Solutions Architect

Job Summary

Full time (37 hrs)  

Flexible working opportunities  

Closing date – 09/06/2023

The role 

The purpose of this role is to lead the design and planning of Selwood systems, making sure that the technical design and architecture meets the business requirements and delivers the benefits defined from the transformation. This includes oversight of processes, data, integrations, reporting, analytics, testing and other elements that must work together well and be intuitive to use.  

The role is responsible for producing system architectural and technical designs, and by collaborating with stakeholders, the project team and third parties, is responsible for making sure the designs and resource and project plans are delivered to a high quality and that the transformation happens smoothly, without undue disruption to the operational teams. 

To be effective in this position, you must feel comfortable owning the entire architecture development process from inception to completion.  

It has the following main responsibilities; 

• Ensure that IT governance processes are followed by project teams, and that projects are managed in line with the corporate processes and technical elements are delivered as planned, to budget and timescales. 

• Own and manage all technical project and programme risks, ensuring suitable mitigation steps are taken. 

• Validate and refine requirements in collaboration with the BA team, ensuring that requirements are sufficient for development work to be completed and that the benefits will be realised.  

• Plan go-live and migration work, ensuring that all prerequisites and dependencies are managed to deliver a smooth transition to new systems.  

• Define governance for technical environments and develop workflows for software delivery.  

• Design and support technical elements of testing required and to support resolution of issues raised by functional testing.  

• Lead on data strategy and architecture, including data accessibility, analytics and quality improvements required to support project goals. 

• Act as a role model for all staff across Selwood Housing, always demonstrating the utmost professionalism and commitment to Selwood Housing's vision and values. 

• Exemplify and champion a positive approach to change and transformation, empathising with, and encouraging, colleagues. 

What we need 

For this role you'll need to have the following skills and experience: 

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent experience  

• Foundation level certification in Solution Architecture 

• Practitioner level certification in Solution Architecture (desirable) 

• Experience of application / solution architecture experience (including selecting system solutions, considering functionality, data, security, integration, infrastructure, and performance)  

• Proven understanding and demonstration of system integration e.g. SOA, microservices 

• Experience of Dynamics CRM implementation / dataverse 

• Experience of any business application development 

• Experience of working in a Housing Association, a charity or non-profit organisation (desirable) 

• Experience of a digital business transformation 

• Excellent interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication skills