At I&M, Solution Architects convert business requirements into implementable technical designs. They own and communicate a shared technical and architectural vision for digital solutions to ensure the system or solution under development is fit for its intended purpose. It is the responsibility of a Solution Architect to make sure that envisioned solutions become reality.
Key Duties / Functions
Responsibilities/Duties/Tasks
Solution Design
- Analyze requirements, identify technical challenges, and propose innovative and scalable solutions.
- Designing and document solutions that meet the needs of stakeholders (internal and external) – both Functional and Non-Functional including Security Architecture and Data Architecture.
- Participate in the Quality Assurance process for new and existing solutions while ensuring coverage, quality and completeness of the tests.
Solution Optimization
- Identify opportunities for optimization, digitization, and automation processes to increase efficiency.
- Design and implement scalable and high-performance systems with high ROI.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Facilitate discussions with business owners, technical teams, and other stakeholders to gather requirements, communicate architectural visions and provide clarifications from time to time.
Service Availability and Quality
- Reduce Service outages due to architectural gaps. Eliminate bugs and reworks arising from gaps in breadth and depth of solution designs.
Architecture Maturity
- Contribute to the evolution of enterprise architecture, ensuring alignment with organizational strategies.
Decision making and accountabilities
This role likely wouldn’t have direct control over finances, but would provide input and recommendations that impact the organization’s finances:
- Architecture decisions: Recommending cost-effective architecture solutions (e.g., cloud platforms, service providers, or technology stacks) that impact operational costs, scalability, and long-term budget allocations.
- Tool selection: Evaluating and recommending tools, frameworks, and platforms based on cost efficiency and alignment with business needs.
- Optimization initiatives: Identifying opportunities for system or process optimization, leading to cost savings through reduced resource consumption or operational inefficiencies.
- Vendor negotiations: Providing technical input and requirements during negotiations with vendors, ensuring cost-effective solutions align with the organization’s architecture goals. (Contribute)
This role makes impactful decisions that shape processes, enhance client and customer outcomes, and influence internal and external stakeholders:
- System design and architecture: Designing scalable, secure, and efficient systems directly impacts operational workflows, internal processes, and the customer experience.
- Technology stack selection: Choosing the right technologies and tools influences development processes, project timelines, and the quality of deliverables.
- Cross-functional collaboration: Making decisions on how to communicate technical requirements and collaborate with development, operations, and business teams impacts project success and stakeholder alignment.
- Customer-focused solutions: Defining architecture that directly supports customer-facing applications, ensuring reliability, performance, and satisfaction.
- Process improvement: Recommending improvements to deployment pipelines, development workflows, and operational processes to enhance team efficiency and output.
- Strategic alignment: Contributing to technology strategies that align with business goals, impacting how client and customer needs are met through innovative solutions.
Skills, competencies & experience Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree plus Professional qualification
- 4 to 6 years of work experience
Skills and Competencies
Technical Expertise:
- In-depth understanding of programming languages, tools, and frameworks (Java, Maven, Spring Boot, JMS, Docker, Kubernetes).
- Indepth understanding of Enterprise Integration Patterns and Frameworks.
- Experience with Microservices and Cloud architecture (AWS, Azure).
- Familiarity with API description formats for REST APIs (OpenAPI).
- Working knowledge of Web and App Development Technologies including Angular, Swift, and Kotlin.
- Expertise in leveraging machine learning and AI for advanced solutions.
- Broad, operational knowledge of application servers, databases, load balancers and other infrastructure components required to deploy web applications in a highly available and scalable environment
Stakeholder Engagement and Ability to Build Bridges on Divergent Views:
- Strong skills in engaging with stakeholders across diverse teams and functions.
- Ability to build consensus and foster collaboration among groups with differing perspectives.
- Excellent conflict resolution skills to navigate and align divergent views towards shared goals.
Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills:
- Strong analytical skills to interpret complex system performance metrics and resolve issues.
- Critical thinking to assess challenges and implement data-driven solutions.
- Expertise in identifying root causes of technical problems and implementing effective fixes.
Cloud and Microservices Skills:
• Strong experience working with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure).
• Proficient in containerization and orchestration tools like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Skilled in building and deploying microservices in a cloud-native environment. Additional Skills:
• Exceptional technical writing skills for documentation and communication.
• Ability to convey complex technical concepts in a simple, actionable manner.
• Comfortable working both independently and in cross-functional teams.
• Excellent attention to detail and commitment to high-quality output.
If you believe you meet the above requirements log onto our website www.imbankgroup.com/ke and click on careers and apply for the position. Your application should reach us as soon as possible but not later than 2nd February 2025.