Senior Solution Architect - Cloud Specialist

SUMMARY OF DUTIES

Reporting to the Supervisor, Strategy Architecture & Solution, the Senior Solution Architect provides the coordination of delivery of IT solutions targeted to meet business strategies through the identification, analysis, communication and validation of business requirements, identification and deployment of business solutions and communication of best practices, standards, methods, procedures and policies to business and IT stakeholders.

The Senior Solution Architect is viewed both internally and externally as a technical expert and critical technical resource across multiple disciplines. The Senior Solution Architect acts as an internal consultant, advocate, mentor and change agent for both IT and the business.

The Senior Solution Architect will evaluate and identify the best cost-effective solution for deployment to successfully meet the strategic needs of the business.

The Senior Solution Architect will provide leadership to teams engaged in enterprise data management and systems integration and / or reengineering activities.

The Senior Solution Architect leads and participates in projects to ensure that development work completed in projects is leveragable and fits the strategic architecture, S-SDLC and other standards promoted or adhered to by IT. The Senior Solution Architect collaborates with the Information Technology staff to create the high and mid-level designs for complex, high-impact and strategic business application solutions.

GENERAL DUTIES

Designs enterprise level data management, application and custom integration solutions including major enhancements and interfaces, functions and features to deliver to identified business needs and reflect overarching IT strategies and standards.

Defines and documents enterprise data management and application integration standards based on industry best practices.

Critically evaluates information gathered from multiple sources, reconciles conflicts, decomposes high-level information into details, abstracts up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguishes user requests from the true underlying business need.

Analyzes and translates / interprets departmental business needs into functional and operational requirements.

Identifies opportunities where technologies, systems and processes can improve business operations and helps achieve organizational goals through business process re-engineering and application and data integration.

Reviews and analyzes existing applications with a goal of standardizing, modernizing, identifying end-of-life, consolidating and coordinating the independently designed applications within and across the business divisions. Develops recommendations to IT Management and business leaders on consolidation opportunities.

Executes cloud computing strategies by designing for cloud-based infrastructure and assets to help businesses meet their goals.

Architects cloud-native, hybrid, or multi-cloud solutions to meet business needs.

Provides technical direction and roadmap for Cloud migrations and implementations.

Works closely with IT security to ensure data privacy and security in the cloud.

Participates in the development of IT strategies in collaboration with the IT Management team. Provides advice and recommendations to the IT Management team on strategic application development and / or application acquisition spending.

Provides functional leadership to a contingent of Business and Information Analysts including daily supervision, scheduling, skills development and recommends disciplinary actions.

Direct, manage, and coordinate team members including resources for multiple projects, including Project Manager(s), staff from other City areas, user groups, internal and external consultants and contractors, as well as vendors and external regulatory organizations.

Assists in developing section goals, work plans and objectives by participation in strategic planning sessions.

May act on behalf of Supervisor or Manager in his / her absence as required.

Manages and maintains strong business relationships with the business stakeholders demonstrating knowledge and understanding of their business drivers.

Defines and develops database and application lifecycle standards, procedures and processes to be used across the corporation.

Defines and communicates corporate procedures, policies, and standards for the organization for acquiring, implementing, and operating new package applications (COTS).

Develops business case justifications and cost / benefit analyses for business application spending and initiatives related to packaged software purchase / upgrade and custom developed solutions.

Reviews package software specifications to validate that proposed solutions meet business requirements, systems goals and enterprise application architectures, fulfill end-user requirements, and identify and resolve systems issues.

Leads package software selection initiatives including identification, review, validation and selection of new packaged business solutions. Part of the activity will include performance of risk assessments and total cost of ownership calculations.

Collaborates on the preparation of RFPs, bid proposals, contracts, scope of work reports, and other documentation for projects and associated efforts with other team member and Managers.

Conducts Quality Assurance (QA) reviews and sign-off on project design deliverables; conducts ongoing and retroactive QA reviews on any project development; provides documented feedback and results of review processes.

May be assigned to deliver projects using standard project management practices and methods.

Establishes and maintains regular written and in-person communications with the organization’s executives, decision-makers, stakeholders, department heads, and end users regarding pertinent ITS activities.

May be assigned to an initiative or project requiring the individual to take direction from other ITS Unit Manager and / or Project Manager.

Ensures that employees are provided with and use the appropriate equipment, material and / or procedures required to perform the assigned duties. Ensures that all employees perform work in accordance with applicable health and safety legislation and all City of Hamilton corporate and departmental policies and procedures. Ensures that appropriate action is recommended for those employees who do not work in compliance with legislation, policies or procedures.

Works in accordance with the provisions of applicable Health and Safety legislation and all City of Hamilton corporate and departmental policies and procedures related to Occupational Health and Safety.

Performs other duties as assigned which are directly related to the responsibilities of the position.

QUALIFICATIONS

University Degree in field of Computer Science, Information Systems or related discipline or an equivalent combination of education and relevant business experience.

Seven to ten years of experience in multiple IT areas with three years of experience in architecture, data management, applications system design and integration.

Expert knowledge and understanding of current and emerging architecture, database systems, database design, applications systems design and application integration standards and practices.

Demonstrated knowledge of application development lifecycles and supporting practices.

Expert knowledge of cloud computing technologies and current computing trends.

Knowledge of one or more cloud environments, such as Azure Cloud, or AWS.

Experience with Microservices, Functions, Event-driven / reactive programming or other Cloud Native architectures.

Knowledge of quality assurance processes and methods utilizing best practices.

Knowledge of the City and IT department’s strategic goals and objectives.

Experience with multi-platform environments and infrastructure architectures.

Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment and make sound decisions in emergency situations.

Good knowledge of the ITIL standard.

Knowledge and understanding of project management principles.

Experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.

Exposure to business theory, business processes, management, budgeting, and business office operations.

Proven analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Strong leadership skills.

Ability to make sound and logical judgments.

Demonstrated leadership and personnel / project management skills.

Demonstrated ability to lead small teams to deliver to project schedule on time and with quality.

Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.