Group Head of Enterprise and Application Architecture

*The BES Group are the leading end to end solution provider in the Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance sector. Our team of experts (hand-picked by our Careers Team) cover an extensive range of engineering services.*We’ve gone from strength to strength over recent years, welcoming the very best risk management businesses to our Group. As a result, we’ve grown both our team of experts and our suite of solutions in line with our customer’s needs. We’re private equity backed, which means we have the flexibility and support to move quickly and grow faster than any other company in our industry. We’re innovative and forward thinking and have the awards to prove it, but most of all we’re focused on helping make sure our customers leave nothing to chance.Our head office is based in central Manchester and is the home to many of our central functions. To support our continued ambitious growth plans, we are delighted to be recruiting for a *Group Head of Enterprise and Application Architecture* to join our fantastic IS team.*What are we looking for?*This is a fantastic opportunity to become a senior member of the Group technology team. You will join our business at a key moment in our evolution and also make a lasting impact on our technology organisation and landscape. You will be expected to contribute to the improvement of our development and governance processes, and to identify opportunities for innovating with new technology to realise new business value.We are a relatively small IS team tasked with a significant responsibility for improving our business. To succeed, this role demands someone with passion for technology and delivery who is able communicate with ease with senior business leads, end users of our systems as well as colleagues on the IS team and our external technology partners.*What will I be doing?*Reporting to the Group CIO as a member of the IT leadership team with responsibility in three major areas if critical importance to our business growth including the following:Firstly, you will be responsible for the systems architecture strategy and governance processes across our entire Group. Working with business operations and technology staff, you will play a central role in defining how our systems landscape will evolve and that architecture requirements are reflected within our systems delivery plans. You will ensure that our architecture strategy is aligned to our overall business strategy. You will also be responsible for identifying opportunities to deliver new business value through technology innovation.Secondly, you will play a key role in project delivery by providing architecture leadership and support to project solution and technical designs. For both projects as well as production services, you will be called on to analyse problems and define solutions. You will also have management responsibility for both our Application Development Support and Power Platform Development Teams.Thirdly, you will be involved in supporting our business growth by leading the technology due diligence workstream on acquisition targets in support of our Corporate Acquisitions team. In addition, you will ensure that our systems strategy is aligned to our business strategy and is demonstrably so (e.g., through documentation) to meet the demands of operating in a Private Equity environment.* *Systems & Data Architecture Design and Planning** Own, develop and maintain our systems, integration and architecture strategy and ensure that it meets the needs and ambitions of our business.* Create and maintain a roadmap for technology implementation and evolution, and work with other technology leaders to ensure it is reflected. in our delivery plans* Define and document architecture blueprints, standards, and best practices.* Establish and enforce architectural governance processes to ensure compliance with design principles, standards and policies.* *Solution Design and Delivery** Contribute to technology project delivery through leading, supporting and approving solution and technical designs.* Ensure integration and compatibility of systems and alignment to our architecture strategy.* Design and oversee the implementation of scalable and efficient technology solutions.* *Problem Solving and Troubleshooting** Analyse and resolve complex technical issues that may arise during the development process.* Provide support for resolving production systems issues as needed and ensure root cause are solutions are considered in our project delivery portfolio a required.* *Stakeholder Collaboration** Communicate architectural decisions, principles and strategies to technical and non-technical stakeholders.* Collaborate with business leaders, IT team members, and other stakeholders to understand business requirements and objectives.* Translate business needs into technical solutions and architectural designs.* *Governance** Document architecture designs, standards, and patterns.* Risk Management and Mitigation:* Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.* Provide guidance on disaster recovery and business continuity planning.* *Technology Innovation** Evaluate emerging technologies and assess their potential impact on the organization's architecture.* Make recommendations for technology adoption or enhancement.* Identify opportunities for maximising value for money from technology investments and assets.* *Leadership for the Application Development Support & Power Platform Teams** Provide leadership and management for our Development Support Team which manages our application life cycle strategy and operations within our DevOps processes.* Collaborate with our cloud infrastructure team to maintain and improve our DevOps processes.* Ensure that that source code for all our bespoke systems is secure and developed in line with our ALM strategy, regardless of whether development is performed by internal or third-party staff.* Provide leadership and management for 1-2 developers build applications using the Microsoft Power Platform* *Acquisition Due Diligence & Technology Stewardship in a Private Equity Environment** Lead and execute technology due diligence reviews on acquisition targets provide support for other acquisition work streams as required.* Ensure that our systems strategy is aligned to our business strategy and is demonstrably so to meet the demands of operating in a Private Equity environment.*What makes BES Group a great place to work?*We genuinely care. It’s basic, human instinct that runs through every person that works at BES Group. Knowing we always do the best job we can with absolutely no compromise means everything.If you work for us, you will get the below and, so much more:* A competitive salary from £80,000 (negotiable, depending on experience)* A flexible working approach, the role will be in our Manchester office with home based working available (you must have suitable Wi-Fi, and provide your own office set up).* Amazing head offices in the heart of Manchester city centre* Development opportunities across the business* Discretionary annual company bonus and yearly salary review* 25 days leave per year plus bank holidays (and an extra day off on your birthday to celebrate you!)* Shiny new Surface Pro* Access to lots of discounts and benefits via our company benefits portal including; retail, fitness, holiday and cinema discounts* The support of a superb employee assistance programme* Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme* Opportunities to attend volunteer days* Company contribution to charity fundraising you participate in; we want to support charities you are passionate about!* Employee Suggestion programme, because we value input from everyone in the BES Group* Up to 10% pension*What experience do I need?*To work for us you must have the right attitude, aptitude and appetite for what we do. As a minimum, you will have:* At least 5 and ideally up to 10-years’ experience as a developer and/or application architect playing a key role in the delivery of business systems, ideally involving Microsoft technologies.* At 2-3 years’ experience in 1 or more architecture roles with responsibility for defining a systems architecture strategy and the implementation of architecture governance processes.* Outstanding analytic and problem-solving skills with a logical and principle-based approach to defining solutions.* Strong understanding of software design patterns, architectural styles, and development methodologies.* Architecture and delivery experience in a cloud environment, preferably Microsoft Azure* Experience in financial or customer service-related back-office operations in organisations employing 500+ staff.* Able to build and maintain professional relationships with staff in all disciplines across an organisation and with external suppliers, either working face to face or remotely* Proactive self-starter with a sense of urgency highly effective at getting work done.* Commercially aware and able to relate solutions, decisions and risks to business value.* Experience line managing team managers and the recruitment of new team members.* Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a Mathematics or any Science* Ideal but not essential:* Delivery experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (CE and/or F&O) and Power Platform* Experience with CRM and Policy Administration systems* Experience performing technology due diligence of business acquisition targets* Exposure to technology leadership in a private equity environmentTo apply for this role, simply click “Apply”. We ask for some basic contact information and a CV or your LinkedIn profile, it’s that easy! Please keep in mind, successful candidates will be required to complete the relevant background checks as part of the recruitment process.We want to inspire everyone to see how important safety is and we expect the same from our people. And if you’re on the same page as us about that and you’ve got the right skills, experience and attitude, you’ll fit right in. Simple. We’re all about diversity and inclusion and that means we want our people to be themselves. We’re delighted to be an equal opportunities employer and that will never change!*BES Group, Your Safety, Our Focus*Job Type: PermanentSalary: £80,000.00 per yearWork Location: In person