POL00401677
POL00401677
Solution Architect
Summary
Salary: Competitive
Grade: 3A
Contract Type: Fixed Term - 12 Months
Location: Finsbury Dials/Chesterfield
Reporting to: Head of Engineering & Architecture
Division: IT
The Purpose of the Role
The Service Management and Enterprise IT domain is responsible for delivering and supporting
solutions used across the Post Office in Colleague Services, Branch Services and Commercial /
Digital Services. It includes supporting some of the largest enterprise systems covering Finance,
Logistics, Cash Management, HR and Infrastructure. It also includes management and delivery of
technical support to 11,500+ locations and 13,000+ PayZone locations, covering all current
services. The Solution Architect will lead the architecture and delivery of one or more change
programmes and support delivery of other initiatives and small change.
Principal Accountabilities
e Produce solution design artefacts covering all architecture domains and support the
design authority, managing architectural changes, and maintaining adherence to the
agreed digital blueprint agreed in wider design authority forums.
e Oversee architectural solutions and activities, proposed and executed by third-party
suppliers. Matrix manage technical activities of third-party architecture resources
e Understand POL IT strategic direction, ensure that programmes do not deviate (unless an
exception is approved).
e Support business projects, guiding and advising business stakeholders.
e Help build an overall technology roadmap of architectural change
o Keep track of exceptions and technical debt, with a view to rectifying in future
releases.
Principal Accountabilities Continued
« Within change programmes
o End to end ownership/management of architecture
Chair or present at TDA for approvals
Produce signature ready HLD / Blueprint guidelines
Review architecture artefacts before submission to TDA to ensure appropriateness
Guide architects and development team on story and feature solutions
Review LLDs from third party to ensure that they align with architecture steer
Lead technology sourcing and selection activities, working with diverse third-party
suppliers (and specialists) to identify the solution options for delivery.
o Govern delivery to avoid divergence from agreed designs / IT technical standards
etc
Qualifications, Experience & Skills
.
°
«A proven track record in leading the implementation of architecture solutions for blue-chip
organisations; identifying, architecting and implementing contemporary technology
solutions in support of transformation initiatives.
« An experienced solution architect, able to help assess our current technology maturity,
identify gaps and shape a comprehensive, end-to-end retail blueprint and technology
roadmap.
e Able to bring to bear extensive knowledge of architectural patterns, technology
components, vendor solutions and emerging technology trends on solution development
in one or more industries.
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POL00401677
e Aconfident written and verbal communicator, able to clearly explain ideas to non-
technical audiences, and work effectively with non-technical colleagues and business
executives.
e Ideally educated to Degree level or equivalent.
e Good knowledge and understanding of trends and challenges across multiple industries
(particularly Financial Services, Banking and Retail), gained through project experience,
publication of thought leadership, articles, client recommendation, etc.
e Expertise in architecting digital and multi-channel technology solutions, covering all layers
of the technology stack, from presentation through to physical infrastructure.
e Experience of architecting solutions that provide service via a physical Retail presence
«Experience of Enterprise Integration, API Gateway, ESB, Data Integration technologies
¢ Knowledge of Information Security Architecture including SOC/SEIM platforms and
common IT Security Standards
e Experience in managing enterprise architecture modeling tools
Technical Requirements
* Back Office Processes & Systems (HR, Finance, ERP, GRC, Legal, Case Management, SaaS.
etc.)
e Experience with retail systems, particularly Point-Of-Sale and Branch Devices
e Infrastructure and Operations (Network, EUC, Hosting, Storage, Cloud Computing; Azure
& AWS)
« Expertise of CRM, e-commerce and Web content management
e Experience of Mobile and Web application development
e Experience of Professional & Low-Code development tools such as OutSystems, front end,
back end ,JavaScript Frameworks etc.
e Experience of layered architecture, microservices, API driven approach
e Experience of implementing Identity and Access Management architectural patterns
e Expertise in systems integration patterns: batch, web services, service buses, etc.
Particularly in relation to multi-site retail environments.
« Experience of enterprise mobile, mobile stack development, big data, machine learning or
artificial intelligence technologies.
« Experience of selecting and implementing Retail POS devices
« Good understanding of PCI-DSS compliance challenges and approaches, e.g. P2PE,
tokenisation, etc.
About Post Office
The Post Office has thrived at the heart of high streets and local
communities across the UK for over 370 years. As one of the country’s
most trusted brands, we take our commitment to providing essential
services to customers across the UK very seriously. We're the UK’s largest
retail network, as well as the largest financial services provider in the UK,
with over 11,600 branches nationwide — more than all of the UK’s banks
and building societies put together.
We know that the best way to provide a great service for customers is to
evolve our business and adapt to their changing needs. That’s why we
have a range of over 170 products and services, from personal financial
services like banking, insurance, payments and travel money, to telecoms
and, of course, mails. And we’re improving our online and in store
experience for customers. We know that our customers never stop
changing, so neither will we.
Securing the future Post Office’s future:
We are working hard to ensure that the next chapter of the Post Office’s
POL00401677
POL00401677
history is a bright one. We are the current guardians of an iconic business
and we want to hand over a thriving network of branches which can
continue to provide essential products and services for our customers for
many years to come. This is a uniquely exciting and challenging time for
the Post Office — we’re shaping the future and creating a business we can
all be proud of.
Working at the Post Office:
Post Office colleagues are the driving force behind our business. Whether
they are in our branches or supporting from our offices, we are proud of the
energy, commitment and customer focus our people all have in common.
All Post Office people are guided by our three values and behaviours:
« We care by always thinking customer
« We strive to make things ever better through honest challenge
- We commit to decisive deliver
The Post Office embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace
and actively promote working without discrimination. We are also a
Disability Confident Employer and are committed to interviewing
disabled people who meet our minimum criteria for the job.