Architecture Practice Lead

Job description

Role Title: Architecture Practice Lead

Business: Information Technology

New or Existing Role: Existing

Grade: GCB4

Role Purpose

· The OSS Achitecture Practice Lead will perform two key roles within the OSS Architecture function.
· Firstly, the OSS Achitecture Practice Lead takes responsibility for delivery of a number of global architecture activities from across OSS and provides general support to the OSS Chief Architect and their Lead IT Architects. The jobholder leads the shaping, design and development of architectures that are aligned with Group standards, IT and business strategy, meet business objectives and satisfy all relevant regulatory and operational risk controls. The OSS Achitecture Practice Lead is responsible for engaging and participating with the global practice of architecture within their relevant area. The OSS Achitecture Practice Lead is responsible for participating in and assuring the operation of the global practice of architecture within Operations & Shared Services.
· The initiatives assigned to the jobholder will come frm across the broad portfolio of OSS whch currently covers Operations 2020, Data, API's, Core Banking, Utilities, Payments and our Global Liquidity & Cash Management (GLCM) business so flexibility and adaptability will be key.
· As part of the OSS Architecture Team, the job holder will also ensure that architectural direction is consistent across OSS and the wider Group through constant and effective engagement with architecture colleagues.
· The second part of the role is to be responsible for creation and ongoing management of the OSS Architecture practice which spans all the lines of busness mentioned above and covers 60-70 architects across the world. This role includes the intial design and set up of the OSS Architecture Practice and ensuring that it continues to run effectivley to achieve common standards, education, cross-OSS awareness, mutual support and sharing and career and skills development across the OSS architecture community.

Key Accountabilities

As a Lead IT Architect:

· Influential in the continued development of architecture standards.

· Acts as a subject matter expert, contributes to the development of group standards and identifies and implements new practices, processes and technologies where required.

· Instrumental in the design and delivery of architectures for business solutions through the solutions design process, focusing mainly on medium or multiple architecture activities.

· Ensures that non-functional requirements are clearly understood, rationale for holistic design & its components are provided, designs are peer reviewed and endorsed by the appropriate governance bodies.

· Introduce new techniques, products, services, technologies and standards where needed against identified usecases, via the appropriate governance bodies.

· Provide expert-level understanding of appropriate group business systems, their associated requirements and technology usage.

· Stay abreast of technology trends and advise IT and the business about potential benefits/impacts.

· Provide a consultancy role to IT and business teams where appropriate.

· Where appropriate, provide full architectural life cycle guidance to business and IT teams and ensure quality technical deliverables.

· Instrumental in the shaping and refining of the portfolio of work for their area of Operations & Shared Services

· Work with the IT executive team/Architecture leadership team to develop the IT strategy in the context of the business strategy and other internal and external factors

· Drive the rationalisation of applications to standardise, streamline and simplify the landscape.

· Develop and own OSS Architecture artefacts

· Provide support to the wider architecture team for system selection and vendor evaluation.

· Supporting the OSS architecture team to review and maintain the applications portfolio and inventory – identifying areas of duplication or redundancy.

As a Practice Lead:

· Define structure of the OSS architecture practice based upon specific needs and similar fucntions in other HSBC businesses

· Define and help set up key forums and initiatives as needed to engage, educate and progress the practice

· Be the focal point for OSS architecture for training and outward communications

· Own any OSS architecture owned initiatives such as the creation and ongoing managament of standard archtecture artefacts (landscape, roadmaps, strategies). NB : the artefacts themsleves will be owned by Lead Architects

· Using business acumen and a strong understanding of organisational behaviour to create an effective organisation design and operating model across multiple Architecture domains.

· Providing thought-leadership to execute the organisation design and operating model which encapsulates the healthiest human system philosophy.

· Owning human resource management (HRM) practices for the domains including recruitment, talent development, operational HRM and some functional / entity management.

· Assist the Chief Architect and their associated COO resource to manage the OSS archticture budget and plan

· Assist the Chief Architect in ensuring the practice has the right mix of skills and capabilities (incl. recruitment)

· Ensure that key archtiectural forums occur on time and that owners are assigned to manage agendas and minutes

· Ensure that OSS architecture repository updates and reporting is driven on time. NB : it will not be the jobholders responsibility to undertake the updates or reporting unless they are the assigned architect that that project

· Ensuring Architecture domains adherence to HSBC controls, standards and procedures. Represent the domains at key governance forums.

· Managing the supply and demand of resources across the Architecture domains including cost management, AOP initiatives and effective prioritisation of resources to projects.

· Gatekeeping critical communications and presentations published by the domains to ensure consistency and quality, including those published to regulators.

· Owning and closing audit and regulatory action points assigned to the Architecture domains.

Customers / Stakeholders

· Business Focus - works with the Business change and OTPE teams, to understand current and target state applications, processes and operating models to effectively establish pain points and opportunities for improvement and Straight Through processing

· Customer focus – improves customer experience and hence service, effectively engages customers, colleagues and stakeholders to build a trust-based relationship and deliver a connected service. Keeps up to date with HSBC strategy and external trends, using the information to enhance customer service.

· Strengthening stakeholder relationships, builds relationships. Uses organisational knowledge and contacts to help stakeholders like Business leaders, OSS IT Managers & Architects, OSS IT Domain Leads maximise networking opportunities, uses relationship management skills/tools to responsibly influence decisions and stakeholder advocacy.

· Deliver fair outcomes for our customers and ensure own conduct maintains the orderly and transparent operation of financial markets.

· Actively engage and collaborate with other architects or SME's from other disciplines i.e. infrastructure, security, integration, data, platform engineers, developers, service designers.

Leadership & Teamwork

· Leading the OSS Architecture Practice within the remit of the assigned portfolio

· Actively promote the benefits of architecture, accepted best practice techniques, standards and tools to other areas of the group and external suppliers where necessary.

· Ensure that the highest level of quality is provided for all activities and products.

· Mentor and coach less experienced members of staff and promotes an understanding of the value of architecture and of use of technologies and standards in their domain across IT.

· Be a prominent member within the global architecture community.

· Build strong relationships with engineering and operations teams aligned to the relevant area, particularly the designers within these teams.

· Responsible for particpating and assuring the operation of the global practice of architecture within the relevant area.

Operational Effectiveness & Control

· Perform architecture reviews on aligned global systems and ensure both appropriate peer review and governance body endorsement is obtained.

· Ensure that any new technology products are taken through the appropriate governance mechanisms.

· Ensure that all existing/new service patterns/deployments guides are taken through the appropriate governance mechanisms.

· Adhere to evergreening priorities for global business/global functions.

· Ensure compliance with all relevant internal instructions (FIMs, GSMs, circulars) and external regulatory requirements, including the management of operational risk and adherence to the group's standards of ethical behaviour.

Role Dimensions

· Budget control: This role will have no budget responsibility.
· Commercial Influence: This role will have influence over the total technology budget within OSS portfolio.
· Line management: This job may have line management responsibility.
· Functional management: This job may have functional management responsibility.
· Relationships: Business Change leads, Managers & Architects; IT Domain Leads; Information Security Risk Managers.
· Strategic importance – Medium: Influential in the continued development of change portfolio and architecture strategy & standards.
· Regulatory & risk – C/D - Identifies risks against defined architecture standards, drives implementation in architecture design & promotes good practice

Management of Risk

· The jobholder will ensure the fair treatment of our customers is at the heart of everything we do, both personally and as an organisation.
· This will be achieved by consistently displaying the behaviours that form part of the HSBC Values and culture and adhering to HSBC risk policies and procedures, including notification and escalation of any concerns and taking required action in relation to points raised by audit and/or external regulators.
· The jobholder is responsible for managing and mitigating operational risks in their day to day operations. In executing these responsibilities, the Group has adopted risk management and internal control structure referred to as the ‘Three Lines of Defence'. The jobholder should ensure they understand their position within the Three Lines of Defence, and act accordingly in line with operational risk policy, escalating in a timely manner where they are unsure of actions required.
· Through the implementation the Global AML, Sanctions and ABC Policies, supporting Guidance, and Line of Business Procedures the jobholder will make informed decisions in accordance with the core principles of HSBC's Financial Crime Risk Appetite.
· The following statement is only for roles with core responsibilities in Operational Risk Management (Risk Owner, Control Owner, Risk Steward, BRCM, and Operational Risk Function
· The jobholder has responsibility for overseeing and ensuring that Operational risks are managed in accordance with the Group Standards Manual, Risk FIM, & relevant guidelines & standards. The jobholder should comply with the detailed expectations and responsibilities for their core role in operational risk management through ensuring all actions take account of operational risks, and through using the Operational Risk Management Framework appropriately to manage those risks.
· This will be achieved by:

o Continuously reassessing risks associated with the role and inherent in the business, taking account of changing economic or market conditions, legal and regulatory requirements, operating procedures and practices, management restructurings, and the impact of new technology.

· Ensuring all actions take account of the likelihood of operational risk occurring, addressing areas of concern in conjunction with Risk and relevant line colleagues, and also by ensuring that actions resulting from points raised by internal or external audits, and external regulators, are correctly implemented in a timely fashion.

Observation of Internal Controls

· The jobholder will adhere to, and be able to demonstrate adherence to, internal controls and will implement the Group compliance policy by adhering to all relevant processes/procedures.
· The term ‘compliance' embraces all relevant financial services laws, rules and codes with which the business has to comply. This will be achieved by adherence to all relevant procedures, keeping appropriate records and, where appropriate, by the timely implementation of internal and external audit points, including issues raised by external regulators.
· The following statement is only for roles with managerial or specific Compliance responsibilities
· The jobholder will implement measures to contain compliance risk across the business area. This will be achieved by liaising with Compliance department about business initiatives at the earliest opportunity. Also and when applicable, by ensuring adequate resources are in place and training is provided, fostering a compliance culture and optimising relations with regulators.

Desired profile

Qualifications :

· 3 years' experience of Solution Architecture

· Project Management Experience

· Financial Services experience highly beneficial

As a business operating in markets all around the world, we believe diversity brings benefits for our customers, our business and our people. This is why HSBC is committed to being an inclusive employer and encourages applications from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of background, circumstances, age, disability, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

We want everyone to be able to fulfil their potential which is why we provide a range of flexible working arrangements and family friendly policies

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating a diverse environment.

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