IT Solution Architect

Description

Role title: IT Solutions Architect
Location: Newbury

Role purpose:

The Vodafone Business IT (VBIT) department in Group Technology caters to IT needs of Vodafone Group Enterprise that includes four lines of businesses (Vodafone Global Enterprise, Vodafone Carrier Services, Internet of Things, and Cloud & Security Services), Product Management, Sales, Global Operations, etc.. The function also builds re-usable assets that cater to the IT needs of Enterprise Business Units in a number of Vodafone Local Markets.

To support key strategic growth areas, the VBIT Architecture Team require a highly capable and experienced ‘IT SOLUTION ARCHITECT’ who will be responsible for the solutions architecture and design of integrated IT solutions that meet current and future needs of the four vertical business units in Vodafone Business and the Enterprise Business Units in Local Markets. The role will deliver a trusted IT Architecture & Solutions Design service to stakeholders throughout Vodafone to quality, level of detail, time and cost acceptance criteria, such that we can demonstrably meet our Business colleagues’ needs and provide our colleagues in IT Domain Delivery high quality deliverables that facilitate the development, test and deployment activities whilst moving Vodafone towards its stated strategic goals. This also includes the provision of comprehensive guidance on the development of, and modifications to, solution components to ensure that they take into account relevant architectures, strategies, policies, standards and practices; and that existing and planned solution components remain compatible.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience essential:

• Demonstrable and recent track record of delivering an architecture and design service on projects that span multi-disciplinary areas across OSS, BSS and Enterprise domains in a large telecommunications IT environments
• Sound overall knowledge of application capabilities, integration, data design methodologies and industry best practices
• Ability to understand a wide range of disciplines in enough detail to communicate effectively with experts in those areas to enable delivery of E2E solutions designs, including, as examples, network designs, customer relationship management, order management / service provisioning, service assurance processes, billing and general enterprise management functions.
• Management of complex and conflicting priorities with ease
• Ability to balance short term vs. strategic solutions to cater to conflicting demands

Job Responsibility

Desired experience:

• Working knowledge and/or experience of delivering solutions architectures and designs for one or more of the enterprise product sets (Fixed and Mobile Connectivity, Unified Communications, Cloud & Security and M2M/IoT)
• Working knowledge of TOGAF (Enterprise Architecture framework), TM Forum Frameworx (industry specific Process, Application, and Information frameworks), and UML (modelling standard)
• Experience with E2E modelling tools such as Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect or IBM Rationale System/Software Architect)
• Experience with managing third parties required to participate in the definition of solution designs, ensuring continuity of design with all internal aspects
• Excellent communication (both written and spoken), negotiation and presentation skills
• Persists when faced with resistance and convinces other colleagues of a point of view
• Anticipates objections, builds on other people’s ideas, and improves service standards

Must have technical / professional qualifications:

• Educated to degree level and/or relevant technical experience (preferably 5+ years) with a proven track record of delivering complex cross-domain IT solutions architectures and designs in the telecommunications industry
• Collaborates with the team to scout new technologies and vendors to enable innovation and identify technical enablers;
• Supports with providing strategic input and planning for large infrastructure initiatives/projects across the product�s lifecycle;
• Supports assisting with the creation of Requests For Proposal (RFPs) on technical requirements, evaluation of answers and supplier short-listing during RFP process;
• Uses communication skills on foundational architecture best practices and disruptive technologies and their implications;
• May provide informal guidance to junior staff.

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