Application Architect

About the Technology Department

The Technology department ensures that CDP's mission and activities are well supported by cost-effective, secure, effective, robust and performant information technology. We are about to embark on a major change programme which will deliver:

• Improved stakeholder experience and disclosure information
• Assessments and insight compared against 1.5°C pathway
• Availability of data and assessments of companies rapidly after submission
• Deliver near real-time insight and analytics capability

This will include a major update our technology estate, particularly our data platform, modelling and analysis capabilities, our CRM, moving to an all-cloud infrastructure and implementing a new service desk.

Delivery of a brilliant service to our internal and external customers is critical to the department’s success. Therefore it is adopting a new operating model and focused on an agile and dynamic yet controlled approach to systems implementation, product development and service management

Role purpose

As part of the Technology department’s leadership team you will work at a senior level across the organisation to define the strategic application roadmap seeking innovative and effective ways to use technology to support CDP’s core mission. You will oversee the, development, implementation and ensure governance of effective integrated solutions delivery across the organization. You will be custodian and author of the application architecture blueprint and you will have a critical role in helping coordinate your colleagues to deliver to it.

As the Application Architect you will have come through the route of applications development and coding, into application design then into Application or even Enterprise Architecture Domains. You should have experience of agile in large scale complex implementations and a technology background in a CRM, Microsoft or Azure PaaS and other SaaS applications.

Key responsibilities include:

• Define and manage the overall Application Architecture for CDP, including principles, blueprints and technology standards
• Identify important potential technologies and approaches to address current and future Application Architecture needs, evaluating their applicability and fit, as well as leading the definition of standards and best practices for their use
• Working with software development teams, provide hands-on application of technologies and processes to support proof-of-concept development, review of critical systems and training to other teams within the wider organisation
• Defining and manage the technology governance processes for the Application landscape
• Act as our lead technology SME, coaching and mentoring members of the team to provide technical oversight and direction on standard and approaches in regards application design, integration and development
• Define and maintain a clear and strategic Application Architecture roadmap in alignment with the wider IT organisation to meet the business needs
• Champion the architecture, and the use of architecture to forward the aims of CDP
• Influence key stakeholders in the selection of strategic technologies and suppliers
• Drive objective and clear decisions on architecture based on business strategy and outcomes, agreed design principles, cost and quality
• Work closely with the Technology Director and leadership team to develop a strategic plan to maintain and improve our technical capabilities, ensure it is cost effective and meets the needs of the business
• Communicate detailed technical information in both written and verbal form across a wide range of audiences, including business stakeholders, users, developers, project management, and other Architects
• Develop an understanding of existing systems and processes, their strengths and limitations, and the current and future needs of the environment in which they exist as well as providing solutions to how they may be improved and developed
• Other work as required

Required skills and experience:

• Significant experience in the capacity of an Application Architect
• Strong knowledge of architecture methodologies, principles and frameworks, ideally TOGAF
• Migration to Cloud technologies, including Azure
• Experience of implementing and championing Agile Scrum methodology
• Extensive knowledge of web-based applications, including microservice architectures.
• Extensive understanding of application security
• Practical experience translating business strategy into technology roadmaps
• Experience working with 3rd party delivery partners and vendors
• Experience working within tight budgets and delivering cost-efficient solutions
• Excellent interpersonal skills and fully experienced dealing with stakeholders across both Technology and the wider business
• Significant experience of business process change and systems integration projects
• Experience of data platform migration from SQL Server to cloud platforms
• Excellent analysis skills, with the ability to quickly get to the bottom of an issue and present it clearly and succinctly to busy senior managers
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, in English.
• Excellent facilitation and influencing skills
• Familiarity with a range of customer applications including CRM, web applications and ecommerce. We currently use Dynamics CRM and our current primary web application stack includes Ruby on Rails and nginx
• Familiarity with developing on cloud platforms, e.g. IBM CloudPak and Azure PaaS
• Familiarity with data platforms, warehouses, reporting and visualisation tools. For example, SQL server, Databricks and PowerBI
• Familiarity with corporate IT systems and ERP. We have recently rolled out a full Office365 suite
• Familiarity with internal IT development and service desk applications including Jira and Azure DevOps

Desired skills and experience (optional):

• Experience with data collection and analytical systems gained in financial services, regulatory, corporate reporting or similar environments
• Experience within enterprises who operate in the B2B space, preferably with a strong data and customer focus, possibly in Data Services, Telco, Financial Services, Utility, Travel or Government
• Experience working in both small and large enterprise environments and can utilise agile ways of working to enhance quality and productivity

This is a full-time role based at CDP’s London office reporting to the Global Director Technology. This role will be part of the Technology Department leadership team.

Salary and benefits: Level 3 role, 30 days’ holiday plus bank holidays, generous non-contributory pension provision, annual discretionary bonus (depending on company performance), Employee Assistance Programme, life assurance, training and development, flexible working opportunities and other benefits.

Interested applicants must be eligible to work legally in the United Kingdom

Before you apply

We’ll only use the information you provide to process your application. For more details on how we use your information, see our applicants privacy notice. By emailing us your CV and covering letter, you are permitting CDP to use the information you have provided for recruitment purposes.

To apply please email your CV and a covering letter setting out how you meet the required skills and experience or key responsibilities, which should be no more than two pages, to [email protected] with ‘Application Architect’ in the subject. The deadline is 9am London time on Monday 31^st August.