Enterprise Solution Architect and Architecture Practice Manager

Role Details Salary - Competitive Work Type - Hybrid Job Location - Lingley Mere (UU), Lingley Green Avenue, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3LP Role Type - Permanent Employment Type - Full Time Working Hours - 37.0 Hours per Week United Utilities’ (UU) purpose is to deliver great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West of England. We are committed to providing our services in a way that respects the environment, supports the economy, and benefits society. We value diversity, inclusion and innovation in our workplace, and we foster a culture where our people can grow, excel, and be themselves. We uphold our ethics, values and business model to fulfil our mission and, by setting clear goals and objectives, we create sustainable long-term value for our colleagues, customers and communities. We’ve got a lot to offer. You’ll be part of a thriving FTSE 100 company and will enjoy a range of core benefits that reflect your value and value contribution. Job Purpose As an Enterprise Solution Architect and Architecture Manager, you will focus on architecting the technical infrastructure and applications across the entire technology estate and dependent business areas, ensuring the domain architecture meets the needs of the business. To undertake these activities with the support of, and in conjunction with, the Heads of Architecture roles (Operational IT, Technology, and Corporate Applications). By engaging across technical areas to rapidly gain a deep understanding of the business’ architecture requirements, you will use this insight to define an implementable architecture to meet the evolving needs of United Utilities as it becomes more dependent on the provision of resilient digital services to deliver a performant customer and employee experience. You will also be the driving force for advancing the underlying technical infrastructure of the business and communicating architecture benefits and capabilities with both business and technical colleagues, effectively selling the recommended direction and enabling the business to provide robust and performant integrated business and technology services both internally and externally. Job Accountabilities Contribute to the definition of governance forums and governance processes within United Utilities. Take ownership of documenting and communicating changes in these processes to the required stakeholders. Seek mechanisms for continuously improving the operation of governance forums. Operational ownership of all governance forums and processes, ensuring that the forums take place and operate correctly according to their defined and agreed mandates. Take ownership of the technical debt register and work with technology and business stakeholders to actively address the reduction of the register. Take ownership of the Architecture Repository and curate all its content, with the architectural artefacts themselves being created and delivered by all members of the Architecture function. Contribute to the quality assurance and review of architectural artefacts and deliverables. Ensure that the Architecture function has the necessary tools and training to perform Architecture services appropriately (e.g., architecture modelling tools, document management, repositories, etc.). Take responsibility as the ‘Application Manager’ for Architecture tools (supported by the necessary IT functions), ensuring tooling is up to date, robust, available, and performant. Support the Chief IT Architect (and their reports) in managing resourcing requirements (i.e., planning, sourcing, prioritising) to ensure that the Architecture function has the requisite capacity to deliver the required services to United Utilities. Engage with and manage relationships with technology vendors (relevant to Tooling, Architecture Repository, and other operational technology) to ensure the optimal outcome for United Utilities. Maintain a continual awareness of both deployment best-practice and technical requirements as an input to defining the technology components and guiding investment/spend as required to underpin business and technical services. Lead the definition of the Architectural artefacts that describe current, future, and transition states of the Infrastructure, together with the corresponding plans and roadmaps, ensuring buy-in from key stakeholders. Lead appropriate governance activities that oversee the implementation of the architecture, taking critical decisions promptly to ensure alignment with plans, or to manage deviations appropriately while documenting and tracking technical debt. Contribute to the development of technology strategy/strategies, including the development of roadmaps and plans for realising technology strategy and plans. Contribute to the definition of overarching Enterprise Architecture principles. Participate in and use governance forums to ensure that Architecture standards are adhered to, strategic plans and objectives are met, and roadmaps are realised effectively. Engage key business stakeholders to identify and recommend business and technology-enabled innovation opportunities that enable and drive business strategy, focusing on growing revenue, improving agility, optimising costs, and mitigating risks. Skills and Experience Excellent knowledge of governance forums, the role and value of governance, and the ability to run architecture governance forums. Familiarity with Architecture Tools such as EA Sparx, Orbus, etc. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and significant experience in the definition of Architectural artefacts (e.g., architectural models, roadmaps, strategies, principles, standards, patterns, etc.). Experience of having applied one or more formal Architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman). Prior experience working as an Architecture Practice Manager, or similar role. Prior experience of leading the development and enhancement of an Architecture Repository. Experience managing and coordinating several streams of activities and engaging with large stakeholder populations in a diverse organisation. Successful track record as a Solution or Enterprise Architect in a major organisation. Knowledge and understanding of world-class technology suppliers with a strong external perspective on developments and trends in technology. Good experience of applying and governing architecture implementation across a range of software delivery lifecycles.

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