Define and drive the Groups enterprise and cloud architecture strategy aligning business applications infrastructure data AI cybersecurity and integration within a coherent technology framework.
Lead architecture decisions establish practical technology standards and guide cloud modernisation technology rationalisation and major technology investments across the Group and its entities.
This is a hands-on architecture role requiring strong technical expertise commercial judgement and the ability to critically evaluate vendors solution designs and technology investments. Entity IT teams retain responsibility for local implementation and day-to-day operations.
Key Responsibilities
1. Enterprise Architecture
- Develop and maintain current-state and target-state architecture across applications infrastructure cloud identity integration data and AI.
- Use the Groups technology inventory to identify system dependencies duplication technical debt and opportunities for modernisation.
- Align architecture roadmaps with business priorities and the Groups technology strategy.
2. Cloud and Infrastructure Architecture
- Design hybrid and cloud architectures covering cloud platforms on-premises infrastructure networking connectivity identity security resilience and disaster recovery.
- Develop practical cloud migration blueprints that define workload priorities technical dependencies cost estimates and implementation approaches.
- Assess infrastructure modernisation options and recommend scalable secure and supportable solutions.
3. Technical Design Authority
- Review significant technology proposals solution architectures and implementation designs.
- Challenge vendor recommendations technical assumptions unnecessary complexity cost estimates and long-term supportability.
- Maintain architecture decision records approved standards and documented exceptions.
- Ensure material technology investments are supported by appropriate technical and commercial assessments.
4. Integration Architecture
- Establish reusable integration standards and design patterns across enterprise applications ERP EPM HCM procurement systems data platforms and AI solutions.
- Define architectural approaches for APIs identity data flows interoperability and system dependencies.
- Promote consistent secure and maintainable integration across the Groups technology landscape.
5. Security and Resilience by Design
- Collaborate with cybersecurity and infrastructure teams to incorporate access controls network segmentation encryption secure configuration and resilience requirements into technology designs.
- Ensure architecture decisions account for backup recovery disaster recovery and business continuity requirements.
- Support the identification and resolution of architectural risks without duplicating cybersecurity ownership.
6. Technology Rationalisation
- Identify opportunities to simplify the technology landscape reduce overlapping platforms and address unnecessary infrastructure complexity.
- Develop technically sound and commercially justified recommendations to optimise support costs and improve operational efficiency.
- Balance Group-wide standardisation with the distinct business technical and regulatory requirements of individual entities.
7. Cloud Economics and Vendor Evaluation
- Evaluate cloud consumption licensing hosting alternatives solution sizing and total cost of ownership.
- Challenge vendor proposals implementation estimates and recurring operating costs before investment decisions are made.
- Recommend cost-effective architecture options without compromising security resilience scalability or long-term maintainability.
8. Architecture Delivery and Assurance
- Collaborate with infrastructure enterprise applications data and AI cybersecurity PMO and entity IT teams to translate approved architectures into actionable implementation plans.
- Review significant technical changes and assess compliance with approved architecture principles and standards.
- Support the resolution of complex technical dependencies design conflicts and implementation challenges.
9. Architecture Standards and Documentation
- Develop and maintain practical reference architectures design principles technical standards integration patterns and architecture decision records.
- Ensure documentation is accurate reusable and accessible to relevant technical teams.
- Promote consistent architecture practices while allowing justified exceptions where business or regulatory requirements demand them.
10. Federated Group Technology Governance
- Establish and apply approved Group architecture standards through collaboration with entity IT leads.
- Respect entity ownership local delivery responsibilities and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Escalate material architecture exceptions cross-entity dependencies and strategic technology decisions to the Group CIO.
- Support alignment across the Group without assuming direct operational control of entity IT teams.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance will be assessed against agreed objectives including:
- Establishment and ongoing maintenance of the Groups target architecture and priority technology roadmaps.
- Completion of documented architecture cost and risk assessments for material technology investments.
- Development and approval of cloud migration blueprints for prioritised workloads including technical dependencies and implementation considerations.
- Completion of architecture reviews and decisions within agreed timelines.
- Identification of measurable opportunities for technology simplification reuse and cost optimisation.
- Tracking and resolution of critical architecture risks exceptions and cross-entity technical dependencies.
- Adoption of practical architecture standards across agreed Group and entity technology initiatives.
- Improved visibility of technology dependencies technical debt and long-term supportability risks.
5. Role Specifications
Education
Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Systems Engineering or a related discipline or equivalent relevant professional experience.
Experience
- Typically 10 or more years of experience in enterprise technology infrastructure cloud or solution architecture including substantial hands-on architecture responsibility.
- Demonstrated experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale hybrid and cloud solutions preferably in Microsoft Azure environments.
- Practical knowledge of Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID networking virtualisation storage backup disaster recovery and cloud connectivity.
- Experience with enterprise application architecture system integration APIs and data platforms.
- Proven ability to assess architecture options challenge vendors evaluate costs and support complex technology delivery.
- Experience working across multiple business units subsidiaries or diverse technology environments is strongly preferred.
- Experience balancing Group-wide technology standards with local business requirements and operational responsibilities.
Technical Competencies
- Enterprise and solution architecture
- Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud architecture
- Azure landing zones networking identity and security architecture
- Virtualisation VMware and infrastructure modernisation
- Cloud migration workload assessment and disaster recovery
- Enterprise integration APIs and application architecture
- Data platform and AI solution integration
- Architecture governance and technical design reviews
- Cloud economics licensing and total cost of ownership
- Technology rationalisation and technical debt management
- Architecture documentation technical standards and reusable design patterns
Professional Certifications
TOGAF Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert or equivalent architecture and cloud certifications are preferred but not mandatory.
Employment Type : Full Time
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1