Lead Solution Architect

Kingfisher; England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading home improvement retailer based in the UK seeks a Lead Solution Architect to lead IT solutions that align with business goals. You will architect integration solutions while collaborating with stakeholders and fostering cloud-native technologies. A strong background in retail technology and excellent stakeholder engagement skills are required. The role is full-time and located in Southampton, with a hybrid work option available.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package

Opportunities for career growth

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in retail technology environments.
• Strong leadership in architectural decision-making.
• Ability to present complex IT concepts to non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Steer architectural decision-making within the banner.
• Collaborate with stakeholders for high-level designs.
• Provide architecture leadership across banner projects.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Integration solutions architecture

Cloud technologies

Technical presentation skills

Strategic IT technologies knowledge

Tools

VMware

AWS

HTML5

Java

Job description

Lead Solution Architect Kingfisher•Southampton, England, UK

Overview

Were Kingfisher A team made up of over 74000 passionate people who bring Kingfisher - and all our other brands: B&Q Screwfix Brico Depot Castorama and Koctas - to life. Thats right were big but we have ambitions to become even bigger and even better. We want to become the leading home improvement company and grow the largest community of home improvers in the world. And thats where you come in.

At Kingfisher our customers come from all walks of life and so do we. We want to ensure that all colleagues future colleagues and applicants to Kingfisher are treated equally regardless of age gender marital or civil partnership status colour ethnic or national origin culture religious belief philosophical belief political opinion disability gender identity gender expression or sexual orientation.

We are open to flexible and agile working; therefore we offer colleagues a blend of working from home and our offices. This role will require a weekly presence in our Screwfix head office in Yeovil.

Join us as a Lead Solution Architect and play a pivotal role in steering IT solutions to support Screwfix to deliver on their business goals through technology. Were looking for someone with strong experience in retail technology environments with a deep understanding of how technology supports core retail operations.

What's the job

• Architectural Decisions: Steer the architectural decision-making within the banner offering expert guidance to ensure banner decisions are in sync with business and technical requirements while maintaining compliance with governance steps.
• Strategic Design Collaboration: Collaborate with stakeholders to craft end-to-end high-level designs that mesh with existing systems achieve business aims and align to architectural principles.
• Product Selections: Support banner owned product selection processes providing guidance to support their decision making ensuring that the most suitable products and technologies are chosen to meet business capability requirements align with architecture principles and technology strategy.
• Architectural Leadership: Provide architecture leadership and guidance across banner projects fostering the adoption of cloud-native technologies and identifying effective architectural patterns.
• Banner Architecture Knowledge: Produce and maintain key Banner Architecture knowledge base and Artefacts; Conceptual as-is / to-be and transition state roadmap reflecting Business & IT Strategies.
• Stakeholder Management: Serve as the chief architectural liaison for Screwfix ensuring stakeholders are clearly informed and engaged with project direction and outcomes.
• Line Management: Lead and develop Solution Architects aligned to or working on Screwfix activity guiding their contributions to align with strategic objectives and fostering professional growth.
• Enhancing Architectural Practice: Actively lead the enhancement of the Architecture chapter innovating and advancing architectural practices and methods.

What you'll bring

• Strong leadership in stakeholder engagement and influence orchestrating colleague collaboration to support banner-led architectural decisions.
• Skilled in clarifying complex technical terms adeptly presenting sophisticated IT concepts to non-technical audiences to support clear understanding and informed decision-making.
• Extensive experience of architecting integration solutions that span business data applications and technology domains.
• Understands cloud technologies with a particular emphasis on implementing and cloud-native integration patterns.
• Possesses a strategic interest in diverse IT technologies and their impact on business innovation and efficiency.

Values

Be Customer Focused constantly improving our customers experience

• We listen to our customers and colleagues
• We innovate products and experiences to stay ahead

Be Human leading with purpose humanity and care

• We do the right thing
• We invest in our people and build great teams

Be Curious thrive on learning thinking beyond the obvious

• We focus externally globally and build the long term
• We experiment and share our learnings

Be Agile building trust and empowering people to work with agility

• We act with pace not perfection role modelling 80/20
• We take risks fail fast and adapt quickly

Be Inclusive inspiring diverse teams to achieve together

• We celebrate difference as a strength
• We collaborate breaking down silos

Be Accountable owning the plan delivering results and growth

• We focus on performance outcomes
• We prioritise and simplify for others

At Kingfisher we value the perspectives that any new team members bring and we want to hear from you. We encourage you to apply for one of our roles even if you do not feel you meet 100% of the requirements.

In return we offer an inclusive environment where what you can achieve is limited only by your imagination! We encourage new ideas actively support experimentation and strive to build an environment where everyone can be their best self. Find out more about Diversity & Inclusion at Kingfisher here!

We also offer a competitive benefits package and plenty of opportunities to stretch and grow your career.

Interested Great apply now and help us to Power the Possible.

Required Experience: Staff IC

Key Skills: Business Process,VMware,Cloud,HTML5,Windows,Project managements,AWS,Infrastructure,Web Services,JQuery,Java,Computer Engineering,Solutions design,Technical Solutions,Analytics

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: years

Vacancy: 1