IT Architect - One or two days a week in the office

Main purpose of role:

Lead the design, assessment and consolidation of IT solutions across complex European and UK companies into a unified M365 tenant. The role serves as the technical authority within the IT Architecture team.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the Group Corporate IT Migration, consolidation and transformation activities in line with the wider business objectives
• Develop and maintain rationale for the consolidation and rationalisation of the Group's corporate IT application portfolio with the aim to harness economies of scale and improve operational efficiency
• Serve as the interface to the broader Architecture team to ensure alignment with broader frameworks and standards
• Maintain a current and forward-looking knowledge of current technological trends to enable rapid adoption of new products and capabilities
• Provide effective communication to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, conveying technical concepts in a clear and understandable manner
• Function as IT stakeholder for technology projects across all internally-facing departments (HR, finance, IT, facilities, sales)
• Develop and maintain comprehensive catalogue of technical documentation to support the migration processes, system configuration and troubleshooting procedures.
• Lead by example by delegating tasks to lower-level staff through training, documentation and workshops ensuring effective knowledge transfer within the team
• Financial acumen to support key design decisions
• Design and maintain scalable architectural framework for the corporate IT estate
• Drive long-term and short-term strategies for corporate IT in a changing technology landscape
• Post-design development support and direction for cloud implementation team

Key skills:

Problem solving

Balance technical requirements with business goals. Evaluate the implications of different solutions, considering their impact on company performance, security and user experience.
Create solutions to challenges arising during group IT migration and consolidation projects, ensuring smooth transitions and optimized outcomes.

Decision making

Finding the correct and concise information that is required to make informed decisions at the right levels
Make autonomous decisions that impact the efficiency and success of projects.
Organizational impact extends beyond the IT team to influence broader strategies and operational outcomes

Innovation

Actively contribute to process improvement. Propose enhancements to existing products, processes and tools based on emerging technologies
Introduce innovative solutions that enhance the overall efficiency of IT operations
Communication

Internally, collaborate with IT teams, project managers, and managers clarifying technical concepts, gathering feedback and translating business needs into IT solutions
Externally, liaise with vendors and partners to assess tooling, resolve technical issues and seeking expert advice
Interpersonal

Regularly report to the IT PMO on project status, discuss migration strategies with team members and collaborate with cross-functional groups understand knock on effects
Communicate clearly in discussions, articulate ideas in reports, presentations and technical documents

Financial

Evaluate costs associated with migration activities and potential future investments
Analyse financial implications of design decisions with procurement team, ensuring alignment with budgets and resource allocation

Key relationships:
• IT Architecture Team
• Architecture Team
• IT Engineering Team
• IT Service Desk Team
• IT PMO
• Information Security and Governance
• Procurement department
• European IT teams

Experience and skills:
• Strategic mindset, ability to rationalise application portfolios across the organization, considering efficiency and economies of scale
• Strong understanding of business processes and functions
• Large scale and complex migration and consolidation experience in Active Directory and Office 365 environments
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert desirable
• Comprehensive understanding of IT solutions across all four architectural domains
• Thorough understanding of enterprise architecture principles, frameworks and best practices, i.e. TOGAF, EAP, PRISM