The Enterprise Solution Architect provides strategic architectural leadership across the NCIs’ technology and data enterprise landscape. You will shape and govern end-to-end solution architecture covering major applications, data, integrations, AI-enabled capabilities and business platforms. The role has authority to define and assure solution architectures for major initiatives and to challenge designs that do not align with agreed enterprise standards. This role blends deep expertise in application and data architecture, systems integration, Azure and other cloud platforms, and enterprise-wide solution design, with significant architectural leadership across large transformation programmes. You will define target architectures, provide technical direction, create solution designs, and act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders. The role spans major digital transformation initiatives, data platform development, enterprise system replacement (including ERP), cloud modernisation and cross system integration. You will ensure solutions are secure, scalable, aligned to the Technology and Data strategy and delivered using best practice architectural principles.
What Success Looks Like
- A coherent, scalable and secure enterprise architecture aligned with NCI strategies.
- Integrated, secure, cloud-first systems, and enabling reliable and efficient data and process flow across platforms and across the organisation.
- Strong architectural leadership across digital transformation, data and AI programmes.
- Clear adoption of architecture standards, models and reference designs across projects.
- High quality documentation enabling transparency, comprehension and continuity.
- Stakeholders across the NCIs consistently view architecture as an enabler of effective delivery.
Responsibilities
Solution Architecture & Technical Leadership
- Lead the architectural design of enterprise solutions across major technology programmes.
- Define and maintain architectural principles, patterns, standards and guardrails.
- Produce high level and detailed technical designs, roadmaps and architecture artefacts.
- Evaluate solution options, provide structured recommendations, and advise decision makers.
- Support procurement, vendor selection and technical assessments of new systems and platforms.
- Act as a senior member of the Technical Design Authority and other governance groups.
Data Architecture
- Define and maintain enterprise data models, data flows, data structures and metadata standards.
- Shape the evolution of modern data platforms that support analytics, AI/ML, reporting and operational workloads.
- Define ingestion, transformation, storage and access patterns.
- Promote data quality, data governance and consistent definitions across the NCIs.
- Ensure compliance with security, privacy and regulatory requirements.
Integration Architecture
- Lead the enterprise integration strategy, ensuring modern, secure and scalable data exchange.
- Define and maintain integration patterns including API-led architecture, event-driven design and cloud-native workflows.
- Promote the adoption of API Management, automation and cross-cloud connectivity using the Azure Integration Services, and related technologies.
- Oversee the scaling of integrations across Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Oracle Cloud and external SaaS systems.
- Ensure integration designs support operational efficiency, resilience and performance.
Microsoft Cloud Architecture
- Serve as a senior subject matter expert across Azure, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Dynamics 365 and Entra ID.
- Promote cloud-native design principles, zero-trust security and identity-first architecture.
- Ensure the effective use and alignment of Microsoft technology across enterprise systems.
- Support platform governance, optimisation and lifecycle management.
Strategic Responsibilities
- Provide architectural insight and direction to senior leaders.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI and ML, recommending appropriate organisational adoption.
- Contribute to long-term technology roadmaps, cloud strategies and legacy modernisation plans.
- Participate in tender evaluations, solution assessments and due diligence exercises.
- Support organisational architectural maturity and capability development.
Essential
Qualifications
- Proven experience in a senior/lead solution architecture role within complex programmes or enterprise environments.
- Strong capability in one or more of data, integration or enterprise applications, with the ability to lead across the others.
- Deep understanding of data architecture, modelling, governance and data platform design.
- Demonstrable experience of designing Enterprise Application Integration architectures including multiple lines of business services across SaaS, PaaS, hybrid and multi-cloud ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of API-led integration, microservices, event-driven design and integration platforms.
- Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
- Ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical colleagues.
- Collaborative approach with the ability to guide engineering and product teams.
Desirable
- Experience leading architecture on data platform, analytics or AI programmes.
- Experience with Finance ERP systems such as Dynamics 365 Finance, Unit4, SAP, Oracle.
- Understanding of DevOps/DevSecOps and cloud-native engineering practices.
- Experience mentoring and developing technical colleagues.
- Knowledge of zero-trust security, cloud governance and IT operating models.
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