Solution Architect

Job Description

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Solution Architect to join us and play a key role in our Technology Department and our digital delivery capability. The focus of this Solution Architect role is on the solutions delivered by our trusted third parties and partners, and, in particular, how these solutions integrate with our wider enterprise. The role involves understanding the business and customer needs and, working with these trusted third parties, ensuring these needs are translated into ‘fit for purpose’ solutions. The Solution Architect will also support the implementation team / squad through the discovery and delivery phases to ensure successful implementation whilst also confirming adherence to the agreed architectural and integration principles, designs and patterns.

What kind of team you will be joining:

You would be joining an Architecture Team which is a critical part of our digital delivery capability. Emerald Publishing take a flexible and agile approach to digital delivery, working closely and alongside Product, BA, Development and Testing Functions to ensure that all of our solutions maximise the value delivered to the business.

To quote Mark, one of our Solution Architects: “I'm really enjoying working for Emerald - the projects are interesting, the team are friendly, and the work environment is flexible and inclusive with a great work / life balance.”

Day to day we’ll trust you to:   

Work with our key internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the solutions are designed and delivered to the correct principles and standards, delivering the value that the business needs while ensuring alignment to our technology strategy.

This includes taking the lead on ensuring the delivery of ‘fit for purpose’ solutions that consider all needs of the solution, including the non-functional considerations such as the standards, security, stability, supportability and sustainability needs.

Ensure that we have the appropriate integration standards and patterns in place to ensure that all solutions are integrated in the most efficient, standardised and secure manner, aligning to our wider enterprise integration approach.

Adapt your approach to the most appropriate development methodology based on the needs of the initiative and solution, including agile / lean development including Scrum or Kanban.

You’ll need to have:   

The following skills:
· Strong inter-personal communication skills, including influencing and negotiation skills and conflict resolution
· Strong elicitation and comprehension skills; the ability to find the underlying pain points that are causing difficulties and frustrations
· Presentation and concept reduction skills that facilitate the understanding of complex and technical ideas to a non-technical audience
· Experience of defining and delivering complex application and infrastructure projects, including cloud-based applications
· Experience of designing solutions incorporating cloud components, including PaaS and SaaS solutions
· Strong organisation and planning skills, including judgement as to the level of forward planning needed to balance emergent with under-pinning architectural decisions

The following knowledge and experience:

Generic Architecture experience:
· Software solution architecture and design techniques, including evolutionary architecture
· Working knowledge of application and infrastructure security

Focused Architecture experience:
· Experience with the implementation of 3rd party COTS and Cloud based SaaS solutions working alongside the vendor / implementation partner while ensuring adherence to corporate architectural principles and standards
· Is an integration architecture generalist, with experience of many integration types / architectures across a number of technologies and solutions rather than a specialist in just one (solution agnostic).

It’s more than just skills and experience, this is what we’d like to see:

The following behaviours & attributes:
· Active listener
· Enthusiastically takes shared responsibility for outcomes as part of a self-organizing team
· Creative and lateral thinker
· Ability to handle complexity and ambiguity and make risk-based trade-offs
· Methodical and focused
· Self-starter
· Ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences
· Active interest in emerging technologies and their capacity to benefit our customers, business and / or the team
· Outcome focused problem-solving approach
· Takes responsibility and promotes a culture of accountability for delivery.

What’s in it for you?

At Emerald, we value our people. Becoming a part of our team means you’ll join a trusting and flexible environment and we've been flexified so you can trust that we're a truly flexible workplace. You'll also have numerous opportunities to progress your career, as well as access to professional development and the opportunity to learn new skills.

You’ll receive a wide range of benefits, such as 30 days annual leave, remote flexible working, up to 20% performance bonus, 6% pension contribution and various benefits aimed at supporting your wellbeing and work-life balance.

Emerald Group is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all of our applicants. If you would like to request any accommodations/adjustments from application through to interview stages, please complete the relevant section within the application or contact us at peopleteam@emerald.com and let us know.