Lead Solution Architect

The Lead Solution Architects are part of the Architecture practice within the CTO organisation which reports into the Chief Technology Officer.  Lead Solution Architects take primary responsibility for providing technical leadership and expertise to support a team of solution architects in creating efficient technical solutions for value streams, while using that same expertise and knowledge to contribute to enterprise architecture strategies and roadmaps.

The Lead Solution Architects take responsibility for setting technical vision for the change portfolio to ensure strategic alignment, consistency, and support higher velocity and autonomous delivery.  They remain pragmatic and focus on business value, particularly during key stakeholder engagements and participation in governance.

The Lead Solution Architects will be required to collaborate and communicate complex topics with business and IT Delivery leaders, as well as fellow architects, to ensure roadmap alignment, optimal use of Admiral assets, alignment with policies and standards, and well-considered purchasing decisions.

Main Duties

• Together with Enterprise Architecture, contribute to strong technical leadership for value streams and ensure that Solution Architecture own solutions from ideation to delivery, and ensure that business value can be realised through good technical solutions.
• Build productive relationships with technical and business stakeholders to maintain alignment of technology and business strategies.
• Develop and maintain a detailed understanding of the architecture for the value stream.
• Act as support for Solution Architects, reviewing proposed solutions and maintaining design and governance standards.
• Produce documentation of a high-quality and to a detailed level, ensuring that all decision points, building blocks, principles, rationale, roadmaps, and all interdependencies are understood, documented, and communicated across value streams.
• Act as a point of reference within the team to provide knowledge and specialist, deep technical expertise.
• Contribute to the architecture repository using the Admiral architecture modelling tools and language.
• Write, or contributes to, articles, and papers and speak at conferences, user groups, or specialist subject groups on topics involved in Architecture. Play a leading role in special interest groups concerned with specialist field.
• Promote Architecture within Admiral and closely associated organisations.
• Support innovation by research, create and communicate reports, strategies and industry insights about emerging technologies, products, services, methods and techniques and their potential impacts, threats, and opportunities.
• Keep the Head of Solution Architecture and the CTO management team informed and escalate where appropriate.

Skills & Experience

Essential:

• Recognised expertise in Architecture & Strategy, the technology involved, current developments, the most commonly available products, and the application of Architecture within a technical or business environment. 
• Take innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions.
• Strong stakeholder management, ability to communicate at all levels to ensure business and technical objectives are met.
• Keep organisational objectives and strategies in mind and ensuring courses of action are aligned with the strategic context.
• Understand commercial considerations and ensure solutions reflect them when making decisions or recommending actions.
• Proactive approach, anticipating opportunities for improvement or development and taking appropriate action(s).

Desirable:

• Possess knowledge of Financial Services IT Architecture & Strategy.
• Previous experience operating in a heavily regulated environment including external regulated consumer products and service offerings.
• Current and emerging standards associated with IT practice nationally and internationally, published by authorities such as IEEE, IEC, BSI, ISO.
• Principles, methods, techniques and tools for the preparation and monitoring of budgets to manage costs and ensure cost-effectiveness and value for money.

Salary, Benefits, and Work-Life Balance

We do not have a set salary for this position, as it will be dependent on the successful candidate’s experience. We are happy to see CVs from all candidates who meet the requirements and will be happy to discuss the remuneration package.

At Admiral, we are proud to be a diverse business where we put our people and customers first. We have great benefits to ensure employees have a great work-life balance; it's one of the reasons we’re consistently voted one of the Sunday Times Best Big Companies to work for in the UK. We want you to have an element of freedom to define a working lifestyle that supports this, so accommodate flexible hours wherever possible.

All colleagues will receive 33 days holiday (including banks holidays) when they join us, and this will increase with length of service, up to a maximum of 38 days (including banks holidays). You also have the option to buy or sell up to five days of annual leave in addition to your allocation.

You can also view some of our other key benefits here.

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