Overview Do you want to be help enrich the lives of learners worldwide? At RM, we’ve been pioneers of education technology since. We provide technology and resources to the education sector supporting over 10 million students around the world. We work with 28, schools, nurseries, and education trusts in countries to deliver customer-centric solutions that improve education outcomes worldwide. What we do helps learners at all stages of their lives, from preschool to higher education and professional qualification, we partner with schools, examination boards, central governments and other professional institutions, to enrich the lives of learners. The role will operate at the Solution Architect level, with additional requirements to deal with lower-level Technical Architecture varying by project need and will sit within Group IS. Responsibilities Problem Definition and Requirements/Needs Identification Support the Head of Architecture in taking ownership for the definition and delivery of RM’s IT strategy, ensuring this is kept alive and relevant to each business direction. Ensuring that the business strategy can be achieved through the proper architecture of its technology systems. Assist business in refining/shaping ideas for change, whether this be both small or larger project-based proactive changes or reactive changes e.g. due to defects. Ability to analyse data and information generated by the enterprise and operational structure to identify cost-savings opportunities. Evaluating existing IT systems for exposure or weaknesses that could compromise availability, performance, security or efficiency. Provide guidance on appropriate technical solutions and suppliers including shaping technical proposals to be acceptable to the business and may make solution/service trade-offs. For large new software purchases, act as technical input into RFP process and/or technical supplier vetting against non-functional requirements. In conjunction with Group IT Business Analysts team, gather high-level and detailed requirements. Functional requirements would be captured from business representatives and systems integration requirements in conjunction with technical teams High-Level Designs Own or act as key contributor to high-level designs based on high-level requirements. May be done alone or in conjunction with Architects working for 3rd party System Integrators. Setting the context, defining common elements and creating patterns and standards to apply the details at a project level Low-Level Detailed Designs For in-house developed system changes, create detailed technical design documents for delivery by the in-house development function. For changes to other systems, assist 3rd party System Integrators in producing and gaining approval for detailed functional and technical designs. Project Delivery Once detailed designs are approved, ensure that the delivery conforms, whether it’s via the in-house development team or 3rd party System Integrators, whether it’s a configured change or a code-customisation and whether it’s a new system introduction or change to an existing one. Assist Group IT Test Team in producing test cases for changes and subsequent system testing. Troubleshoot and resolve problems with design/solution during project delivery. Collaborate with 24x7 RM support team and 3rd party System Integrators at point of handover. Where required, provide technical input into production system incidents where resolution via standard support routes isn’t enough to resolve. Knowledge Sharing Ensure standard Architecture Team artefacts are updated to reflect designs. Through Technical Design Authority, business-oriented Design Authority and any other governance forums, ensure changes are understood and approved by the business. Documenting, and generating graphical representations and abstracts of the overall system architecture. Experience Essential: Demonstrable senior software development experience. Experienced in technology-led business transformation projects. Demonstrable experience in a Solution Architect role. Breadth of experience across different software packages providing varied capabilities into different business areas. Experience delivering large and/or complicated IT projects to time and budget. SDLC experience with Agile and/or Waterfall methodologies. Able to thrive in a constantly changing and fast-paced working environment. Have experience of both greenfield and brownfield implementations. Strong influencer, able to effectively communicate with multiple key stakeholders. Support management and stakeholders in evaluating the business’ mission and ensuring that the company uses its IT assets effectively. Working experience with RAID process. Desirable: Prior experience within a distribution-centre business. Qualifications Desirable: Working knowledge and/or certification in TOGAF. Product Knowledge Desirable: Unit4 Agresso / Business World. Tableau. Tecsys Warehouse Management. inRiver PIM. Sales Force Commerce Cloud. Adobe (Magento) Commerce, including Business Intelligence. Dynamics Finance and Operations. Service Now. Dotdigital. Anywhere. Ceridian Dayforce. Tibco iProcess. Sitecore. Technical Skills Essential: Microsoft Azure DevOps. Microsoft .NET C#. Microsoft SQL Server including Transact-SQL. Microsoft PowerShell. Microsoft Azure integration services such as API Management, Logic Apps, Function Apps, Azure AD & Service Bus. REST API and JSON web services. Desirable: Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services. Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0. Microsoft Office. Microsoft Power BI. Microsoft Power Platform. Microsoft SharePoint XML Transformation Using XSLT. What’s in it for you? At RM we have "My Work Blend @RM" which provides office-based colleagues with multi location and hybrid working options to suit them. As well as your office base, you can spend a proportion of your time working at other locations in the UK that suit your role and your life, including home, other offices, customer sites, distribution centres or on the move. We encourage you to discuss arrangements for this role with your potential line manager during the recruitment process. We expect how we make best use of hybrid working may continue to adapt as we adjust to our new ways of working. As well as a competitive salary and our core benefits package which includes private medical healthcare, life assurance and a Group Personal Pension Plan with higher contribution levels available, some roles are also eligible for a performance-related bonus. There are lots of voluntary benefits too. You could buy additional annual leave, join our dental plan, sign for a health assessment, or take part in our cycle to work scheme. You could even earn yourself an extra bonus for successfully recommending a friend or family member for a position within RM. To better reflect the society that we serve, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. To achieve this, we create teams of talented people from different backgrounds and experiences and strive to be a business where our people can bring their whole selves to work. We also want to make the recruitment process as inclusive as possible for everyone. Should you require additional support with your application or through the interview process, please contact us at. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.