Job Type: Contractor Build a brilliant future with Hiscox Position: Solution Architect Reporting to: Lead Architect Location: York Type: 6 month Contract Band: II Hiscox UK retail have initiated a project (SURRE) to consolidate the current distributed application of pricing and underwriting logic onto a single platform. Introducing a solution capable of applying pricing and underwriting rules in a consistent manner across all internal and external sales and service channels. Allowing the organisation to respond to changing market conditions by supporting well managed, co-ordinated, and agile change. Hiscox UK are seeking a Solution Architect to support the SURRE project on an initial 6 month contract. With the Solution Architect taking ownership of the end-end technical solution. Designing and implementing a solution capable of supporting the revised business pricing and underwriting process, from model analysis through testing and production deployment. Ensuring the proposed solution meets the projects functional and non-functional requirements, while maintaining alignment with the organisations wider strategic goal, standards and practices. The Solution Architect will provide technical leadership, and guidance, to both technical and non-technical stakeholders on the projects. Working with senior stakeholders to set expectations on the solution capabilities and helping to streamline requirements to maximise delivery confidence. This role sits within the UK Retail team and we require you to be able to engage throughout whole project lifecycle from understanding the business case and requirements, through design, development, test, deployment and transition into BAU support. You must have experience of insurance pricing and underwriting implementations. Key Responsibilities: You will take ownership of a Solution Design, shape the solution, and communicate it to all members of the project team, both technical and non-technical. With the solution covering technical, architectural, functional, operational, security and risk elements of the design. You will be able to present options, risks, or recommendations in a language and a manner that promotes confidence in Architecture as a stakeholder and the recommendations being proposed. You will make interactions happen with business domain experts and therefore must be comfortable acquiring and using business domain language and knowledge to convey concepts and recommendations. You will engage with and provide leadership to the technical team delivering the Solution. Guiding the development and assisting with the testing of the solution. As a Solution Architect you will be able to engage and operate across a broad range of technologies including relational and non-relational database systems, integration platforms, application containers, and cloud infrastructure. You will take responsibility for vendor engagement on the project, developing a detailed understand of the vendors solution capabilities ensuring it supports the required business behaviour and can be integrated seamlessly into the solution. You will take responsibility for engagement with 3rd party partners, ensuring integration with the new pricing and underwriting service is implemented in an optimal manner for the perspective of Hiscox and the 3rd party themselves. You will be required to interact with a range of people, from highly technical software developers to Senior Executive stakeholders. You will be comfortable identifying what a particular stakeholder needs to know, or is concerned about, to ensure the project addresses major stakeholders concerns. Skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to tailor style and content to suite the needs of the intended audience. Good understanding of Integration tools, techniques and best practices Experience of API design, management and service based architectures (SOA, Micro services, ESBs) Understanding of cloud based architectures, technology, and components and how these can be applied to develop robust, scalable and secure solutions (Azure preferred). Experience of delivering complex solutions using multiple delivery teams (internal and suppliers) Experience of working with 3rd party partners and vendors implementing relatively functionally complex integration. Experience with insurance pricing and underwriting implementations (integrations, model versioning, time slicing etc) Insurance industry or experience of working in a regulated environment would be beneficial Diversity and flexible working at Hiscox At Hiscox we care about our people. We hire the best people for the job and we’re committed to diversity and creating a truly inclusive culture, which we believe drives success. We have also learned over the past few years that working life doesn’t always have to be in the office, and now it is safe to do so we have introduced hybrid working to encourage a healthy work life balance. This hybrid working model is set by the team rather than the business to enable you to manage your own personal work-life balance. We see it as the best of both worlds; structure and sociability on one hand, and independence and flexibility on the other.” Work with amazing people and be part of a unique culture