Principal Architect partners with the necessary stakeholder to create the target architecture and strategy.  He pairs with the Lead Architects/Senior Architects to review the solution architecture for multiple projects/programs to make sure that the delivered architecture is in alignment with the broad architecture guidance. He partners and creates broad architecture patterns and BU Architecture Guidance for the Business line.

Key Responsibilities:

Architecture

1. Creation of Architecture Guidance and Patterns for the Business Line
2. Partners with other Portfolio Architects/Principal Architects to create the target architecture of the business line
3. Partners with other Portfolio Architects/Principal Architects to create the technology strategy and radar
4. Reviews the Logical and Conceptual Solution/Architecture for programs and epics.
5. Provides techno functional leadership to the broader community.  The person needs to have a complete breadth of knowledge of the overall Business, technical and functional spectrum.
6. Should be able to guide and mentor architects/senior architects in the BU or across BU.
7. The person might also has peoples responsibility where by architects/senior architects/lead architects can report to him.
8. The person works with other Portfolio Architects/Principal Architects to create the overall architecture strategy and organizational high level initiatives.
9. Viewed as a technical leader across multiple disciplines. Ability to adapt to multiple architecture domains and move easily from one to another. The person has to take his design/architecture to the architecture council and the final authority to
10. take decision lies with the Architecture council.
11. The person should  resolve disputes and make architecture tradeoffs
12. The person should ensure the evolutionary paths are created. S/He should identify/discover the risk mitigation strategies associated with the architecture. S/He analyze risks and report problems to the management
13. Should be conducting stakeholder management – bringing the all the necessary stakeholders align to the necessary architecture and guidance.
14. Bring Industry wide best practices and consume external technology trends. Should be able to relate and adopt those trends to the workplace
15. The person should collaborate with other leaders in the organization to make sure their architecture guidance is propagated across BU. (Present Solution to the Delivery and Business stakeholders)
16. He also contribute in other organization initiatives like Automation, High Value Services etc
17. The person should propagate Architecture practice and conduct roadshows (or other Sessions) to demonstrate it.
18. Owns the community of architecture within the BU.
19. Analyze risks and report problems to the management
20. The Systems Architect is aligned with a specific set of programs or Trains in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) model, and provides the technical vision and direction for all of the solutions within that train.
21. The Systems Architect will collaborate with Solutions Architects, helps guide them through their choices, and helps them execute on the vision and direction.
22. In addition, the Systems Architect will do work on architecture epics to set direction for future work by the trains. This will be direction setting work and will normally stop ar the POC stage, where the solution architects will take over.

The Systems Architect will:

•                      Be responsible for understanding business needs and developing solution architecture

•                      Develop and present the technical vision and direction for the solutions within their train

•                      Work with Enterprise Architects at the Portfolio level to establish an Architectural Runway

•                      Provide technical guidance for all aspects of the architecture (holistic view)

•                      Be a resource for direction, training, and guidance for less experienced staff

•                      Ensure that the solutions meets the functional and non-functional requirements

•                      Collaborate with appropriate Solutions Architect(s) to ensure alignment with future state and vision

•                      Facilitate the re-use of ideas, components, and proven patterns

•                      Influences common modeling, design, and coding practices

The Systems Architect will perform the following activities:

•                      Establish Architectural Direction and Strategy:

•                      Participate in strategy efforts at the Enterprise and RIS level to understand the business drivers and help to identify the corresponding technology implications.

•                      Identify emerging architecture, infrastructure and technology changes

•                      Work with the Infrastructure and Architecture communities on enterprise implications.

•                      Identify research and experimentation -actions- for RIS specific needs not addressed at an enterprise level because of RIS specific focus or timeline.

•                      Track and manage technology obsolescence.  Feed necessary Epics into the Architecture Kanban.

•                      Work with your respective Solutions Architects to document your portfolio of applications.

•                      Help the team to move those applications in the desired direction based upon business value and technical fitness.  Keep technologies and frameworks current.

•                      Maintain a reference base of architectures, patterns, and reference implementations:

•                      It’s important we strike an appropriate balance between architecture and design guidance and complete design.  The base for that guidance will be with reference material.

•                      Architecture and design guidance will need to be consumable by Solutions Architects and Scrum Teams. Key artifacts will include:

•                      Target Architectures, themes, Principles, Design Patterns

•                      Conceptual:  Both narrative explanation of appropriate uses and also conceptual diagram

•                      Reference implementation: prior implementations (including logical / physical architecture where it adds value) and code samples or reference to their location.

•                      As new architectures and patterns emerge we will need to collaborate to experiment with new technologies, prove the patterns, create sample code and document the guidance in Confluence.

•                      Current Release Planning:  Direct and coordinate Solution Architects in the Release Planning Process.

•                      Working with Solutions Architects, BA’s and Product Managers establish a broad understanding of the content (Epics, features, user story, acceptance criterion) of this Program Increment.

•                      Working with Solutions Architects, BA’s and Product Managers establish a broad understanding of the content (Epics, features, user story, acceptance criterion) of this Program Increment .

•                      Working across Programs/Trains with Enterprise, Systems and  Solutions Architects to identify  known cross-train dependencies and strategic Architecture Epics

•                      Facilitate planning for your Program/Train with your Solutions Architects.  Align Epics/Features to teams and analyze Architecture impacts

Release +1 and +2  Planning - Establish Architecture Runway:

•                      The Release Planning process will strive to work ahead and maintain Release +2 (look out 2 releases ahead of current Release).  This will allow us to identify where we have gaps in our reference architectures and infrastructure and establish Architecture Epics needed to close those gaps.

•                      Working with the Enterprise and Solutions Architects establish an Architecture Runway.

•                      These Epics will be documented in the Architecture Kanban.  This will allow for any necessary research, Product or technology selection, documentation of patterns etc… to take place and be available for future releases which may have dependencies.

•                      Guide the Solutions Architecture and Design Processes:

•                      Leveraging information captured in the release planning, assure the Solutions Architects understand the target architectures and patterns needed by epic/features assigned to their teams.

•                      Guide the team through risk Identification and mitigation processes. (Secure Software)

•                      Work with Solutions Architects to create or modify high level domain models.

•                      Mentor and assist in framing designs including considerations for non-functional systems qualities.

•                      Answer architecture and design questions, resolve related issues

•                      Engage and prepare your Solution Architects for various Governance Forums

•                      Coordinate with other BU/SCBU areas that may have a role in delivering our solution

•                       

Skills Required:    

•                      Education: Bachelor’s degree (any stream) with huge architecture experience on multiple domains

•                      Architecture Enterprise Framework Certifications with good knowledge of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks like TOGAF, Zachmans, DODAF etc

•                      Sound knowledge of Architecture Patterns

•                      Strong Collaboration and Stakeholder Management

•                      Good broad based understanding of various tools Lead POC’s and establish reference implementations

•                      Exposure to risk Identification and mitigation processes.

•                      Good Knowledge of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks like TOGAF, Zachmans, DODAF etc

•                      Should have Strong analytical, solutioning and problem solving skills.

•                      Exposure to broad based technologies, Architecture and business domains.

•                      Possess Good Architecture taxonomy with excellent interpersonal skills &should have mentored team previously

•                      Experience in stakeholder management and excellent customer service skills