Solution Architect

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

IT & Digital Banking Department consists of architecture professionals:

• Solution Architects in charge of pre-development design
• Technology specialists who provides design expertise as well as interface for Digital support on Platform, Integration, Software and Database.

The primary objective of this role is to own e2e solution design iteration during business spike, technical spike and application design stage and glue user stories with technology design and cohesive test data prior to the development phase for goWave digital channel platforms.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Metrics

• Design velocity
• Design maintainability
• Design stability
• Recovery Time Objective
• Recovery Point Objective

Digital Team Impact

• Timely value delivered by Digital team. E.g. Design complete within timeframe
• Degree of impact from the value delivered by Digital team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

High Level Design:

• Own and drive the development of e2e solution design for an Epic/Requirement from Business Spike/Exploratory stage, Technical Spike/Integration Design stage and Application Design stage to achieve high velocity design.
• Conduct design architect reviews, gap analysis and assessment
• Become the representative for the Digital team during Business Spike/Exploratory stage as Solution Architect where business requirements are still uncertain and prone to scope creep to shape and influence effective design and predictable input for Technical Spike/Integration Design stage.
• Understand the user / businesss needs, system functionality and business process to maintain the source and act as internal Consultant during the business spike review
• Work with team to create/update application strategy, target architectures and roadmaps
• Work with the IT organization and business units to obtain business requirements for product, performance and improvements
• Ensure the existing and future information systems are implemented according to the organizations goals, needs and objectives
• Establishes the organizations application structure, defining essential design features and providing a framework
• Work with team to prepare architectural design documentation, including diagrams and inventories
• Maintain a pulse check with other digital units on issues dealing with the quality flaws of existing standards
• Ensure designs are aligned to target state architecture or its intermediate states on the roadmap when working with Business and Technical counterparts.
• Work as an integrated part of the software engineering organization, understanding the application architecture.
• Participate in cross functional project planning activities to ensure project success

Application/Integration/Platform Design:

• Architect and design modern web, mobile or devices applications for RHB.

• Create and maintain a format data structures, data description and architecture
• The architecture work covers the data integration and the means to request & receive the data between various system within or outside the bank.
• Resolve all types of design and test data issues raised by the development team
• Design and implement small to large scale integration solutions adopting various technologies such as JSON, XML, JAVA, REST/MQ APIs.
• Design specifications and high level data architecture documentation which exemplify the target & source destination which includes the data mapping
• Evaluate the system & consider the techniques for better system functionalities
• Influence and incorporate industry best practices at every design stage
• Take ownership of the software non-functional requirements
• Able to work independently to produce required design
• Ensure effective collaboration with UX designers to incorporate UX design into application
• Ensure effective collaboration with business analysts and stakeholders to understand and design as per requirements
• Ensure effective collaboration with system owners and vendors of current/legacy application for integration needs.
• Ensure API specification stability for EAI/Host/3rd party systems prior to a development sprint.
• Work with Software/Platform/Data/Database Architects to prepare technical design for epic/business requirements at optimal performance.
• Keep up to date on the latest industry trends in the mobile/web technologies.

Design Improvement Loop:

• Ensure effective collaboration with Architect peers and Developers to tackle platform technical debt and performance scaling.
• Support L2 on the production bugs, Testing team during the SIT, UAT related to application and integration design
• Learn continuously to evolve COE Solution Design domain expertise
• Represent the team in relevant external events and forums.
• Contribute new knowledge to Chapter and the industry in form of talks or articles.

BAU:

• License renewal checker for software subscriptions
• API Planning and Update checker

REQUIREMENTS (Qualification/Experience/Skills)

Formal Education:
Bachelor of Engineering/Computer Science/IT or related domains.

Professional Accreditation:
Certification in related Technology and Process Best practices is an advantage. E.g. TOGAF, Agile Certification.

Preferred level of Experience (by years/function/industry):

7 years and above in ICT, with experience in software engineering, API and architecture design.

Experience in the Banking/Finance industry going digital is recommended. Cross-industry experience is an advantage.

Other skills required:

• Experience as a Solution/Application/Integration/Enterprise Architect with hands-on experience developing systems and software design for mission critical business.
• Understands 2-speed architecture decoupling fast digital and stable enterprise domain.
• Knowledgeable in enterprise messaging and queuing middleware such as IBM MQ and in distributed streaming platforms such as Kafka
• Knowledge on MQ API and XML data mapping
• Experience in UNIX, LINUX scripting and SQL statement
• Ability to draft an accurate documentation that supports PMO and other Architects team
• Knowledge in principles of software design specifically for web-based and mobile customer-facing platforms
• Good understanding of large scale system, information and technology architectures, including application integration patterns, messaging, service-oriented architecture, information models, and data lineage
• Have essential knowledge of the Retail Banking product functionalities
• Experience defining relevant standards, processes, and best practices and incrementally deploying them within application areas in a controlled, evolutionary way that can serve as basis for all current and future projects.
• Experience working with a team of architects and developers in a fast-paced agile environment.
• Understand financial/budgetary impact of technical decisions
• Strong writing and communication skills with ability to effectively communicate with business and technology partners, peers and management
• Must exhibit good interpersonal skills and ability to work with multiple stakeholders to drive success
• Willingness to learn new technologies, methodologies, applications and grow with team
• Ability to adapt design for complex and restrictive banking technology landscape without compromising compliance or security.
• Work well with ambiguity, challenge conventional wisdom; and can effectively evaluate ideas and make sound architectural recommendations with can-do attitude.