Enterprise Architect I (Retail) at Shoprite Group of Companies

Purpose of the Job

As an experienced Retail Professional, the Enterprise Architect for Retail is responsible for shaping the architecture strategy for the Retail Domain in collaboration with Senior IT and Business Leadership in support of the company strategy while aligning to the architectural principles and standards.

Job Advert Details

Job Category

IT

Job Objectives

• Influencing and inspiring strategic stakeholders to champion technology investments in the Retail Domain
• Functioning as a Retail Expert and Retail technology strategist to demonstrate, share and realize technological innovation in the Retail Domain.
• Using both technology- and business-outcome to facilitate informed conversations with executives to influence priorities and promote investments in Retail technology.
• Leading and motivating the drive for Retail Technology modernization and innovation to ensure we can support and grow in the Retail domain.
• Recommending and advising business leaders on the business opportunities and advantages presented by investments in key Retail technologies.
• Providing consultative advice and actionable recommendations to business executives who makes Retail technology investment decisions.
• Identifying strategic technology imperatives in support of responsible domains
• Performing trendspotting on major disruptive technologies and identifying technology imperatives (technology modernization, technology standardization, cybersecurity, cloud, automation, IOT, process mining, DevSecOps, site reliability engineering, etc.) to make recommendations on technology initiatives (POCs, experimentation, technology incubation projects, etc.) that will enable Shoprite with a competitive technology advantage.
• Identifying technology platforms and architectures required to enable digital business products and services.
• Identifying key technology portfolios that support critical business processes and linking technologies to business outcomes.
• Formulating cloud transition strategies considering possible deployment options and implementation challenges.
• Formulating strategy, architectures, and implementation roadmaps
• Contributing to the IT strategy content and developing an enterprise Retail Architecture vision and strategy with an implementation roadmap (including Objectives and Key Results) and reference architecture definition that links the achievement of the Retail Architecture strategy to the business outcomes they support.
• Creating a ready set of Retail reference architectures for easy reusability.
• Presenting proposed Retail technology investment roadmaps, in collaboration with the relevant domain architects, that reflect the status of the existing and required Technology Investment and its ability to contribute to future-state business capabilities around the Retail Function.
• Conducting assessments and reviews of Enterprise, Domain and Solution architectures as part of the Architecture Review Board, balancing immediate and strategic needs.
• Championing the Enterprise Architecture Retail Capability
• Positioning the Enterprise Architecture practice at the intersection of Business and IT and promoting the business value of Enterprise Architecture as an enabler of strategy formulation.
• Leading the creation and maturing of the Enterprise Architecture capability that is a trusted and respected advisory service selected by executives to consult on the development and execution of business and technology strategy.
• Establishing adaptive Enterprise Architecture governance mechanisms that strike a balance between risk and agility.
• Providing active guidance and mentorship to other architects and improving the Enterprise Architecture practice continuously with the wider architecture team.
• Contributing to the development of the Enterprise Architecture Framework and Enterprise Architecture Capability, by detailing and sharing knowledge and standard methodologies with peer Architects.

Qualifications

• Computer Science/Logistics/Architecture/Software degree or equivalent science degree (essential)

Experience

• Architecture consulting with CxO level executives for large enterprise programs

5 years

• Shaping IT strategy and roadmaps and developing, managing, and implementing technology roadmaps and portfolios

10 years

• Architecting large complex systems within the Retail Domain

5 years

• Participating in RFx technology acquisition processes

5 years

• Contributing Architecture expertise to Retail Programmes, Projects and Products from business analysis, architectures, system analysis and design through development, testing, implementation, and production

12 years

• Successfully leading architects and technical teams to implement and integrate enterprise level solutions in a complex multi-cloud environment

10 years

• Collaborating with program managers, project managers, and business stakeholders to delivery technologies

10 years

• Managing and mentoring technology teams and talent in both business applications and operational areas (desirable)

12 years

• Retail industry experience with an understanding of Retail business processes. (desirable)

5+ years

IT industry

15 years

Knowledge and Skills

• Formulating technology strategy, architectures, and implementation roadmaps

5 years

• Creating Enterprise, Domain, and Solution level Architectures and Architecting and designing Technology Platforms, Storage Infrastructure, Enterprise Applications, Enterprise Hybrid Cloud, and Cloud Native Solutions

10 years

• Strategy frameworks and best practices such as TOGAF, ITIL, ISO 27001, CobiT, Balanced Scorecard, etc. (desirable)

10 Years

• Cloud Certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP)

5 years

• Expert knowledge of business ecosystems, SaaS, PaaS, PaaS, SOA, APIs, microservices, event-driven IT and predictive analytics (desirable)

5 years

• Demonstrated ability to influence and consult to Chief  Operations Officer level while providing thought leadership to sponsors/stakeholders in solving problems
• Ability to influence and persuade others, as well as handle difficult negotiations requiring a well-developed sense of strategy
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal) with strong presentation and facilitation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, customer-centric attitude, ability to deal with cultural diversity
• Leadership capacity to provide advice and guidance in a timely fashion to operationalize strategic plans, manage complex bids, and coach staff simultaneously
• Leadership capabilities to facilitate teamwork to achieve business goals while promoting a culture of common purpose
• Ability to work as a self-starter, take initiative, and execute tasks with minimal supervision