About the role:
As part of the Solution Architecture team, the Solution Architect will work across the Thames Water technology landscape, working with technology teams (internal and external) to design and communicate architectures and high-level structures to enable and guide the design and development of integrated solutions that meet current and future business needs.
Undertaking day to day activities including development of solution designs, strategic alignment assessments and growing technology capabilities.
You will be involved during the lifecycle of a project as the technical interface between the project / business and IT. This role will also ensure that business requirements for changes to service, process, organisation, operating model technology components and solutions must demonstrate how agreed requirements are met.
Reporting to the Lead Solution Architect, the Solution Architect will focus on:
Know your customer: Engaging with our clients in scoping, discovering and defining solutions that meet their business, technical and service objectives. Working collaboratively as part of a virtual client engagement team, facilitating discussions on the art of the possible, using architectural collateral to provide insight and tailor materials for different audiences. Be their trusted advisor and challenge their thinking.
Take the lead: Provide design and thought leadership, with effective delivery of new product introductions, customer solutions and business change. Ensure delivery is focused on solutions that realise business outcomes, provide the maximum business benefit and commercial advantage to Thames Water.
Be realistic, think forward: Ensure solutions are deliverable in timeframes committed and have passed all appropriate solution governance. Solutions should be scalable, repeatable, and utilizing existing standard services as much as possible.
Quality Assurance: Use defined controls and feedback loops to assess and maintain the quality of SA outputs, your own and those of your peers.
Key duties & responsibilities:
Production of indicative technical proposals and solution documents. Production of solution design documents and traceability to requirements.
Creation of innovative solution designs both technical and service solutions.
Work with the portfolio leads, Business Analysts and other architects to ensure that any requirements which are not fully met or any options or considerations which require a business decision are discussed and agreed to ensure the most appropriate business outcome.
Provide comprehensive guidance on the development of, and modifications to, solution components to ensure that they take account of relevant architectures, strategies, policies, standards and practices and that existing, and planned solution components remain compatible.
Assists/leads in the development of systems architectures, ensuring consistency with specified requirements agreed with external and internal customers and ensure systems architectures balance functional, service quality and systems management requirements.
Ensure that appropriate standards (corporate, industry, national and international) are adhered to and assist with the programme's target design, policies and standards, working proactively to achieve stable, viable designs, and ensuring consistency of design across projects within the programme.
Follows and assists in the development of the organisation's technical strategies, policies, standards and practices, ensures that they are applied correctly whilst co-ordinating design activity within a programme or project throughout the life of the project.
This role enables you to monitor technical progress and inform project management of major technical issues and makes recommendations on their resolution. Own the solution design integrity throughout the entire delivery lifecycle.
Input into supplier tendering and selection process, supporting clients to assess and compare technical capabilities and risks to delivery.
To be successful you will have the following skills and experience:
- We are looking for someone educated to a degree level or equivalent with knowledge of architecture methodologies, principles and frameworks.
- The right candidate will have a background in working with 3rd party delivery partners whilst also having solid experience in solutions architecture, dealing with stakeholders, leadership, innovation and strategic thinking.
What’s in it for you:
Our competitive salary package includes an excellent contributory pension, 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with length of service and a wider benefits scheme.
This includes an annual pay review, season ticket loans, voucher scheme giving you money off in major retail outlets, loyalty awards for continuous service plus much more, including our refer-a-friend bonus, where you can receive up to £1,000 for helping someone get a permanent position within the company.
We’re also proud to be here for our local community around Reading, offering all of our teams two days paid volunteer leave a year, as well as proudly supporting a lot of local events and charities.
Click here to view our full list of Rewards and Benefits
About us:
Thames Water is the UK’s largest water and wastewater company. We make a daily difference to millions of customers by supplying 2.7 billion litres of world-class water to around 10 million homes.
As our world changes, the need to take care of our most precious resource is greater than ever, both locally and globally. That’s why, at Thames Water, every one of our actions, big and small, matters every day. Water is essential to daily life, and that means our business is always open. We’re passionate about providing world-class tap water, now and for the future.
We’re also turning poo into power, self-generating 20% of the energy we use and, in turn, doing our bit for the planet. We’re reducing plastic waste by celebrating our tap water and rolling out an ambitious water fountain project. We’re using our voice to lobby for change and partnering with WaterAid to provide clean water to the world’s poorest communities.
Together, we’re building a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work. If you join our team, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and unparalleled benefits. We’re also proud to be an equal opportunity employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion and Disability Confident Leader, welcoming individuals from all walks of life and leading the way with an award-winning mental health and wellbeing strategy.