Senior Solution Architect

Ifs1; Itasca (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

IFS is seeking a Senior Solution Architect to own the end-to-end solution design for upgrades, implementations, and success services. You will work closely with the IFS implementation team and partners to advise and guide customer project teams, ensuring business value and best practices are applied.

You will collaborate with senior architects and project managers to manage scope, risks, and delivery quality while aligning solutions with evolving customer objectives and industry standards.

Qualifications

• University degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Solid understanding of solution architecture and implementation life cycle.
• Experience leading workshops and presenting to executives.

Responsibilities

• Own the solution design and ensure it aligns with customer business goals and IFS best practices.
• Collaborate with implementation teams to validate scope, risks, and deliverables across upgrades and implementations.
• Review deliverables (test plans, work products) for quality and conformance to standards.
• Support delivery of IFS Success Services with low-complexity involvement and coordinate with project managers.
• Engage with customer executives to articulate value and drive ongoing alignment with business objectives.

Skills

Solution architecture

Scope Tool

Implementation methodology

Workshop facilitation

Executive communication

Value engineering

Stakeholder management

Education

University degree or equivalent

Tools

IFS Accelerators

Job description

A Senior Solution Architect at IFS is delivering solution-related work in Upgrades, Implementation projects, and success services.

The Senior Solution Architect - owns the solution and how it is built, working closely with the IFS implementation team, and partners where applicable, as well as using their industry and implementation experience to advise and guide the customer project team.

The Senior Solution Architect needs to understand the customer's business requirements and ensure the solution is providing the customer with the expected/required outcomes and business value, whilst ensuring IFS best practice is applied.

As a Senior Solution Architect, your core activities would be, but not limited to:

• Assist the implementation team in understanding methodology, ensure consistent reporting and documentation per standards, and support the Project Manager in guiding the customer team through project phases for initiatives.
• Ensure the Scope Tool accurately reflects the proposed solution, address scope gaps, and collaborate with the IFS Project Manager to manage risks tied to moderately complex requirements.
• Collaborating with the implementation team to ensure accurate and consistent documentation of the customer solution.
• Reviewing deliverables and customer work products, such as test plans, for consistency, clarity, and adherence to defined quality standards, providing actionable feedback.
• Reviewing CRIMs and solution-related actions to ensure basic consistency and alignment with the solution, identifying issues and escalating them for further review.
• Assisting in the delivery of IFS Success Services by supporting Success expert services activities. Contribute to tasks as directed, ensuring basic support for service delivery with low-complexity involvement.
• Support and coordinate solution delivery for Upgrade, Implementation, and Global Projects under guidance, collaborating with senior architects, management, partners, and system integrators while project consulting team to ensure a consistent and high-quality IFS experience.
• Work with the lead Solution Architect and the customer to align the IFS solution with business requirements, assess progress, deliver value, and ensure ongoing alignment with evolving objectives through regular communication and reviews.
• Engage with the customer's executive team to articulate the value of the IFS solution and maintain ongoing communication to ensure alignment with their needs and business objectives.
• Supporting the articulation of product direction and value proposition to customers, while assisting in understanding business objectives and value metrics, under the guidance of senior leadership and architects, to ensure alignment with customer goals.
• Supporting the learning and understanding of core IFS industries, developing foundational knowledge with guidance from senior team members, sharing knowledge within the team, and assisting with input for global strategy and methodology improvement, while requiring guidance to critically assess the impact on other IFS business functions.
• Be familiar with available IFS Accelerators, understands their application to customer projects, and advises on their practical use, aligning with IFS best practices to address medium complexity project requirements.

As a Senior Solution Architect, you are expected to:

• Demonstrates a solid understanding of the Scope Tool, effectively applying it to design customer scopes that align with the customer's project team structure, while also being capable of understanding and articulating the end-to-end processes involved in customer solutions, ensuring clarity and alignment with business goals.
• Possess strong knowledge of IFS products and processes, demonstrate foundational expertise in a core industry, proactively address solution-related issues, and provide early-stage suggestions for improving customer outcomes.
• Demonstrates a solid understanding and foundational knowledge of the IFS implementation methodology, actively promotes its alignment with project goals, and is engaged in ongoing development of advanced aspects.
• Maintain a clear focus on ensuring customer success by understanding and communicating the implications of Business Value Engineering (BVE) assessments, contributing to measurable value delivery, and demonstrating a strong alignment with project goals and the principles of business value realization.
• Demonstrate experience in customer interaction, conducting workshops, and delivering presentations, while providing valuable support to solution teams, showcasing foundational communication skills, and successfully leading solution delivery initiatives aligned with client goals.
• Adopt a practical and proactive approach to understanding and solving customer challenges, providing clear, professional communication and guidance while leveraging foundational skills to resolve solution-related issues and further develop expertise.

Essential:

University degree, or equivalent prof