Senior Solutions Architect

Full Time
10 months ago

 

Location: Hub based! Bristol, London, Glasgow or Remote!

But you have the flexibility to work wherever suits you best

Team: Architecture 

Salary banding: £85,000 - £133,000 (Level 4 - Architecture (Solutions))

Experience: Expert

Working pattern: Full-Time

Reporting to: Matthew Blackford (Director of Architecture)

Sponsorship: Unfortunately we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

This role in 3 words: Problem solver, relationship builder, outcome driven

Top 3 qualities for this role: Communication, pragmatism, empathy

Everyone belongs at OVO

At OVO, we are on a mission to solve one of humanity's biggest challenges, the climate crisis. And we know it takes all of us to change the world. That's why we need diverse people from all abilities, gender identities, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, life experiences and backgrounds to join us.

 

Teamworking for the planet

Everything we do here spins around Plan Zero. So, naturally, the team you’ll be joining plays a gigantic role in making that happen. Here’s how:

The Architecture team at OVO is a small group of individual contributors, who are great communicators, highly technical, and are focussed on making an impact wider than their individual contributions.

We practise a modern approach of enterprise architecture in a lean and agile environment. Our team isn’t the gatekeeper that developers resent because they’re blocked from innovating. Instead we’re the team everyone comes to when they want advice, need an expert opinion, or have a large and complex problem to solve.

The Architecture team sits within the wider OVO Tech organisation, and this role reports directly to the Director of Architecture.

This role in a nutshell:

As a Solutions Architect within our central Architecture team, you will help set the technical direction that will enable us to deliver a best-in-class experience when providing inquisitive decarbonising technologies into our customers homes.

You will have the unique opportunity to make a significant difference to the future of our business, helping to define the wider landscape for years to come.

Your key outcomes will be to:

  • Create and evolve the Architectural technology vision for OVO, informing the wider tech strategy, addressing tech debt, and reducing coupling. Influence decision makers to head towards the vision and track progress.
  • Architectural design, consultancy, and decision making for complex development initiatives.
  • Work with colleagues in Product and Business teams to help shape new ideas. Art of the possible, make use of existing capabilities.
  • Be the go to expert and sounding board for the technology team and wider business. Mentor more junior colleagues in effective architecture practices.
  • Facilitate decision making, drive the conversation to conclusions.
  • Provide high level estimates for initiatives to contribute to effort vs impact and to assist with which squad owns the work
  • Implement prototypes/spikes when necessary to prove a technology or approach is suited.
  • Creation of technical standards within a framework in collaboration with Engineering and InfoSec.
  • Maintain and cultivate a centralised knowledge repository of information from a wide range of sources and content types and make this information widely available.
  • Ensure you keep up to date with emerging future technologies and industry trends, including new products and services from our key partners and suppliers.

You’ll be a successful Senior Solutions Architect at OVO if you have…

  • Hands on technical skills with a background working as, or closely with, engineers in a multi-functional agile team.
  • Experience within the Energy industry, and have a deep understanding of the mechanisms that operate our business behind the scenes.
  • Expertise in developing API, messaging, and data strategies.
  • Proven track record in cloud technologies and transition of legacy estate to cloud - where it is right to do so.
  • Proven track record of redefining technical estates by simplifying and rationalising, setting a clear architectural direction.
  • Proven background defining technology strategy and architecting solutions.
  • Collaborative approach, to help bring others on a journey, guide and mentor where necessary.

Let’s talk about what’s in it for you

We’ll pay you between £X and £Y, depending on your specific skills and experience. If your expectations are a little different, have a chat with us!

We keep our pay ranges broad on purpose to give us, and you, flexibility to match your experience to our zero carbon mission.

You’ll be eligible for an on-target bonus of 15%. We have one OVO bonus plan that focuses on the collective performance of our people to deliver our Plan Zero goal. 

We also offer plenty of green benefits and progressive policies to help you feel like you belong at OVO…and there’s flex pay.  It’s an extra 9% of your salary on top of your core pay to use as you like. You can take it as cash, add to your pension, or choose to spend it on a huge range of flex benefits. Here’s a taster of what’s on offer: 

For starters, you’ll get 34 days of holiday (including bank holidays). For your healthWith benefits like a healthcare cash plan or private medical insurance depending on your career level, critical illness cover, life assurance, health assessments, and moreFor your wellbeingWith gym membership, gadget, travel and cyber insurance, workplace ISA, will writing services, DNA testing, dental insurance, and more For your lifestyle With extra holiday buying, discount dining, culture cards, tech loans, and supporting your favourite charities with give-as-you-earn donationsFor your home  Get up to £300 off any OVO Energy plan (when you pay by Direct Debit), plus personal carbon offsetting and great discounts on smart thermostats and EV chargersFor your commute Nab a great deal on ultra-low emission car leasing, plus our cycle to work scheme and public transport season ticket loans Want to hear about our full range of flexible benefits and progressive people policies? Our People Team can tell you everything you need to know.

For your Belonging

To find better ways to support our people, we need to listen to each other’s experiences and find ways to build a truly inclusive and diverse workplace. As part of this, we have 8 Belonging Networks at OVO. Led by our people, for our people - so when you join OVO, you can play a part - big or small - with any of the Networks. It's up to you.

 

Oh, and one last thing...

We’d be thrilled if you tick off all our boxes, yet we also believe it’s just as important we tick off all of yours. And if you think you have most of what we’re looking for but not every single thing, go ahead and hit apply. We’d still love to hear from you!

If you have any additional requirements, there’s a space to let us know on the application form; we want to make the process as easy and comfortable for you as possible..