Enterprise Solutions Architect

Job Description

• Working with cross-functional teams (Applications, Server, Network, Operations, Solutions & Technical Architects, Business Stakeholders), your role is to analyze, determine, and document the capital, resource, and solution needs required to support a migration and upgrade project that will remediate more than 180 legacy, unsupported Windows servers within 12-18 months
• In alignment with the above requirement, develop a supporting business case and plan that can be socialized with both the IT leadership team and senior executives
• Using the company's proposed IT strategy and enterprise architecture, while consulting with IT solutions and technology architects, ensure that the proposed migration/upgrade strategy for these systems achieves the desired goals of both individual business units and the broader organization
• Where required, explore the business logic, processes, and capabilities that are required to replace, migrate, or upgrade an existing solution. For the duration of this initial review, it's only anticipated that a high level understanding is required.
• Document gaps in explicit knowledge of applications or systems where business logic or processes are not well understood
• Document technical challenges related to systems where the migration or upgrade activity represents a significant burden such that the 12-18 month timeline is at risk
• Make determinations where applications can be rationalized, functional and technical capabilities redeployed in alternate solutions, systems upgraded through reinstallation and data migration, and/or data sets archived.
• In consultation with the cyber security team, prioritize system migrations and upgrades based on the level of cyber or availability risk. Where risks cannot be sufficiently resolved through system migrations or upgrades, additional capital and resourcing should be allocated in the business case in order to deploy mitigating controls.
• Consult with IT technical resources to understand existing tech stacks that will act as the landing place for the replacement or upgraded systems (in most cases, these will be Windows/SQL servers at the OS/DB level)
• Gain an understanding of IT and business resource constraints so that the business case and plan afford the necessary external consulting to complete the project within the defined period
• Consult with IT staff, IT leadership and business stakeholders to test the realities of what's possible and identify assumptions, risks, and constraints. With your findings, update the business case and plan accordingly.
• Debrief with the CIO on the culture and climate, highlighting that which was helpful or hindering to the development of the business case and plan

• 5+ years' experience in enterprise architect role
• 10+ years' experience in creating clear, concise documentation for a multi-tier architectural model and to discuss technical matters effectively with business end users
• In-depth experience with assessing applications capital and data requirements
• 5+ years' experience developing technology-related business cases, strategies, and plans
• Experience working in a global organization, preferably with multiple business units
• Experience working with various industries or companies to understand their business operations, objectives, and strategies
• Ability to adjust/right size solutions and standards in-line with business operating principles, rules, and parameters
• Expert experience in gathering the necessary information to understand supporting business logic, processes, and capabilities that underpin a business' technology solutions
• Experience researching, reviewing, and making recommendations on new corporate software applications and technical platforms from a perspective of design, integration, and technical fit with other systems
• Advanced ability to research, analyze and recommend improvements to an organization's use of existing software applications
• Experience reviewing and discussing technical solution designs with internal and external stakeholders to ensure proposed solutions meet the needs of the business
• Strong experience across both IT applications and infrastructure practices. Technical background that includes the configuration and support of software applications and/or IT infrastructure.
• Deep understanding of technology architectural patterns, principles, and frameworks
• Understanding of architectural principles in cloud-based platforms including IaaS, SaaS, PaaS, multi-tenancy, multi-tiered infrastructure, and application servers
• Experience working with external software suppliers for design, procurement, implementation, or enhancement purposes
• Extensive experience in third-party or COTS product integration
• Advanced skill in creating and maintaining technical documentation

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills with both technical and business professionals
• Experience leveraging sphere of influence cross-functionally and cross-culturally
• Experience communicating with and presenting to senior leadership
• Track record of being proactive, identifying gaps, making constructive suggestions and follow through to resolution
• Proven ability to creatively problem-solve for various types of issue in multiple disciplines
• Diligent attention to detail is essential due to the nature of the work
• Ability to perform moderate mathematical calculations is required
• Sound ethics and confidentiality with good customer service skills
• Ability to multi-task, manage ambiguity, and prioritize is a must
• Post-secondary education in Computer Science or equivalent is required