VP Solution Architect

Embark on a transformative journey as a VP Solution Architect in the GFED Solutions Architecture Team. At Barclays, our vision is clear –to redefine the future of banking and help craft innovative solutions. This role offers a unique chance to design cutting-edge solutions, shape and ensure alignment with our technology vision, ensure sound governance, and provide specialized expertise where needed. This pivotal position spans multiple group functions with a focus on US-based activities. It presents an opportunity to make a real impact across the GFED function in partnership with business-aligned technology and architecture specialists.

To be successful as a VP Solution Architect, you should have experience with:

• Architecting modern distributed systems.

• Influencing partners and stakeholders with clear, impactful communication

• Creating transitional architectures that leverage existing systems to solve difficult problems whilst making complex architectural trade-offs.

• Communicating technical concepts to people without technical backgrounds.

• Interpreting and ensuring governance and controls. 

Other highly valued skills include:

• Self-motivation and the ability to work independently.

• Experience in financial services, particularly in risk, finance, or treasury areas.

• Hands-on experience with Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and associated technologies.

• Managing technical product selection processes and executing tech spikes/PoCs.

• Previous software development experience (preferred but not essential).

 You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role is located in Whippany, New Jersey.

Purpose of the role

To design, develop, and implement solutions to complex business problems, collaborating with stakeholders to understand their needs and requirements, and design and implement solutions that meet those needs and create solutions that balance technology risks against business delivery, driving consistency. 

Accountabilities

• Design and development of solutions as products that can evolve, meeting business requirements that align with modern software engineering practices and automated delivery tooling. This includes identification and implementation of the technologies and platforms.
• Targeted design activities that apply an appropriate workload placement strategy and maximise the benefit of cloud capabilities such as elasticity, serverless, containerisation etc.
• Best practice designs incorporating security principles (such as defence in depth and reduction of blast radius) that meet the Bank’s resiliency expectations.
• Solutions that appropriately balance risks and controls to deliver the agreed business and technology value.
• Adoption of standardised solutions where they fit. If no standard solutions fit, feed into their ongoing evolution where appropriate.
• Fault finding and performance issues support to operational support teams, leveraging available tooling.
• Solution design impact assessment in terms of risk, capacity and cost impact, inc. estimation of project change and ongoing run costs.
• Development of the requisite architecture inputs required to comply with the banks governance processes, including design artefacts required for architecture, privacy, security and records management governance processes.

Vice President Expectations

• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.