Head of Architecture

Job Description:

The Head of Architecture role is responsible for overall vision of solutions, ensuring the alignment of solution designs against architectural standards and business requirements. This role will support strategic technology decision making ad define how solutions will be implemented, ensuring they are cost effective, re-usable, scalable, and deliver the desired business outcomes. Evaluate existing and emerging technologies and platforms and advise how they might be leveraged to create a competitive advantage. This role will drive leading the architecture practices aligned to agile delivery, such as emergent design, that allow the architecture of systems to evolve continuously over time while simultaneously supporting the need of the current users to avoid delay and overheads associated with large scale upfront designs.

Job Responsibilities:

• Evaluate and introduce new technologies that accelerates delivering business value
• Own the resourcing of architecture team members to project, scrum teams, in alignment with the value stream leads and with the support of Resource management and capacity lead. Ensure the appropriate sizing of the team and drive recruitment decisions
• Establish and manage Architecture operating model, and Architecture Practice
• Lead and motivate high performing team of architects (Solutions, Business, Integration and Data Architects) who will be embedded within agile release trains and/or project delivery teams
• Responsible to managing multiple disciplines of Architecture competency (Solutions, Technology, Business and Data)
• Coach and Mentor Architects and other team members and create a community of practice
• Build strong relationships with our partners and extended team members, and embrace collaborative approach to developing solutions, business cases, white papers etc
• Develop Technology & Architecture strategy including standards and patterns, along with Value stream leads in alignment to DTI strategy & EYG Business strategy
• Responsible for overall technical vision of solutions, support strategic decision making and define how solutions will be implemented in cost effective, reusable, scalable manner to deliver desired business outcome
• Promote and support agile delivery methods, including Continuous Delivery pipeline and Dev-ops capabilities leveraging modern architecture practices such as Microservices, API and cloud
• Coach and Mentor Architects & other team members; and create a community of practice
• Define the solution and technology architecture career path, overseeing the learning and development plans for architecture community Govern Architecture and Design decisions using multi-level governance structure

Job Requirements:

• Experience in executive stakeholder management (CxOs, VPs etc) in transforming the organisation along with technology modernisation
• Track record within several large-scale IT programs, taking ownership of Architecture and Design activities and outputs is essential.
• Development disciplines including technical architecture, application development, middleware, database management etc. is essential.
• Master’s degree in computer science or related field is mandatory. One or more Certification in Solution and/or Enterprise Architecture mandatory e.g. Well Architected Frameworks, SAFe Architect, TOGAF, Open Certified Architect, ISEB Architecture
• Expertise in Airline domains and leading Architecture Frameworks (WAF etc)
• Overall, 20 years + experience in Architecture and overall IT competencies Experience of leading a practice for 5+ years
•  Experience in leading solution, technology, and business architecture functions as well as experience of solution
• Experience of working in a scaled agile environment, applying agile and/or scrum as a way of working to deliver technology products is essential
• Experience in seeking alignment of Business and IT, driving common approaches, delivering sustainable and reusable solutions with the ability to drive change.