Solutions Architect

Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has a clear mandate from the Ontario government. Everything we do aims to improve electrical safety for the public.

To do this, we anticipate, understand and prevent electrical-related harms.

To learn more about Electrical Safety Authority and how we are keeping Ontario safe, please visit esasafe.com

Solutions Architect

General Accountabilities

1. Solution Architecture

Responsible for Solution Architecture and Design practice and expertise across the IT

portfolio of services and systems.

Leads and manages the practice and the introduction of the overall technical vision for a

particular solution.

• Creates, and implements solution architecture standards.
• Creates, and leads a forum for solution architecture reviews.
• Understands and interprets business processes, workflows, and systems to identify opportunities for efficiency improvement (e.

g. application functionality or application system

performance).

Provides approval for all builds or purchases, ensuring that they align with the

technology strategy and roadmap.

Ensures solution architecture documentation is completed and appropriately maintained

as per departmental standards.

2. Solution Design

Provides expert advice on how solution designs could provide value to the business.

Performs market searches on vendor solutions with pros and cons documented to assist

management decisions.

Design end-to-end technical solutions that align with client objectives and industry best

practices. Perform consultation and analysis to understand the business need,

assessment of options to determine the design that will meet the needs within current

constraints, and influence the selection and implementation of the solutions

• Leads solution design and provide strategic advice for purchased and built solutions.
• Develops and recommends detailed technical specifications for proposed solutions.
• Assesses system architecture currently in place and works with the IT team members to

recommend solution design to improve current services.

• Creates and maintains architectural diagrams
• Assesses business and technical impact of proposed solution designs
• Reviews and provides feedback on documentation created for IT solution designs across

the portfolio.

Accounts for possible project challenges in design on constraints including risks, time,

resources, and scope.

Works closely with project teams to contribute to successful completion and

implementation of overall project.

Works closely with project management teams to successfully monitor progress of

initiatives and viability of designs.

3. Research

• Continually researches current and emerging technologies.
• Requires maintaining a level of mastery knowledge for current best practices in solution

architecture standards.

4. Risk Management

Within the general context of the job responsibilities, makes strategic and tactical

suggestions to Director on how to improve the division’s effectiveness and efficiency as

it relates to solution design as part of the overall technology strategy.

Evaluate solutions to ensure they align to the evolving processes and standards from the

IT management team, and collaborate with the overall technology team (internal and

external resources) to influence decisions to deliver technical solutions.

Identify potential risks and challenges in proposed solutions and develop mitigation

strategies.

Proactively address technical issues and roadblocks to ensure project success. 5.

Communication and Influence

Provides regular updates to Project Managers and IT Leadership of Solution

Architecture deliverables.

Actively participates in project meetings providing guidance and expertise to technical

team.

Manages business requirements and expected outcomes from numerous groups

internal / external that work in the solution.

Prepares written reports for internal stakeholders, as required, to understand and assess

solution design in place or being proposed.

Participates in management discussions regarding technology roadmap as it relates to

solution architecture.

Performs other duties as required

Experience :

Requires experience in technical aspects of projects to be able to provide guidance,

identify risks, and assess the technology infrastructure of the solution.

Requires experience in implementing and modifying a range of business applications

and data infrastructure.

Requires business experience to discuss business problems and recommend

application solutions.

Requires excellent business writing skills to document recommendations and proposals.

Requires excellent problem solving to be able to quickly change direction based on

updated client specifications or system limitations.

Requires experience to identify training requirements and to plan and coordinate training

activities.

• Requires the ability for both strategic and tactical thinking.
• Experience in designing and deploying of SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Cloud, Virtual and OnPrem solutions.
• A period of over 8 years and up to and including 10 years is considered necessary to

gain this experience.