process.

• Ability to write architectural design documents or review design documents provided by others.

• Good understanding of Node.js, Go, Ruby on Rails, Java, PHP, Perl, SQL, HTML, .Net, JavaScript

or CSS.

• In depth infrastructure knowledge including RESTful APIs, Single Sign On, LDAP, LAMP, Search

Technologies.

• Proficiency in implementing reliable, complex, secure, high performance and scalable solutions

from creation to production

• Ability to draft accurate documentation that supports the project management effort and

software development

• Demonstrates the ability to understand and interpret key technology platforms relative to PPS

• Knowledge of the technology elements that contribute to maturing the 4th Industrial

Revolution objectives; robotics, automation, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, etc.

 

Competencies:

 

• Sound problem solving and analytics skills

• Innovation orientation

• Business Acumen

• Persuading and Influencing

• Change navigation and adaptable

• Sound analytical, logical reasoning and business acumen.

• Sound planning, organising and execution skills.

• Sound communication (verbal and written) in English.

• Excellent customer relations skills and ability to work with demanding customers