Infrastructure Solutions Architect

Job Introduction

Accountable for the base line and target infrastructure architecture definition and strategy. This includes the creation, management and socialisation of technology standards and reference artefacts within IS and the broader business community, and ensuring alignment to Group technology policies.

This role works closely with the Business Solution Architects, to understand the business’ strategic needs, how they can be supported through the effective deployment of technology, the options available and how to effectively transition to the target state. This role is also responsible for influencing key business and IT stakeholders to ensure that the right thinking and decisions are taking place to shape the architecture and roadmap for their domain.

This role liaises with the other Solution Architects to support the guidance, direction and definition of the technology architecture for projects.  

A bit about the role

Key accountabilities and responsibilities include:

Infrastructure Architecture

• Document the baseline infrastructure architecture, including reference to the relevant business, information and technology domain components;
•  Engage with project teams to define the technology architecture components of a solution, provide ongoing assurance of technology solutions through to delivery;
• Define, document and communicate the technology roadmaps and all major transition states;
• Effectively apply the IT strategy and architecture principles to ensure they are achieved through delivery of the roadmap;
• Identify and analyse business needs and drivers associated with infrastructure change, assessing their feasibility and proposing solution options;
• Carry out options analysis to evaluate the technology impact as well as the cost, risks, benefits and support implications of each option;
• Liaise with vendors and industry advisors to understand the available market offerings, product features, future roadmaps and how they map to the target technology architecture and roadmap to guide the right decisions and maximum value from investments and relationships.
• Maintain and communicate the technology roadmaps, covering lifecycle planning, capacity planning, obsolescence, availability of support, major version upgrades and vendor roadmaps.
• Define and gain business agreement for the technology requirements for each project that requires infrastructure change e.g. performance, capacity, availability, conducting planning for future growth and ensuring those requirements are met through solution design;
• Carry out research and development to explore emerging technologies and investigating how they may be incorporated into the technology roadmaps;
• Engage with project teams to define the technology architecture components of a solution, provide ongoing assurance of technology solutions through to delivery;
• Define, document and communicate the technology roadmaps and all major transition states;
• Effectively apply the IT strategy and architecture principles to ensure they are achieved through delivery of the roadmap;
• Identify and analyse business needs and drivers associated with infrastructure change, assessing their feasibility and proposing solution options.
• Carry out options analysis to evaluate the technology impact as well as the cost, risks, benefits and support implications of each option;
• Liaise with vendors and industry advisors to understand the available market offerings, product features, future roadmaps and how they map to the target technology architecture and roadmap to guide the right decisions and maximum value from investments and relationships;
• Maintain and communicate the technology roadmaps, covering lifecycle planning, capacity planning, obsolescence, availability of support, major version upgrades and vendor roadmaps;
• Define and gain business agreement for the technology requirements for each project that requires infrastructure change e.g. performance, capacity, availability, conducting planning for future growth and ensuring those requirements are met through solution design;
• Carry out research and development to explore emerging technologies and investigating how they may be incorporated into the technology roadmaps;

Programmes & Projects

• Define the technology architecture for programmes and projects, acting as the SME for technology;
• Effectively communicate the transition and target architectures to all relevant work stream stakeholders including the Programme Director, Workstream Leads, Programme Managers, Business Analysts, Solution Architects and Business Leads;
• Validate that solution architecture deliverables align with the transition and target architectures, roadmaps and principles;
• Guide design decisions and driving them through the resolution in alignment with the transition and target architectures, roadmaps and principles;
• Actively participate in project governance, approving solutions and designs and conducting quality assurance as required;
• Identify risks exposed by proposed solutions, identifying mitigating actions and following them through to closure;

Enterprise Architecture & Strategy

• Proactively define, communicate and embed the enterprise architecture and business design principles, regularly assessing their continued relevance and value to the organisation in collaboration with other Business Solutions Architects;
• Work with the broader Architecture team to shape the vision, enterprise business architecture, operating model and roadmap;
• Define the overall enterprise infrastructure architecture and driving related IT strategy decisions through the resolution in collaboration with other Business Solutions Architects;
• Analyse industry, technology and market trends to determine their potential impact on the enterprise, proactively identifying future technology solutions appropriate for the organisation;

Best Practices and Mentoring

• Ensure that all relevant information about the baseline, transition and target architecture as well as plans and roadmaps are captured in an appropriate format, stored and controlled to promote re-use and consolidation in to a single view of the truth;
• Provide a deep knowledge of specific architecture solutions and acting as an informed “challenger” to ensure alternatives have been considered rather than “just doing what we’ve always done”;
• Deputise for the Business Solution Architect(s) as required;
• Ensure that all activities are performed at a consistently high standard with minimal risk to the Selfridges and Co. business and that opportunities to improve services and processes are identified and actioned.

A bit about you

Qualifications/ Training

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science
• Relevant qualification in Business Analysis or BCS certification in Enterprise and Solution Architecture or similar
• Relevant qualification in one or more enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g. TOGAF, Zachman, MODAF)

Experience

• Significant experience as an Infrastructure Architect, or Solution Architect, Enterprise Infrastructure Architect or equivalent role within an omni-channel retail organisation or a leading Management Consultancy. This will include the definition and delivery of major change in at least two of the following domains: Ecommerce, Buying & Merchandising, Logistics & Supply Chain, Finance, Omni-Channel Order Management, Customer Experience and Relationship Management (CRM).
• Extended experience in at least two IT disciplines (such as business analysis, application development, middleware, information analysis, technical architecture, service delivery);
• Experience designing and engineering technology, in particular mission critical infrastructure in complex environments;
• Experience leading a technical subject area within a significant transformation programme through to successful delivery;
• Experience influencing business stakeholders and communicating complex ideas and solution options in a simple and resonant way in order to gain buy-in and commitment;
• Experience proactively driving the definition of infrastructure architecture and enterprise-level architectures, the roadmaps and programmes to deliver them and mobilisation of the necessary projects;
• Experience in supporting project delivery involving both in-house and third-party design, development, testing and project management;
• Experience of different delivery lifecycles and service delivery methods will be beneficial, e.g. RUP, Agile, TDD, Waterfall, Prince2, ITIL and similar;
• Experience designing solutions for common retail applications will be beneficial, e.g. Oracle Retail Suite, Retek, WebSphere Commerce / Sterling, Oracle ATG / DOO / GOP, PeopleSoft, Oracle Financials, Hyperion, etc.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of cloud computing, including all delivery models;
• Strong understanding of VMWare virtualisation, Microsoft products
• Strong understanding of integration technology and information security requirements
• Strong understanding of core infrastructure concepts (such as DNS, routing, networking protocols)
• Some exposure to the Oracle Retail stack, or Oracle Managed Cloud Services (OMCS)
• Experience working with 3^rd party managed hosting providers
• Some exposure to RedHat Linux and Windows Server operating Systems
• Some exposure to LAN and WAN design principles
• Strong understanding of all key business functions of a modern omni-channel retailer, the major cross-department processes and information flows, how they combine to produce value and the role of information systems in supporting them;
• Demonstrated understanding of common strategies, challenges and business models relevant to retailers and the influence they have on technology strategy and decision-making;
• Ability to define all aspects of information, application, integration and technology architecture necessary to effectively meet a business need;
• Ability to identify multiple solution options to address a business problem and analyse, assess their impact and make appropriate recommendations;
• Ability to rapidly analyse and understand functions and operation of existing solutions and capabilities of new technologies.
• Ability to identify and plan for the information management, security, performance, capacity, availability, reliability, flexibility and supportability aspects of a solution across a diverse variety of technologies and topologies;
• Demonstrated understanding of key systems design concepts, systems behaviour, application and integration patterns, standards, architecture principles and building blocks;

Personal Attributes/ Behavioural Skills

• Motivated self-starter, enthusiastic, resilient, personally effective, pro-active and with a flexible attitude to work;
• Strong strategic and analytical problem solving skills, has a keen attention to detail and a good commercial sense;
• Quickly builds strong relationships and credibility with both the business and within Information Systems;
• Excellent person/people management skills, especially in developing consensus across diverse groups;
• Makes customer-oriented decisions and shares great stories of exceptional customer service;
• Remains visible to customers as one of the faces of IS to listen to their concerns and share these with others;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with an ability to handle difficult or sensitive situations;
• Communicates information in a relevant and concise fashion, mindful of and tailored to the audience;
• Proactively identifies areas for improvement, shares lessons learned with colleagues and encourages others to do the same;
• Ability to continually question current customs and practice, think laterally to resolve project issues and initiate quality improvements;
• Prioritises work and remains focussed on the most critical tasks, ensuring time and resources are used efficiently and effectively;
• Confident, able to make tough decisions and stick to them when questioned;
• Strong sense of ownership and ability to follow tasks through to completion;
• Ability to work as part of an effective and highly skilled team;
• Ability to deliver in a high-pressure, dynamic environment.

A bit about us

We are a shop run on imagination: a place where the world’s most covetable brands combine with the most extraordinary spectacles, events and ideas for an experience like no other.

We have challenged the rules of retail from day one, whilst demonstrating our unwavering commitment to sustainability.  In 2016, we were the first to be awarded with recognition for the ‘World’s Best Sustainability Campaign by a Department Store’ at the IGDS Global Department Store Summit, in-line with its focus on buying better and inspiring change. We are also recognised as the Best Department Store in the World (2010, 2012, 2014 & 2018) underlining our place at the forefront of retail. In 2018 we were recognised as a LinkedIn Top Company to work for.

Our vision is to be the destination for the most extraordinary customer experience, and our people are central to us achieving this.  As an employer we are committed to making Selfridges an exciting, inspiring and fun place to work