Application Architect

Sept 2017 Branding; City Of London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Sept 2017 Branding is seeking a Senior Architect to lead the design and delivery of large-scale financial services applications. You will map complex business requirements to robust architecture, guide development teams, and influence changes across global projects.

The role demands 10+ years in IT, at least 3 years in a senior architect position, hands-on architectural experience, and strong stakeholder management, documentation quality, and communication skills.

Qualifications

• 10+ years IT experience with 3+ years in a senior architect role.
• Hands-on experience architecting/building large scale systems.
• Experience in financial services.

Responsibilities

• Architect and oversee large-scale mission-critical systems.
• Collaborate with global teams and external suppliers.
• Produce high-quality architecture documentation.
• Mentor and coach junior staff.

Skills

Architectural design

Software architecture

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Documentation

Education

B.S. or higher in computer science

Job description

Operational

For the various projects under progress:

• Map complex business requirements to correct architecture, design and design new or refactor areas where insufficient infrastructure exists in the projects
• Participate, contribute, and provide opinion on changes, enhancements and design being done to the projects
• Provide technical and data leadership to the application development group, including being able to advise on the future direction of systems

Leadership

• Partner with business stakeholders to provide IT solutions to business initiatives
• Evaluate and recommend solutions, alternative frameworks, products / solutions available to current and future releases of product
• Technically evaluate existing architecture / design of big software systems and providing alternative solutions and recommend appropriate path for a product / project

Experience required (sector knowledge, specific work/projects, product knowledge)

Strong knowledge of Banking Systems and Banking Practices

Experienced in interfacing to cross-organisational business and IT functions

A good working understanding of all aspects of the software development life-cycle

Experienced in producing high quality, well-structured solution documentation

Good track record of being an SME for Banking Systems

Experience within IT Development and/or operational practice

Experience of using structured methodologies

Commercial experience – establishing business cases and / or developing commercial propositions

Exposure of implementing and supporting IT changes following a full Project lifecycle.

Design / Proposal Writing experience

Experienced in creating high quality (well structured) MS Excel spreadsheets.

Experienced in creating high quality (both from a grammatical and presentational perspective) MS Word documents.

Exposure to MS Visio and other MS Office products.

Ability to utilise Microsoft Project to produce project plans.

Experience of working with external suppliers

Experience of indirectly managing, coaching or mentoring other employees

Flexibility to work from Vendors’ Locations

The person most suited to this role will:

• Have strong interpersonal skills.
• Be analytical and clear in thinking and documentation.
• Have the necessary technical skills to deliver a Business as Usual or new development solution
• Work well under pressure.
• Be self-confident and decisive.
• Display leadership characteristics.
• Be passionate about the quality of service delivery and improvement.
• Build excellent relationships with customers and gain their trust
• Have good communication skills both oral and written
• Work well with a team and with external suppliers
• Manage their time effectively

Understand how best to utilise technology to deliver business solutions

Architectural skills

Should be strong in design patterns, and industry best practices with experience of applying them to solve software design problems.

The ability to analyze the various quality dimensions of an application including performance, reliability and resilience, security and design and implement improvements to meet them.

Should have very up-to-date knowledge of technologies, technology trends, and third party solutions for software problems.

Should have excellent analytical and communication skills.

Ability to work on complex projects with globally distributed teams and tight timelines.

Essential Qualifications

Experience, education and any certifications as necessary for successful job performance

Required

• 10+ years of IT experience of which 3+ years should be in a senior architect role.
• Hands-on working experience in architecting/building large scale mission-critical systems

Desired Qualifications

Experience, education and any certifications as necessary for successful job performance

• B. S. or beyond in computer science or a related field
• Experience in financial services

Success Factors

Personal characteristics contributing to an individual's ability to excel in the position

• Strong communication skills (both verbal and written)
• Ability to work with and motivate diverse, globally distributed teams