Solution Architect

Job description

Job Title: Solutions Architect
Location: 1234 Pavilion Drive, Northampton
£Excellent + benefits

About Barclays
Barclays is an international financial services provider engaged in personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management with an extensive presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays' purpose is to help people achieve their ambitions – in the right way.

With 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 130,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com

About GCP

Global Commercial Payments support what used to be more commonly known as the “Company Card” portfolio, providing credit and debit payment card services and solutions for customers ranging from sole traders to multinational/corporations

Overall purpose of role:

· Responsible for creating technology solutions to meet business requirements, in line with Cluster and Group IT Strategies and Architectures
· Working with the relevant product Owner, Scrum master, Lead Solutions Designer or Technical Lead - responsible for ensuring that the outcomes delivered by projects are consistent with the original solution
· Support the development of systems strategy and plan for the supported business area
· Provide ad-hoc consultancy as required to the business on technical matters

Note: The department work in an Agile Scrum delivery methodology

Key Accountabilities and Skills required:

Solutions Development
· Responsible for creating technology solutions, architectural visions, and stage 0 costs, to meet business requirements, in line with Cluster and Group IT Strategies and Architectures. Work with supply chain (including external) as appropriate.
· Adding clarity to business requirements; challenges business requirements and demands to ensure high quality candidate solutions are created
· Identifying common or duplicative needs across SBU, Cluster & GTIS
· Thinks outside of the box to support the business in delivering its strategic objectives rather than just responding to a pre-defined request,
· Works with project managers and Global Technology Sourcing to advise on supplier and cost options, and to ensure that the validity of the overall solution is fully represented and considered in any RFI/RFPs process, or in the creation and evaluation of proof of concept solutions
· Takes responsibility for ensuring that solutions adhere to architectural and quality standards and policies.
· Working with the relevant project manager and Lead Solutions Architect, responsible for ensuring that the outcomes delivered by projects are consistent with the original solution specified. This will be achieved by reviewing project design artefacts (e.g. Architectural Visions) and the impact of significant change requests.
· Advice and Guidance
· Provide advice and guidance to business stakeholders in shaping the portfolio of technology solutions to be provided to the business
· Contribute to broader architectural governance activities by participating in peer reviews for other solutioners. Form part of broader solutioning community in Barclaycard COO for advice and guidance.
· Maintains detailed awareness of, takes fully into account as necessary, and promotes throughout the organisation, any relevant statutory, internal or external regulations, standards and codes of good practice. Is capable of contributing to the definition of such regulations, standards and codes.
· Actively contributes to the development and promotion of Barclaycard COO.
· Provide coaching, mentoring and some informal task based supervision of less experienced (B5) solutions designers.

Strategy Development
· Working with the relevant Lead Solutions Designer and CAO, supports the creation of an appropriate IT Strategy for the relevant business area.
· Supports the Systems Planning process to ensure interdependencies are understood and that the proposed plan is viable.
· Influence the relevant business strategy to maximize the effective use of technology.
· Maintains knowledge of relevant technical specialism(s) at the highest level, by reading relevant literature, attending conferences and seminars, meeting and maintaining contact with other leading practitioners of the technical specialism and though playing a major role in appropriate learned, professional and trade bodies. Build relationship with manufacturers, supply channels and SI partners.
· Keeps in close touch with, and contributes to current developments in the relevant technical specialism (s) within Technology, own industry and outside. Is fluent at articulating best practice
· Where appropriate to role, is a recognized authority in the technical specialism


Person Specification
Experience - What does the role holder need to have done before?

Functional Analysis (Business)
· Has good general knowledge with some detailed knowledge of products/functions outside of day to day area supported.

Solutions Development
· Able to create fit for purpose technology solutions which address the combined challenges of
· meeting business need
· being deliverable within reasonable time and budgetary constraints
· correspond to Barclaycard strategic guidance
· Additionally, demonstrates ability to produce solutions which are technically innovative and leading edge thinking.
· Able to challenge stakeholders creatively and professionally to create solutions which meet all of the above criteria but which are not necessarily obvious responses to pre-defined requests.
· Has a good knowledge of product and vendor evaluation and selection.

IT Architecture
· Familiar with integration and implementation issues and their architectural implications.
· Excellent understanding of best practice architectural and design methods.

Technical Knowledge:

What does the role holder need to know/know about and/or be qualified in?

Depending on specifics of role, will have either

· an in-depth knowledge and expertise of one or more specific technical platforms, specially TSYS, TS2 and the commercial card portfolio. A strong knowledge of the Bank's middleware capabilities and how these integrate with customer facing applications. A full understanding of the Commercial Card Portfolio objectives and digital roadmap is also necessary.
Or
· a very good broad understanding of a wide variety of technologies pertinent to Barclaycard.

· Can describe existing technology infrastructure across all major functions / departments and has a comprehensive grasp of emerging technologies.

· Has a working knowledge of the key issues in implementing secure systems and web channel delivery.

Project Delivery
.
· Experience of working in an Agile Scrum delivery team methodology is essential

Service Delivery & Support
· Good understanding of concepts of service delivery and support

The Benefits:

Our customers deserve the best. The same goes for our employees. That's why at Barclays you'll receive a range of benefits that include a competitive salary, flexible hours and all the tools, technology and support you need to succeed. That's not all. We'll also offer you private healthcare, childcare savings, and employer discounts. You will benefit from all this, plus a unique company spirit that encourages people to achieve their best.

Our Values:
Everything we do is shaped by the five values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship. The values inform the foundations of our relationships with customers and clients, but they also shape how we measure and reward the performance of our employees. Simply put, success is not just about what you achieve, but about how you achieve it.
Diversity:
We will consider applications from job share applicants. At Barclays, we recruit based on merit and are committed to promoting diversity throughout our organisation.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are opposed to discrimination on any grounds. If this position requires the person to be an Approved Person under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), disclosure of spent convictions within the meaning set out in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 will be required.