Business Architect

ASCO - Workforce Solutions; Aberdeen City; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

ASCO - Workforce Solutions is seeking a Senior Business Architect to lead cross-system design and business architecture activities. You will define design principles, map current and target states, and drive requirements with multidisciplinary teams to deliver aligned solutions.

You will oversee delivery planning, governance, vendor engagement and go-live readiness, ensuring consistency with group requirements and future business development.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in business architecture across multiple systems and projects.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain programme design principles across system implementations.
• Lead process discovery, current and target state mapping, and requirements capture.
• Oversee business analysis, UX/UI design and solution development.
• Manage cross-system interfaces and sequencing with solution architects.
• Represent business architecture at design authority and ensure consistency.
• Own standards, templates, traceability and QA for business analysis.
• Lead system delivery planning, milestones, risks and change control.
• Chair delivery meetings and resolve blockers within tolerances.
• Lead requirements and design approval, vendor selection and testing.
• Oversee go-live readiness and phased implementation.
• Develop and maintain Group-wide business architecture capability.

Skills

Business architecture

Design principles

Stakeholder management

Cross-system delivery

Agile and Waterfall

TOGAF

Vendor management

Education

Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

ERP knowledge

Job description

Employment Type: Permanent
Location: Aberdeen (Preferred)

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday - Hybrid working to be agreed
ASCO is undertaking a multi-year business systems transformation to modernise its core operational and financial systems, improve business processes and support future growth across existing and new markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain programme design principles, ensuring consistent standards across all system implementations.
• Lead process discovery, current and target state mapping, requirements capture and functional design.
• Oversee business analysis, UX/UI design and solution development, ensuring quality and alignment with Group requirements.
• Manage cross-system dependencies, interfaces and sequencing, working closely with solution architects.
• Represent business architecture at design authority, challenging duplication, unnecessary complexity and inconsistent solutions.
• Own business analysis standards, templates, requirements traceability and quality assurance.
• Lead system delivery planning, including milestones, critical paths, dependencies, resources, risks and change control.
• Chair delivery meetings, manage progress and blockers, make decisions within agreed tolerances and escalation where necessary.
• Lead requirements and design approval, vendor selection, testing and defect management, ensuring solutions meet agreed business needs.
• Oversee go-live readiness, cutover, phased implementation and hypercare, ensuring effective handover to long-term system owners.
• Develop and maintain the Group's business architecture capability, supporting consistent ways of working and future business development. Minimum Competencies (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)
• Proven experience in business architecture or enterprise design across multiple systems, including business system implementations through to go-live.
• Experience developing design principles, target operating models, business processes and requirements across multiple delivery teams.
• Strong project delivery experience, including managing plans, dependencies, risks, change control and senior stakeholders.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, including business analysts and contractors.
• Able to maintain Group wide design standards, identify duplication and manage differences across territories.
• Confident challenging requirements, managing scope and balancing design standards with practical business needs.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage both technical and operational stakeholders.
• Proactive in resolving issues, driving decisions and maintaining delivery progress, with an understanding of how AI can improve business processes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience

Desirable Qualifications/Competencies

• Background in logistics, supply chain, marine, energy services or industrial services.
• Delivery across multiple countries or legal entities.
• Knowledge of fast-growing, investor-backed businesses.
• Understanding of multi-territory solutions using configuration rather than country-specific customisation.
• Familiarity with architecture frameworks such as TOGAF.
• Exposure to ERP or core operational platform replacements.
• Knowledge of environments with strict audit and regulatory requirements.
• Understanding of user experience and interface standards alongside business architecture.
• Knowledge of Agile and Waterfall delivery approaches.
• BCS Business Architecture Certificate.