Solutions Architect

Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has a clear mandate from the Ontario government. Everything we do aims to improve electrical safety for the public. To do this, we anticipate, understand and prevent electrical-related harms. To learn more about Electrical Safety Authority and how we are keeping Ontario safe, please visit esasafe.com . Solutions Architect General Accountabilities Solution Architecture • Responsible for Solution Architecture and Design practice and expertise across the IT portfolio of services and systems. • Leads and manages the practice and the introduction of the overall technical vision for a particular solution. • Creates and implements solution architecture standards. • Creates and leads a forum for solution architecture reviews. • Understands and interprets business processes, workflows, and systems to identify opportunities for efficiency improvement (e.g. application functionality or application system performance). • Provides approval for all builds or purchases, ensuring that they align with the technology strategy and roadmap. • Ensures solution architecture documentation is completed and appropriately maintained as per departmental standards. Solution Design • Provides expert advice on how solution designs could provide value to the business. Performs market searches on vendor solutions with pros and cons documented to assist management decisions. • Designs end-to-end technical solutions that align with client objectives and industry best practices. Performs consultation and analysis to understand the business need, assessment of options to determine the design that will meet the needs within current constraints, and influence the selection and implementation of the solutions. • Leads solution design and provides strategic advice for purchased and built solutions. • Develops and recommends detailed technical specifications for proposed solutions. • Assesses system architecture currently in place and works with the IT team members to recommend solution design to improve current services. • Creates and maintains architectural diagrams. • Assesses business and technical impact of proposed solution designs. • Reviews and provides feedback on documentation created for IT solution designs across the portfolio. • Accounts for possible project challenges in design on constraints including risks, time, resources, and scope. • Works closely with project teams to contribute to successful completion and implementation of overall project. • Works closely with project management teams to successfully monitor progress of initiatives and viability of designs. Research • Continually researches current and emerging technologies. • Requires maintaining a level of mastery knowledge for current best practices in solution architecture standards. Risk Management • Within the general context of the job responsibilities, makes strategic and tactical suggestions to Director on how to improve the division’s effectiveness and efficiency as it relates to solution design as part of the overall technology strategy. • Evaluates solutions to ensure they align to the evolving processes and standards from the IT management team, and collaborates with the overall technology team (internal and external resources) to influence decisions to deliver technical solutions. • Identifies potential risks and challenges in proposed solutions and develops mitigation strategies. • Proactively addresses technical issues and roadblocks to ensure project success. Communication and Influence • Provides regular updates to Project Managers and IT Leadership of Solution Architecture deliverables. • Actively participates in project meetings providing guidance and expertise to the technical team. • Manages business requirements and expected outcomes from numerous groups internal/external that work in the solution. • Prepares written reports for internal stakeholders, as required, to understand and assess solution design in place or being proposed. • Participates in management discussions regarding technology roadmap as it relates to solution architecture. • Performs other duties as required. Experience: Requires experience in technical aspects of projects to be able to provide guidance, identify risks, and assess the technology infrastructure of the solution. Requires experience in implementing and modifying a range of business applications and data infrastructure. Requires business experience to discuss business problems and recommend application solutions. Requires excellent business writing skills to document recommendations and proposals. Requires excellent problem-solving skills to be able to quickly change direction based on updated client specifications or system limitations. Requires experience to identify training requirements and to plan and coordinate training activities. Requires the ability for both strategic and tactical thinking. Experience in designing and deploying SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Cloud, Virtual and On-Prem solutions. A period of over 8 years and up to and including 10 years is considered necessary to gain this experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr