Solutions Architect

For over 30 years Futures have been supporting Public Sector Digital Transformations across the United Kingdom working with Local Authorities, Police Forces, NHS Trusts and Central Government on a variety of digital system upgrades and implementations.

We have a long-standing client in Greater Manchester and a new role available within their Digital Transformation team. We are seeking an experienced Solutions Architect to work on a range of projects, often Azure related, for the organisation’s Digital Transformation team.

This exciting and varied role will put you at the forefront of delivering innovative technology within a large public body. It is an organisation going through lots of digital transformation, and it is a dynamic, fun place to work. This role will also enable you to be at the heart of public services in  Greater Manchester. It is a hybrid role which will see you in the office 1-2 days a week.

Solutions Architect - Primary function of the role

• Support the Senior Solutions Architect in ensuring that IT infrastructure is robust, secure, and capable of supporting its operational and strategic objectives.
• Develop and implement a strategic IT plan that aligns with the current and future operational and strategic needs.
• Design, develop and oversee the implementation of end-to-end IT solutions and systems; ensuring that different IT systems and process are integrated, facilitating smooth information flow and efficient operations.
• Responsible for the design and documentation of the architecture at the technology layer, and ensuring the operational efficiency and effectiveness of IT infrastructure, services and delivery.
• Supports the Business and other areas of Information Technology & Digital Operations (ITDD), by translating requirements, identifying and developing strategically aligned technical solutions, in conjunction with vendors, suppliers, third parties and partner agencies.
• Develops solution architecture models for projects and plans to drive forward the strategy, taking advantage of opportunities to improve business performance.
• Provides expert advice on Public Sector IT solutions and how they fit together architecturally across an organisation, ensuring alignment to industry and national best practice.

Solutions Architect - Responsibilities of the role

• Works as part of a wider Solutions Architect team to support the Senior Solutions Architect and other stakeholders in developing business cases for new IT projects by establishing requirements leading to solutions and designs that meet technical, functional and non-functional, strategic and other requirements.
• Responsible for the design and documentation of the architecture at the infrastructure and application layer.
• Maintains knowledge of complex enterprise architecture domains within the organisation, including business, applications, technology, information and others when required.
• Oversees the operational aspects of IT solutions, ensuring high performance, reliability, and compliance with security standards. Ensuring Service Operational requirements are met within the solutions.
• Ensure solutions meet the requirements of operational best practices, focusing on system efficiency and data security.
• Works with 3rd party suppliers, partner agencies and internal stakeholders to facilitate the design and agreement of solutions required to meet the force’s strategic objectives and architecture.
• To lead on the specification, procurement, testing, implementation, support and documentation of IT projects, services, systems, and infrastructure to meet strategic business and IT strategic goals within agreed budgets using appropriate technical and security standards, techniques, and timescales.
• To assist stakeholders and criminal justice partners with the business justification, and support further work conceptualisation, specification, procurement, testing, implementation, and documentation of new systems and infrastructure within agreed budgets using current technical standards, techniques, and technologies.
• To assist and advise users and criminal justice partners with the modification of business processes to maximise the potential benefits of new and existing systems considering current business and ICT strategy.
• Identifies the potential impacts of different technological solutions on the organisation and assesses costs & benefits, feasibility, and alignment to business requirements. Develops or contributes to business cases and business models to assess solution options.
• Responsible for ensuring that requirements are correctly translated into the architecture specification.
• Horizon scanning for emerging technologies. Identifies business benefits of alternative strategies where appropriate.
• Responsible to identify potential further benefits within existing solutions.
• Participate in the Technical Design Authority to assess solution design to see ensure they align to the strategic, architectural, data protection and service management principles described in the IS Strategy and the organisation’s PoaP.
• Creates and updates architecture models as a framework for future development.
• Works with both business and technical stakeholders to understand the organisation’s needs and to articulate, in an understandable manner, the solution architecture.
• Maintain solution architecture documentation.
• Contribute to evaluation of tenders.
• Works with architects at the partner agencies to maintain the application architecture layer documentation and forecast future options.
• Represents the Senior Solutions Architect  as appropriate and when required.

Solutions Architect - Essential Skills:

• Proven experience as an IT Solutions Architect, with a strong background operational architecture
• Significant experience of working within an enterprise architecture environment in a complex medium to large sized organisation, ensuring that technical projects align against the organisation strategy, architecture and governance objectives
• Experience of working with other architecture areas (e.g. Technical, Information) to achieve Solution Architectures that meet organisation goals.
• Experience of developing infrastructure and applications architecture in accordance with guiding design principles; preferably including Service Oriented Architecture.
• In depth understanding of solution design in the context of a strategic approach to solution architecture.
• Knowledge of product/service feasibility, proof of conception evaluation and selection techniques.
• Enterprise Architecture skills, typically comprising modelling, building block design, applications and role design, systems integration, etc
• Proven ability to logically map business functionality to applications and applications to infrastructure.

As well as offering the chance of a rewarding career, there are other benefits to working for this specific organisation:

• Generous annual leave entitlement of 24 days, plus bank holidays, rising to 29 days after 5 years, and 32 after 10 years of service.
• A competitive salary
• Annual pay rise
• Generous Pension (18% Employers Contributions)
• Maternity/paternity leave
• Healthcare and wellbeing support
• Opportunity to join the Sports and Social Club which offers a range of sporting activities
• Cycle Scheme
• Car Lease Scheme

To Apply

If you have the skills and experience to succeed in this role we would love to hear from you. Please apply online and one of our Consultants will contact you to conduct an initial pre screen interview!