Solution Architect

Company Description

Standard Bank Group is a leading Africa-focused financial services group, and an innovative player on the global stage, that offers a variety of career-enhancing opportunities – plus the chance to work alongside some of the sector’s most talented, motivated professionals. Our clients range from individuals, to businesses of all sizes, high net worth families and large multinational corporates and institutions. We’re passionate about creating growth in Africa. Bringing true, meaningful value to our clients and the communities we serve and creating a real sense of purpose for you.

Job Description

To develop, design and maintain the solution architectures for specific business functional/technical areas. To participate in the definition of the higher-level functional and non-functional requirements, analyse technical trade-offs, determine the major components and subsystems, and define the interfaces and collaborations between them, safeguarding the strategic alignment of technology architecture with the agreed business outcomes. The role also supports the assessment and adoption of emerging technologies, data capabilities and AI-enabled solutions to drive innovation and business value.

Qualifications

Type of Qualification: First Degree
Field of Study: Information Studies,Information Technology or a related field

Experience Required
Software Engineering
Technology
5-7 years

Experience in multiple IT disciples e.g. Dev Hardware, analysis, design, service management, architecture.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Adopting Practical Approaches
• Articulating Information
• Checking Things
• Developing Expertise
• Documenting Facts
• Embracing Change
• Examining Information
• Interpreting Data
• Managing Tasks
• Producing Output
• Taking Action
• Team Working

Technical Competencies:

• Agile Engineering
• API Engineering
• Automation
• Cloud Computing
• Continuous Delivery (CD)
• Continuous Deployment
• Continuous Integration (CI)
• Data Engineering
• Design Thinking
• Error Budgets
• Incident Response
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Knowledge Management
• Microservices
• Non-abstract Large System Design (NALSD)
• Observability (Application and Web Analytics)
• Platform Engineering
• Policy as Code
• Post-incidence Analysis
• Reliability and Resilience
• Service Level Management
• Software Engineering Methods
• Software Engineering Tools
• Software Foundations
• System Integration
• Test-driven Design (TDD)
• Threat Modelling

Additional Information

Adhere to Agile methodologies and follow Agile principles through work outputs and behaviours and strive to reach mature levels on the Continuum model by building own competence to work in a continuous delivery environment

Articulate solution risks and impacts to relevant stakeholders

Collaborate with stakeholders from different disciplines in a cross-functional team to deliver against iteration target

Communicate with all stakeholders across all levels to accept and adopt architectures and/or solutions

Conform with the approved Enterprise Architecture Governance Framework and Decision Model, as well as with architecture governance body and personal individual Architect mandates

Coordinate activities across areas and domains to facilitate and deliver relevant artefacts in achievement of relevant domain/client segment architectures

Create domain/client segment architectures by collaborating with key stakeholders, peers and/ or feature teams, aligned to reference architectures and client segment and domain architectures, patterns and roadmaps

Design, develop, and maintain solution architectures for specific business functional/technical areas and actively participate in the programme to ensure implementation on the evolving solution of an application

Determine the technical design within the architectural guidelines

Develop domain/client segment architecture patterns to be consumed in Client Solution, Client Segment or Domain Architectures

Engage with and participate in the broader SBG Architecture Community of Practice and collaborate with other Solution Architects as well as with Enterprise Architects across the group to ensure strategically aligned fit-for-purpose cost-appropriate architectures and solutions.

Evaluate and score requests for information and requests for proposals (RFI and RFP) responses and present reports by providing recommendations and findings

Investigate and research the problem statement or programme needs to deliver relevant solution artefacts

Maintain reference and solution design documentation according to Group standards

Maintain the SBG Universal Technology Register, and log all architecture decisions, risks, deviations, and technology investigations (e.g. proof of concept / technology), in the SBG central architecture registers

Monitor requests for information and requests for proposal (RFI and RFP) and provide input and evaluation criteria applied during these processes. Evaluate and score RFI and RFP responses.

Observe sound risk management practices and implement validated architecture patterns to be consumed in Client Solution, Client Segment or Domain Architectures

Participate and or present in relevant Engineering Architecture Governance forums or related forums (Internal and/or External associations)

Perform technical assessments of new and proposed technologies, solutions, products and services as well as concepts (proof of concepts / proof of technology) for adoption by the organisation

Plan and develop the architectural runway and backlogs for specific domains/segments in support of upcoming business features/capabilities

Plan and develop the architectural runway in support of upcoming business features/capabilities

Produce transitional architectures aligned to the target architectures ensuring the formulated architectures and / or solutions are at the appropriate level (conceptual, logical and or physical

Provide advice and specialist consulting on planning and analysis, design, build, test and deploy, identification of opportunities and enablement and risk and impact analysis for Solution execution

Provide an assessment, review, recommendation and or opinion of Solution, Domain and Client Segment architectures for alignment to Engineering and Business Strategies, legislation and regulation and other relevant governance processes

Provide architectural, technical advice and insights to resolve critical situations affecting the organisation and recommend remediation options inclusive of advantages and disadvantages to all stakeholders

Uphold the strategic alignment of technology architecture (functional, platform, application, information and data, security, and integration architecture) with the agreed business outcomes

Work in partnership with Business representatives (e.g. Product Owner, Product Manager) ensuring alignment and delivering value to the customer

Evaluate emerging technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and industry trends, assessing their applicability, risks and potential business value to the organisation

Support the architecture, design and adoption of AI, intelligent automation and advanced analytics solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards and governance requirements

Collaborate with business, data and technology stakeholders to identify, assess and prioritise AI-driven and data-enabled opportunities, ensuring alignment with enterprise data governance, architecture standards and business objectives.