Senior Enterprise Architect

The British Council builds connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. We work in two ways - directly with individuals to transform their lives, and with governments and partners to make a bigger difference for the longer term, creating benefit for millions of people all over the world. We help young people to gain the skills, confidence and connections they are looking for to realise their potential and to participate in strong and inclusive communities. We support them to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. Our work in arts and culture stimulates creative expression and exchange and nurtures creative enterprise. We connect the best of the UK with the world and the best of the world with the UK. These connections lead to an understanding of each other's strengths and of the challenges and values that we share. This builds trust between people in the UK and other nations which endures even when official relations may be strained. We work on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2019-20 we connected with 80 million people directly and with 791 million overall, including online and through our broadcasts and publications.

Role Purpose

The purpose of Digital & Technology (D&T) in the British Council is to partner with the business in order to make effective use of Information in all its forms across the organisation. GIS has accountability for enabling the full life-cycle of information for the whole of the business.

This role is located within the D&T Change Delivery team. The D&T Change Delivery function is responsible for the definition and management of Projects, Programmes and the overall D&T Portfolio of change delivery, and the definition of standard practices, methodologies, and tools to ensure well managed delivery of change.

Change delivery can be sponsored by any area of the British Council, including those outside D&T, and a "matrix" or dual reporting line may be agreed depending on specific programme needs. The role of the Enterprise Architect is to understand high-level requirements to enable production of the high-level design. Identifying evaluating and recommending options, implementing if required. Collaborating with and facilitating stakeholder groups and providing challenge where appropriate to ensure that proposed solutions are properly understood and appropriately exploited to deliver the expected outcomes.

The technology challenges of CE are somewhat complex, the same softwares exist across many geographies and cultures, so it's critical that the standard solution is used efficiently, and is adopted to the British Council need, and the total cost of ownership is realised.

There is a need for strong Architecture Governance that will assure that the functions and technology implemented are aligned with organisation objectives, strategic technology choices and that they comply with respective domain industry practices. The Governance is in an advisory capacity for the SBU and its programmes and an assurance role for the Organisation as a whole, where cross-business-unit aspects need to be reflected and taken into account.

The role requires a deep understanding of this field of knowledge and requires hands-on experience with domain software solutions, their integration and implementation. To complement this, senior management experience will also be needed to work with and influence executive level decision making.

In addition to the specific SBU objectives the Senior Enterprise Architect should be seen as a role model for IT professionals in the British Council and should contribute actively to knowledge sharing and to build our overall Enterprise Architecture Maturity .

You will support the Cultural Engagement strategic business unit (SBU) in ensuring that technology change delivers agreed business benefits. To advise and guide CE programmes and business unit senior management how to leverage technology to achieve its desired business outcomes and align to organisational strategy. This post is also needed to facilitate the implementation of Enterprise Architecture Governance.

Main accountabilities but not limited to the following:

They will also be responsible for:
• Providing pre-project analysis, supporting Business Case development, and outlining options to enable effective decision making and authorisations;
• Facilitation of demand led business meetings and working with Business Partners to understand the problem statement, undertaking contextual analysis, to ensure that

Strategic Business Units (SBU) achieve business benefits;
• Supporting the Benefit planning and Realisation process;
• Analysis of GIS contracts, supporting renegotiation;
• Aligning Enterprise Architecture components with the business priorities, ensuring that our resources are deployed appropriately to fulfil approved demand;
• Ensures that Architecture Principles are adhered to, communicated clearly to the business and ensures that user experience design is tested;
• Updates the Enterprise Architecture repository

Collects and maintains data in a consistent form, providing an evidence base to meet and enforce programme governance standards and inform assurance reporting to senior management. Maintains quality documents such as the requirements traceability matrix, to ensure business demands are met and key decisions are captured.

Works with the SBU and business analysts on investigative work to determine requirements and specify effective business processes, through improvements in information systems, data management, practices, procedures, organisation and equipment.

Working with business analysts, elicits requirements using a range of techniques as appropriate such as interviews, focus groups, surveys, site visits, task and workflow analysis. Translates business needs into requirements (functional and non-functional) and communicates these requirements to developers in an agreed format such as business process maps and Use Cases or User Stories.
Evaluate the technical feasibility of the business unit's requests during requirements gathering, making high-level evaluations, asking the right questions to clarify technical constraints.

Explores various options and risks within technology projects, utilising a high-level of business awareness. Recommends solutions taking into consideration capability, cost/benefit analysis, strategic direction and architectural designs.

Works with minimal supervision, planning, prioritising and managing time effectively across multiple projects. Work proactively, communicating and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders appraising options. Outstanding relationship and communication skills, comfortable at all levels of the organisation. Contributes to the continuous improvement of the EA team processes and practices.

Supports Business Partners throughout the demand process. Working with the business analyst and SBU to understand high-level requirements to enable production of the high-level design. Identifying evaluating and recommending options, implementing if required. Collaborating with and facilitating stakeholder groups and providing challenge where appropriate to ensure that proposed solutions are properly understood and appropriately exploited to deliver the expected outcomes.

Role specific knowledge and experience:

First of all, we are looking for a person with keen interest (ideally proven experience) in working with programmes that focus on young people, influencers and future leaders through the areas of arts and culture, education, social programmes and the English language

Demonstrable Architecture experience, in large complex international organisation of:
• Working with global scale implementation Programmes
• Proven leadership experience including developing relationships with different areas of the business, building collaborate relationships and tenacity to drive projects forward
• Stakeholder relationship management experience, especially stakeholders from education, arts or social programmes space
• Documenting Architecture
• Influencing business unit and IS strategy
• Setting up and assisting in managing significant IS budgets

Managing Risk
• Supports a risk management culture: Has a track record of identifying and highlighting risks and suggesting mitigating actions.

Communicating and Influencing

• Uses influencing techniques: Uses active listening, formal and informal negotiating and motivation techniques to influence and persuade, while respecting difference of view and culture.
• Planning and Organising:
• Plans and organises own work over weeks and months, taking account of priorities and the impact on other people.
• Analysing Data and Problems
• Analyses patterns: Seeks out and examines a range of information to identify patterns, trends and options, to solve multifaceted and complex problems.
• Supporting projects and stakeholders through testing and feedback: using initial analysis to drive user testing and feedback throughout delivery and measuring against project objectives

Business analysis skills
• Demonstrates the ability to organise and prioritise tasks to deliver agreed outputs to the required standards, on-time.
• Understands the 'soft-side' of Business Analysis and has experience of communicating effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Requirements elicitation and definition
• User Experience Management
• Stakeholder relationship management..... click apply for full job details