Enterprise Architect - Insurance

An excellent opportunity has arisen to join the Zurich UK IT Architecture team as a contract Enterprise Architect. As an experienced Enterprise Architect, you will lead the engagement of architecture on significant change programs and in support of projects through ideation, high level design and into delivery. You will work collaboratively with architects spanning the different architecture domains and, using your experience, will guide and mentor less experienced staff where appropriate (including project or line management responsibilities as required).

Often acting as the face of architecture on key assignments and activities, you will possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and ensure architecture thinking is considered at the very start of design level conversations. Working with multi-disciplined teams and cross site locations, you will foster a spirit of collaboration but also lead from the front and be empowered to challenge traditional thinking and promote new ways of doing things where appropriate whilst ensuring that key decisions are documented and options fully considered.

You will develop architecture roadmaps within specific domain areas balancing longer term strategy with more immediate tactical needs always ensuring a pragmatic and practical approach is applied. You will own key domain areas within the Zurich UK business and develop a deep business, application and technology understanding of the core systems, processes and develop strong working relationships with senior and c suite exec across the respective business areas.

You will contribute to the management and maintenance of the applications repository and ensure core strategic needs around application reconciliation and decommissioning can be accurately reported whilst being ruthless with offering up new opportunities of rationalization/consolidation or to otherwise reduce the on-going cost of IT to the organization.

As a key member of the architecture community and the wider Operations and IT function, you will be seen as a thought leader through your engagements such that the architecture practice is presented as industry leading through its advisory and delivery capabilities.

Responsibilities of the role:

• Take accountability for the effective execution of architecture deliveries (spanning business, application and technology architecture) for a given portion of the landscape and/or business domain.


• Establish and lead specific design authorities for the most complex projects and programs and represent your functional and technical scope in cross functional design authorities.


• Oversee and simplify the integration with core systems interfacing with the global and local ones (e.g. cross departmental systems, external SaaS services, etc.).


• Contribute in EA review boards and act as point of contact for Enterprise and solution architectural analysis to guide the evolution and simplification of the wider IT landscape.


• Ensure proper documentation of the as-is and to-be architecture for the different Enterprise Architecture domains.


• Promote the defined principles, patterns, models, standards, guidelines and plans to both business and IT stakeholders and provide information, advice, guidance, and consulting to the local and global IT community.


• Lead or contribute to regular or ad-hoc architectural reviews, and issue management meetings - promoting correct interpretation of Enterprise Architecture and strategies within your scope.


• Work collaboratively with other architects, project teams and members of the business to lead on the delivery of optimal solutions to address business needs.


• Work with, inform and influence all internal as well as external stakeholders including business and IT executives, strategy, program and project managers / PMO, BU, segment and function architects, security & compliance, portfolio management as well as vendors.


• Provide line or project management as required to support the effective delivery of the architecture function through its engagement.
  
  Proven track record in the delivery of Enterprise Architecture.


• Excellent stakeholder management experience, ability to understand stakeholder issues and provide solutions to become a trusted advisor to the respective business area.


• Excellent communication skills to be able to talk to technical teams, business teams, other architects and senior stakeholders. With an ability to understand application of technologies and provide an explanation of a solution, options and subsequent business impacts against overall strategy.


• Experience of setting the direction of travel across diverse architecture teams in the successful delivery of solutions.


• Experience of defining the strategic architecture direction for an organisation or for a significant business domain.
  
  We are AMS. We are a global total workforce solutions firm; we enable organisations to thrive in an age of constant change by building, re-shaping, and optimising workforces. Our Contingent Workforce Solutions (CWS) service partner with Zurich to support contingent recruitment hiring.


On behalf of Zurich, AMS are looking for an Enterprise Architect for an initial 6 month contract on a hybrid basis. You would be attending the office around once/week with the main offices being in Whiteley or Swindon. Very rare London travel may be required.

At Zurich we believe in creating a brighter future for our customers, partners, our people and the planet by providing products and services which have a positive impact on peoples lives. We want to be one of the most responsible businesses in the world.

In the UK, Zurich provide a suite of general insurance products covering business, casualty, motor, property and travel insurance, life insurance and pensions products to individuals and corporate customers. We employ over 4,500 people in the UK and are based across a number of locations with our head office being in Swindon., AMS, a Recruitment Process Outsourcing Company, may in the delivery of some of its services be deemed to operate as an Employment Agency or an Employment Business.