Tech Debt Architect
Band B
Full time: 35 hours
Remote working with occasional travel to Manchester office
The Co-operative Bank are longstanding advocates of hybrid and flexible working. During the pandemic our colleagues are working from home fully supported by our bank. As we look to the future, we will continue to offer remote working in roles that allow with the opportunity to spend 1-2 days in the office where desired.
Thinking of a move to an ethical organisation? Why not join the UK’s original ethical Bank in our industry leading Architect team!
We are excited to announce a brand new opportunity for a Tech Debt Architect. This role is responsible for defining the change needed to remediate key Bank operational risks whilst delivering the Banks IT strategy through wider utilisation of SAAS / managed services. You will gain valuable experience within the Banking industry the power of putting ethics and values first.
What will this role involve?
* Understand the current IT estate and business domain. Define the change needed (in the form of design decisions, project designs, roadmaps and/or technology selection) to meet stated business outcomes and align to the Banks IT strategy.
* Be an active member of the banks architecture community participating in design review and governance processes
* Make key architectural decisions impacting individual designs, the wider portfolio or the longer term strategy
* Translate business requirements and strategy into designs and roadmaps which align to the Bank’s standard and principles
* Co-ordinate and direct all IT design activity to ensure the solution is coherent and deliverable
* Lead resources involved in design elements including 3rd parties and other internal Bank resources
* Select and propose suitable technologies and manage their approval through Bank governance processes
* Support and mentor other members of the team and the wider Bank change community
* Collaborate across change verticals to further the architecture of the Bank and deliver the IT strategy
* Maintain internal knowledge repositories including application and data catalogues and risks relating to technical debt
Based on the needs of the vertical as directed by the Principle Architect or the Head of Architecture & Design potentially:
o Become the key point of contact for a set of applications or technical / business domains
o Lead the architecture effort for a set of initiatives or part of the portfolio
o Set the strategy and roadmap for bank wide capabilities (e.g. channels or data)
o Work with the Head of IT Strategy to update the wider IT strategy for their area
What skills do you need?
* Experience of working within a regulated industry
* Prior experience of legacy technologies and making change to complex IT environments
* Strong consulting and influencing skills, including excellent presentation skills. Strong ability to make other stakeholders understand architectural priorities in order to make a balanced decision for the Bank.
* Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively at senior levels, both written and oral, within the business and IT strategy areas using a range of medium (verbal, written, diagrams).
* Good working knowledge of architecture frameworks and models (e.g. Systems Engineering, TOGAF)
* Experience of projects with significant integration challenges. Deep understanding of integration approaches and technologies
* Extensive experience of an infrastructure technical architecture discipline (with knowledge and understanding of application and data architecture)
* Considerable experience in senior roles infrastructure projects as the technical architect
* Extensive experience building infrastructure components on medium to large-scale distributed projects
* Experience of managing and reviewing 3rd party activities and outputs
* Issue resolution – the ability to provide a balance between architectural purity, benefit delivery and alignment to strategy in order to solve problems to the benefit of all stakeholders
* Technical Literacy – the ability to understand key technologies and be able to explain how they can best be used across the Bank
* Customer (end user) focus – the ability to understand and express the customer (end user) impact throughout the design process
What can you expect from us?
* Flexible and remote working
* 27 days holiday, plus opportunity to buy 5 extra days
Competitive pension / income protection / life assurance
Positive, friendly work culture that promotes work life balance
Commitment from employers on continued learning & development
Wellbeing support ‘Help@Hand’ offers mental health support, physiotherapy, GP’s for both you and your family.
2 paid days for volunteering per year
‘MyReward’ corporate discount for over 800 retailers and Cycle to Work Scheme.
Family friendly policies and supportive working environment
Recognition scheme and a culture in which we celebrate success
Colleague network groups committed to inclusion and diversity within our Bank.
This role won’t be around for long, so we would advise to get your application to us as soon as possible by applying today. Unfortunately, we can only consider candidates with the right to work in the UK at this time.
Our Bank is committed to continuing to create a diverse workforce and an inclusive environment where all colleagues can fulfil their potential. We welcome applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and lifestyles who can work with us in maintaining a culture of belonging, where people are valued and respected. If you have a disability as defined by the 2010 equality act please let us know on your application.
As a reputable employer regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, all offers of employment for this role are subject to a series of background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks.
Please note we may withdraw this vacancy once sufficient applications have been reached.