Business Architect

Job content

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Salary: £41,526.00 - £55,750.00
Closing Date: 27 July 2021

Over the last 18 months, we have reimagined the way we deliver our University IT Services, forming a world-class IT department responsive to the needs of our global community. We’re growing significantly and we’ve created new opportunities and made changes to how we work. Our people have been at the centre of this change, with a particular focus on development and opportunities to learn new skills.

The University is an exciting and dynamic place to work, dedicated to learning and research. You will be based on campus in the centre of Newcastle and have access to fantastic resources on-site and the opportunity to attend relevant conferences and training courses. Benefits include excellent pension; 30 days holiday, 8 bank holidays plus an additional 4 discretionary closure days over the Christmas and New Year; discounted travel for the Metro and local bus services; and discounts for national retailers.

The Role

A number of exciting opportunities have arisen to join the University’s newly formed Architecture team, which is part of the IT Service and is collectively responsible for building a holistic view and roadmap for the University’s enterprise systems and processes, which will enable technology to meet the University’s strategic objectives.This role is specifically responsible for the application of a structured approach to curating and influencing the development of the University’s business capabilities, by ensuring that technology investments enhance business capabilities, in support of the University’s strategic objectives. You will build a holistic view and roadmap that will enable an individual IT architecture domain meet the University’s strategic objectives.

Informal enquiries may be made to Jonathan Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, at Jonathan.taylor@newcastle.ac.uk

Key Accountabilities

Responsible for managing, leading and developing the application of a structured approach to capturing key business process requirements and ensuring a consistent technology approach across key activities.
Working with technical subject matter experts and other key stakeholders, define and agree the components of enterprise architecture for the University as they relate to the individual architecture domain. This will include generation of functional and technology roadmaps that meet the strategic requirements of the University to secure commitment to future operating models.
Establish and implement best practices for enterprise architecture within the individual architectural domain, including development of policy, standards, procedures and guidelines, incorporating relevant external standards and share across teams. Assist in the transitioning of new technologies into mainstream service delivery by building competencies and developing processes.
Lead reviews of solutions against requirements, architectural principles and technology roadmap, including assessment of impact of non-compliance and recommending alternative options. This will include leading solution architecture activities for the individual architecture domain where appropriate, in collaboration with technical subject matter experts.
Maintain a high-level understanding of the University’s business processes and drivers for improvement in order to inform strategy and tactics for the individual IT architecture domain. This will be achieved through collaborative working with senior stakeholders, process owners and Newcastle University IT Service (NUIT) teams, e.g. identifying ways to simplify processes and improve user experience by rationalising and harmonising technology used.
Work in partnership with other stakeholders to plan and orchestrate projects. This will include assisting in preparation of project plans, budget estimates, selection of technologies and service partners, providing advice during implementation, proactively identifying issues and risks, and offering guidance on risk mitigation.
Identify and analyse technology trends, including prototyping and developing proof of concepts, in order to inform the feasibility and implications of delivering new and emerging solutions. Will encourage a proactive, risk-tolerant attitude to innovation and drives continuous improvement.
Assist the Enterprise Architect in capturing and maintaining the overall current state architecture, including capabilities and maps, utilising appropriate tooling and similarly, to develop reference architecture, working in collaboration with other individual domain architects and technical subject matter experts. This will include supporting the development of a Service Oriented Architecture enabling scale-up and scale-out, maximising utilisation and re-use.
Builds relationships within relevant communities (both inside and outside the University), utilising networks to gain an understanding of technology trends, best practices and customer plans. Harnesses opportunities to exchange knowledge and experience through passion and resourcefulness.
Any other reasonable duties that fall within the scope of the post, as allocated by the line manager.

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Substantial business architecture experience or extensive experience planning and deploying both business and IT initiatives.
Broad knowledge of IT industry standards and trends of enterprise architecture including: , Architecture frameworks (e.g. TOGAF; Zachman) , Cyber and information security standards , Project and programme management (e.g. PRINCE2; MSP) , Service management practices (e.g. ITIL) , Development methodologies (e.g. Waterfall; Agile; DevOps)
Substantial experience of Service Oriented Architectures (SOA)
Ability to visualise and create high-level models that can be used to extend and mature IT architecture
Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret business requirements and translate into viable technical solutions. Able to rapidly gather relevant information, structure hypotheses, perform cost-benefit analysis (e.g. return on investment) and synthesise solution recommendations (both to promote and discount options)
Broad knowledge of business process including disaster recovery, business continuity and risk management.
Ability to communicate effectively and influence at all levels across an enterprise including practical experience of change management.
Excellent consultancy skills and demonstrated ability to use consultancy models of engagement and tools with a varied client base.
Substantial experience with business process and performance modelling, benchmarking, and financial analysis.

Attributes and Behaviour
Seeks to improve organisational performance though the application of original thinking to existing and emerging methods, processes, products and services
Benchmarks performance against best-in class peer group, and sets appropriate vision and plans
Partners with other IT leaders to identify opportunities for significant technology/process enhancements
Thinks strategically and adopts an analytic, data driven approach to problem solving
Communicates and influences effectively and demonstrates a high level of empathy and a clear focus on listening
Builds confidence in service users and sets and manages user expectations effectively
Looks to continually improve the service to customers and brings the right skills together to solve issues/create solutions

Qualifications
Degree in computer science or related field, or equivalent qualification or experience

Newcastle University is committed to being a fully inclusive Global University which actively recruits, supports and retains staff from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.

The University holds a silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University also holds the HR Excellence in Research award for our work to support the career development of our researchers, and is a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 6501