Software Architect at Allan Gray Proprietary Limited

Job Responsibilities

• Actively engage with other architects to set guidelines on technical architecture, best engineering practices and development patterns.
• Oversee an area of influence within Retail IT. Within that area:
• Provide technical leadership and support
• Improve delivery and operation performance
• Improve technical alignment of systems to guidelines set by the architecture group.
• Assist teams to deliver value to the business.
• Ensure that lightweight architectural documentation is maintained
• Coach the teams to use modern software engineering best practices and tools, including continuous delivery, DevOps and SecOps.
• Manage the integrity of our architecture to maximize longevity, stability, and ease of use when developing solutions on top of it.
• Coaching engineers to ensure appropriate technical decisions are made to build resilient and strategic systems in an incremental way
• Design pragmatic solutions to architectural problems, including any necessary documentation.
• Provide technical mentorship to developers and tech leads.
• Drive the adoption of appropriate new technologies and development practices
• Stay current on recommended ‘best practice’ as it applies to technology and software development

Essential

Skills and Competencies

• Expert in at least one programming language.
• Proficient in the techniques that go into producing designs of complex IT systems, including requirements discovery and analysis, solution design, technology selection, and design configuration.
• Must have extensive experience in developing software solutions primarily within an agile environment. An understanding and background in traditional SDLC are also necessary.
• It is vital the individual has experience with all aspects of a project from design through development, testing, implementation, and production.
• Must have a good understanding of various enterprise architecture methodologies and practices. The individual must be comfortable deploying parts of methods appropriate to the specific situation.
• The mix of good technical skills and the ability to lead and influence is crucial to the job. The individual should be viewed as a leader within IT and across our business.
• The individual must have strong communication and relationship skills. A major task is to communicate complex technical information to all stakeholders including those who do not have a technical background. Strong negotiation and problem-solving skills are also required.

Advantageous

• Experience in implementing DevOps practices
• Experience with our technology stack (see https://www.allangray.co.za/careers/information-technology/)
• Knowledge of cloud technologies like AWS
• Recent experience in modern frontend development using typescript and react

Education

• Minimum 10 Years Related Experience