IT Architect at Old Mutual South Africa

Key focus of the role:

• Accountable for generating business solutions and to develop HLD (based on agreed HLA) to meet business requirements 
• Complete architecture artifacts for all solutions 
• Investigate the business landscape to find opportunities and apply new technology where relevant 
• Work closely with the business and the Design Authority to ensure alignment of solutions across the organization 
• Work closely with WM Enterprise Architects to ensure alignment of solutions with defined HLAs 

Governance 

• Govern and assist solution development to enable conformance to the architectural standards 
• Define and maintain architectural standards for the domain specific development, deployment and management of application, information, communication and technology infrastructure 
• Contributes to the development, evolution and maintenance of a detailed GET architecture through the involvement of relevant stakeholders as well as key internal and external forums 
•  Provides input to GET IT strategy, Policies and Principles 
• Ensures that the GET IT architecture aligns with the WM IT strategy 
• Governs and assists solution Life Cycle Management to promote adherence to GET & WM IT Principles 
• Governs and assists solution development to enable conformance to the GET & WM IT architectural standards. 
• Provides input to WM IT Strategy, Policies and Principles where the need arises 

Personal Effectiveness 

• Accepts and lives the company values 
• Collaborates effectively with others to achieve personal results 
• Individually accountable for managing own time, tasks and output quality for periods of 3 months to 1 year 
• Drive requirement and design discussions 
• Review functional and technical designs for alignment to solution architecture 
• Provide input through whole life cycle of projects to ensure a quality end product 
• Provide thought leadership in engagements 
• Deliver work on time and according to agreed standards 
• Consulting
• Provide IT consultancy to clients and colleagues 
• Review business requirements and define solution architecture that supports the business requirement 
• Provide high level estimates for proposed solutions 
• Keep up to date on technology and industry trends 
• Vendor & Contract Management
• Provides advice and negotiates contracts with technology-related suppliers 
• Relationship Building
• Establishes long-term business relationships 
• Translates contacts into solid business relationships 
• Facilitates resource network to foster individual and group growth

Strategy Development & Alignment 

• Examines issues and makes informed recommendations for business/technical strategy 
• Communicates first-level IT sketches, useful in communication with executives 
• Develops business case for migration to new IT architecture 
• Provides perspective for linking business objectives to IT strategy 
• Defines broad-level picture of driving/enabling relationship between business and IT 
• Selects and develops plans for the effective implementation of emerging technologies that provide business benefit 
• Identifies and selects the appropriate technology innovations that drive business 

 Additional Requirements:

• Creates enterprise and segment architecture 
• Designs application, technology or data architectures in complex environments 
• Design solution architecture for complex programs 
• Creates design guides and documentation for use in development activities 
• Monitors technology trends; recommends enhancements to architectures 
• Designs architectures standards aligned with corporate standards and industry 
• Interacts with procurement governance and standard setting bodies to select products and negotiate contract terms where needed 
• Reviews application architecture to identify strengths and weaknesses 
• Should be willing to travel if and when the need arises 
• Working knowledge of the Old Mutual Wealth UK Investment platform 
• Experience and understanding of the UK Investment business specifically, and financial services principles in general. 

Personal attributes: 

• Strong communication skills (spoken and written) 
• Negotiation and influencing skills 
• Relationship-building  

Qualifications and experience: 

• Matric, with relevant tertiary qualifications 
• 7 year + related IT Architecture experience, preferably in a financial services organization  

Competencies:  

• Strategic 
• Leading with Influence 
• Innovation (perspective) 
• Execution 
• Customer First 
• Personal Mastery (learning) 
• Collaboration (relating)