Vp of Architecture

Role Purpose:
The Head of Line of Architecture & Application Security is a key leadership role reporting to the SVP Technology Operations, at the same time as working with key stakeholders with the Business line and wider technology team e.g. Architecture, Engineering, Product, Customer Services, Sales.

You will support the development strategy, architecture decisioning and create a high-performance team culture within the business.

**Responsibilities**:
**Impact on Strategy**
- Driving and delivering development strategy & architecture outcomes aligned to our cloud ambitions
- Developing and delivering a long-term technology strategy across the relevant product portfolio
- Define and maintain a Technical Vision, strategy, approach, and execution in development projects, including Artificial Intelligence.

**Leadership**
- Reporting to the SVP Technology Operations, Active member of the SLT for Technology Operations
- Lead the design and development of Ideagen's software platforms, ensuring they are scalable, reliable, and maintainable
- Define the technical architecture for our software platforms, considering factors such as performance, security, and usability
- Manage a team of enterprise and security architects, providing technical guidance and support as needed
- Conduct security risk assessments and vulnerability assessments of our software products and provide recommendations for remediation
- Develop and maintain secure coding standards and guidelines, and ensure that they are adhered to throughout the development lifecycle
- Ensure that security requirements are included in all phases of the software development lifecycle
- Monitor emerging technology trends and bring innovative ideas to the organization.

Communicate technical information effectively to non-technical stakeholders
- Think strategically to help drive features and services for short and long-term growth and to support new acquisitions
- Bring a can-do attitude, high energy, and effectiveness at managing relationships (up, down, across)
- Contributing to the Development Team’s working practices and technology decisions.
- To participate in formal staff review processes including performance reviews.

**Technical expertise**
- Driving the technical roadmap for continuous delivery, with the product owners, heads of development and Heads of Business Line to ensure alignment and enable successful to the customer
- Working with Product Management, Development UX and Architecture teams in managing the delivery of product Roadmaps
- Ensuring high quality software; Ensuring that all software produced by the team is of high quality, and meets the required standards and security specifications
- Supporting opportunities for technical differentiation over competitors.
- Stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and software development trends to ensure the company's software products remain competitive

Any other duties that may be required by your Manager or the Company, providing you have been adequately trained to execute them. These duties may be required from time to time or on a permanent basis.

Skills and Experience:
**Essential**
- Technical expertise; in-depth knowledge and experience in software development, including expertise in programme languages, software architecture and software engineering principles e.g. Experience of cloud, CI/CD pipelines, code quality and security tooling & architectural design
- Project management; experience in managing development projects, including creating project plans, scheduling resources, and managing budgets
- Leadership and management; strong leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead and motivate a team of software developers, as well as manage conflicts and provide guidance and support
- Communication; strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders and to collaborate effectively with other teams and departments
- Business acumen; strong understanding of the business industry, including knowledge of market trends, customers’ needs and competitive landscape in order to develop software strategies that align with business objectives
- Risk management; experience in identifying and managing risks associated with software development projects, including risks relating to timelines, budgets and resources

**Desirable**
- Strong knowledge of software platform design and development principles, including microservices architecture, distributed systems, and containerization
- Experience with cloud-based platforms such as AWS or Azure
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
- Relevant certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, CISSP, or CISM are a plus
- Knowledge of security frameworks and standards such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, NIST, and GDPR.
- A relevant HE qualification such as degree