IT Architect Senior*

Application ArchitectThe Application Architect is responsible for guiding the Application Development team through the development process. Ensures development is being done right the first time and has an understanding of how their products relate with other products, and insures interdependencies are in focus. Success is measured on the ability to minimize re-work required after production implementation, which may be due to stability, performance, and/or functionality that does not support architectural tenets (services-oriented architecture, multi-bank processing, etc.). Makes design decisions and technology recommendations to satisfy business requirements based on the product roadmap/vision. Establishes a coherent architecture vision of how FIS enterprise software and infrastructure technology will be applied to best address current and expected future application needs. Continuously communicates the vision in an audience-appropriate manner, both internally and externally, from developers and designers to business owners and customers. Makes recommendations based upon this vision and associated analysis in order to satisfy tactical, operational, and strategic needs. Ensures lead developers and designers are familiar with application, software and infrastructure technology assets, standards, and requirements along with software development best practices. Assists in the identification of patterns, techniques, tools, and processes that contribute to effective project execution and business-unit profitability.The Software Technology Architect defines and maintains architecture principles and standards for FIS application development, based on FIS business requirements. Defines and documents the principles and standards to ensure speed and quality of development, while maintaining flexibility and maintainability in anticipation of future needs. Equally important are principles and standards to ensure robustness of applications to meet needs for performance, efficiency, reliability, availability, scalability, and security. Works to understand, assess, and put into practice selected emerging technologies in anticipation of meeting future software business needs. Researches industry trends and determines what emerging technologies are commercially viable for FIS environment and identifies those technologies which may be unproven, or bleeding edge. This includes product evaluation, reference technology proof of concept, and industry trend analysis. Based on research and assessment, current technology standards are validated and / or refreshed and extended by newer technologies (e.g. J2EE vs. .NET). Defines and maintains software architecture principles and standards for FIS application development, based on business requirements. Designs and provides internal building blocks or development components that enhance the speed of development, quality, and stability of product solutions. Supports product development by providing the application development community proven design patterns, frameworks, templates and models, as well as ready-built components providing for common application infrastructure services (messaging, data access, security, etc.) Executes evaluation projects and produces working models based upon Product Solution requirements. May participate as a member of a project team when implementing critical or first of kind technologies.General Duties & Responsibilities: * Documents and publishes appropriate architecture principles and standards, position papers, blueprints, best practices, patterns and frameworks. * Defines, constructs, supports and provides training for enterprise frameworks. * Defines and maintains a library of functional component models within and across FIS product lines. * Documents functional product solutions for key FIS product strategy and product management initiatives leveraging defined functional component model libraries and the defined product line architecture roadmap. * Documents functional product solutions for key FIS financial services sales opportunities leveraging defined functional component model libraries and the defined product line architecture roadmap. * Maintains a catalogue of reusable functional application components consumable across applications and product lines. * Reviews functional and technical designs to identify areas of risk and/or missing requirements. * Acts as the tie breaker on design decisions. * Documents and communicates opportunities to leverage inter-project synergies, application and enterprise software or infrastructure asset re-use, and opportunities to expose application assets for enterprise consumption. * Communicates system architecture to technical and business audiences. * Performs other related duties as required.Educational Requirements: Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Engineering or the equivalent combination of education, training, or work experience. Post-graduate education is desired.Additional Requirements Requires the following experience or equivalent combination of education and experience as a minimum to enter any level of IT Architect job: * Must have led the technology direction for multiple projects and led or presented architecture concepts outside the realm of immediate workgroup * Demonstrated experience as the application development system designer or technical lead on many very large (i.e., 10,000 hours or more spanning more than 6 months) projects * May also require one or more of the following experience requirements: - Five or more years working in a distributed and heterogeneous computing environment (ZOS, UNIX, Windows) - Five or more years demonstrated experience in working with relational (and/or hierarchical) databases - Five or more years demonstrated experience in modern software application technologies - Successful design and implementation of applications in a shared service bureau environment - Experience in building On-Line Transaction Processing (OLTP), batch and reporting systems - Experience in using Unified Modeling Language (UML) for Object Modeling - Experience in building robust and scalable infrastructure architectures (telephony systems, network services, web farms, multiple-node systems, etc.)General Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: * Knowledge of FIS products and services * Knowledge of financial services industry * In-depth knowledge of end-to-end systems development life cycles (including waterfall, iterative and other modern approaches to software development) * Proficiency in solutions design and requirements definition disciplines leveraging model driven design based tools and techniques including conceptual solution component models, business process models, use cases, etc. * Outstanding verbal and written communication skills to technical and non-technical audiences of various levels in the organization (e.g., executive, management, individual contributors) * Excellent analytical, decision-making, problem-solving, team, and time management skills * Ability to persuade and influence others on the best approach to take * Ability to estimate work effort for project sub-plans or small projects and ensure the project is successfully completed * Positive outlook, strong work ethic, and responsive to internal and external customers and contacts * Willingly and successfully fulfills the role of teacher, mentor and coach * May require a thorough understanding of design patterns and their application * May require a thorough understanding of Model-View-Controller design patterns for web applications * May require a fluency in developing and understanding sequence diagrams, class models, etc. * May require in-depth knowledge of networking, computing platform, storage, database, security, middleware, network and systems management, and related infrastructure technologies and practicesAdditional Skills: Senior level role. Highly skilled with extensive proficiency. Focuses primarily on one of the four architecture disciplines typically within a single business group. Uses best practices and knowledge of technologies and processes that are appropriate for the architecture discipline the incumbent is assigned to improve FIS products and/or services. Works independently and receives minimal guidance. Serves as a resource for less experienced peers. Wide latitude for independent judgment. Represents a job level at which career may stabilize for many years or potentially until retirement. Typically requires twelve or more years of systems development experience with five or more years as an Engineer or Systems Specialist. Required Skills : • Minimum 5 years experience as Solution Architect working with applications not infrastructure.

Experience determining and documenting large solutions (25+ applications) in Component Relationship diagram, sequence diagrams, etc.