Solutions Architect

InfyStrat Software Services; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software services company based in Johannesburg is looking for a Solution Architect to lead architectural initiatives and optimize technology platforms. The role requires proven experience in designing technical architectures and integration patterns. Ideal candidates will possess strong stakeholder management skills and a solid understanding of enterprise applications like Workday and Oracle Payroll. Excellent problem-solving abilities and agile methodologies knowledge are essential.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Professional development opportunities

Health and wellness benefits

Qualifications

• Proven experience in designing technical architectures for enterprise applications.
• Strong background in integration patterns and cloud technologies.
• Ability to manage stakeholder expectations and deliver solutions effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural initiatives aligning with corporate strategy.
• Support integration and optimization of technology platforms.
• Provide architectural guidance across multiple workstreams.

Skills

Integration architecture design

Technical architecture governance

Change management

Agile methodologies

User experience design

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Oracle Payroll

ServiceNow

Workday

Azure DevOps

Job description

Solution Architect - Key Deliverables Document

Employee & Workforce Enablement

Role Context

The Solution Architect operates within the Employee and Workforce Enablement portfolio, supporting a federated technology model that balances enterprise coherence with business unit agility. This role serves 34,000+ employees across the complete employee technology lifecycle (attract through exit), encompassing Human Capital Technology, Oracle Payroll, Digital Workplace & Productivity, Hardware Asset Management, ServiceNow, and Integration domains.

Strategic Deliverables

1. Architecture & Design Excellence

Experience Architecture

• Design end-to-end user experiences that go beyond technical and solution architecture to focus on persona-based journeys
• Map and optimize employee technology touchpoints across the complete employee lifecycle
• Create intuitive, frictionless digital experiences that enhance productivity and reduce pain points
• Develop architecture patterns that balance standardization with segment-specific customization needs

Technical Architecture

• Define and maintain technical architecture blueprints for the HC technology landscape
• Design data flow patterns and integration architectures across the employee enablement ecosystem
• Establish architectural principles that ensure scalability, resilience, and security
• Create technical solution designs for complex integrations between Workday, Oracle Payroll, M365, ServiceNow, and downstream systems

Solution Architecture

• Maintain the portfolio view of vendor systems and their interdependencies
• Design solutions that maximize platform capabilities before introducing third‑party tools
• Evaluate and recommend technology solutions aligned to business requirements and strategic direction
• Ensure solution designs support the "Tight and Loose" governance framework

2. Integration & Platform Orchestration

Integration Strategy

• Design and oversee integration architecture across the HC technology landscape
• Define integration patterns and standards for connecting Workday, Oracle Payroll, ServiceNow, M365, and legacy systems
• Minimize integration complexity by exhausting native platform capabilities before custom development
• Lead the rationalization of integration touchpoints to reduce technical debt

Platform Optimization

• Identify opportunities to consolidate functionality within core platforms (Workday, M365, ServiceNow)
• Design solutions that prevent fragmentation through unnecessary third‑party integrations
• Support the migration from legacy systems (Exchange 2010/2016, AWS Workspaces) to modern cloud platforms
• Enable ServiceNow as the Employee Service Management orchestration layer

3. Enterprise Architecture Governance

Capability Mapping

• Lead HC Technology capability mapping initiatives to track and manage the EA landscape
• Identify capability gaps against HC strategy and design solutions to close them
• Maintain architecture decision records and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards
• Support the Enterprise Architect with domain‑specific architectural guidance

Standards & Patterns

• Define and maintain architectural standards for the employee enablement domain
• Create reusable solution patterns and reference architectures
• Establish architectural guardrails that distinguish between enterprise standards (tight) and business flexibility (loose)
• Ensure compliance with security, risk, and regulatory requirements in all solution designs

Operational Deliverables

4. Project & Initiative Support

Solution Design for Strategic Initiatives

• Provide architectural leadership for Project INANI and other strategic HC initiatives
• Design solutions for Workday enhancements including Career Hub, Opportunity Marketplace, and Talent Optimization
• Support Oracle platform upgrades (OIC Gen3, Kernel v6, APEX 24.x)
• Enable M365 Copilot adoption and AI‑driven automation initiatives

Workday Squad Architecture Support

• Provide architectural guidance to four specialized Workday squads (Recruitment/Learning/Talent, Core HCM/Benefits, Technical, Payroll)
• Review and approve technical designs for Workday configurations and customizations
• Ensure Workday solutions remain close to standard to prevent downstream complexity
• Support integration designs between Workday modules and external systems

5. Agile Delivery Excellence

Agile Architecture Practices

• Embed architectural review points within Agile delivery cycles
• Participate in PI planning sessions using MIRO for collaborative architecture discussions
• Support Definition of Ready with architectural acceptance criteria
• Enable continuous improvement through architectural retrospectives

Technical Debt Management

• Identify and prioritize technical debt across the employee enablement portfolio
• Design pragmatic approaches to address legacy system dependencies
• Balance new feature delivery with technical debt reduction
• Create roadmaps for platform modernization (Exchange, VDI, Oracle)

6. Automation & Quality Engineering

Test Automation Architecture

• Design test automation frameworks aligned to Playwright and Azure DevOps standards
• Define automation patterns for Workday, Oracle Payroll, and M365 testing
• Support Quality Engineering team (led by Thomas) with architectural guidance
• Enable shift‑left testing through architectural design

Process Automation

• Design automation solutions for HC processes including payroll technology
• Enable AI and Copilot Studio agents for business process automation
• Support Workday Help automation and case management improvements
• Identify opportunities for RPA and intelligent automation across the employee journey

7. Security & Compliance

Security Architecture

• Support Workday security reviews and ensure security‑by‑design principles
• Address audit findings from GIA and Deloitte through architectural solutions
• Design data masking and SailPoint integration patterns
• Ensure compliance with IT security vulnerability management standards

Risk Mitigation

• Design isolation strategies for legacy systems (e.g., Exchange 2010 ring‑fencing in AWS)
• Address platform end‑of‑life risks through architectural migration paths
• Support business continuity through resilient architecture design
• Ensure ≥98% uptime targets through architectural resilience patterns

8. Stakeholder Engagement & Advisory

Business Partner Collaboration

• Provide architectural advisory to HC Leadership
• Translate business requirements into technical architecture
• Present solution options clear trade‑offs and recommendations
• Support platform owners (Karin Roux for Workday) with architectural decisions

Vendor & External Partner Management

• Engage with Workday (Heidi Ogle), Oracle (Khalid), Microsoft (Gabriel D'oliveira, Poova Moodliar) on architectural matters
• Review vendor roadmaps and align to organizational architecture
• Evaluate new platform capabilities and features for adoption
• Ensure vendor solutions integrate seamlessly with existing architecture

9. Documentation & Knowledge Management

Architecture Documentation

• Maintain comprehensive architecture documentation including system context diagrams, integration maps, and data flows
• Create architecture decision records (ADRs) for significant design decisions
• Develop solution design documents for major initiatives
• Maintain technical documentation in accessible formats for diverse audiences

Knowledge Transfer & Enablement

• Conduct architecture reviews and provide coaching to technical teams
• Share architectural patterns and best practices across squads
• Support capability building through architectural mentoring
• Create architectural guidelines and playbooks

Success Metrics

Quality Indicators

• Solution designs meet architectural standards and governance requirements
• Integration complexity reduced through platform consolidation
• Technical debt backlog actively managed and reducing
• Architecture review participation in 100% of major initiatives

Delivery Predictability

• Architectural decisions support sprint velocity and delivery predictability
• Design‑related impediments identified and resolved proactively
• Solution designs enable on‑time, on‑budget delivery

Employee Experience

• Architecture solutions contribute to improved employee satisfaction scores
• Technology touchpoints are intuitive and friction‑free
• Platform availability meets or exceeds 98% target
• Integration‑related incidents trending downward

Business Value

• Solution designs deliver measurable ROI
• Platform optimization drives cost efficiencies
• Architecture enables business agility and speed to market
• Capability gaps closed through architectural solutions

Key Relationships

Internal Stakeholders

• HC Leadership: Fikiswa Ludidi
• Platform Owners: Karin Roux (Workday), Khalid Parker (Oracle Payroll)
• Scrum Masters: Tshepang
• Quality Engineering Lead: Thomas
• Enterprise Architecture team

External Partners

• Workday
• Oracle:
• Microsoft

Deliverable Rhythm

Daily/Weekly

• Architecture guidance for squad work items
• Technical review and approval of designs
• Impediment resolution

Monthly

• Architecture review sessions
• Technical debt assessment
• Vendor engagement and roadmap reviews

Quarterly

• PI Planning participation
• Capability mapping updates
• strategy refinement

Annually

• Architecture roadmap development
• Strategic architecture initiatives
• Governance framework reviews