Executive Job Title	Sr. Solution Architect --Engineering
Type of Registrant	Recruiter
Industry & Function 1:	Automotive-(Vehicles&Parts)-AlsoHeavyEquipment - TECHNOLOGY(IT/EDP/MIS/Communications)
Compensation	$150,000 to $300,000
Executive Job Description	POSITION SPECIFICATION POSITION TITLE: Senior Solution Architect - Engineering REPORTING TO: Director, Enterprise Architecture LOCATION: Based at Southeast USA Headquarters THE COMPANY: $8 billion public company The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of agricultural equipment and related replacement parts. The company offers a full line of products under multiple brands through one of the largest distribution networks in more than 140 countries in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. The company designs, manufactures, and markets engineered products that are sold worldwide and in use by agribusiness. POSITION SUMMARY: The IT Architecture team works in partnership with the business areas to align people, processes, and IT solutions to meet business goals and objectives. The Senior Solution Architect (SSA) will be responsible for defining the end to end architecture for large complex systems utilized by the global engineering function of this NYSE listed industrial company. The SSA will take the requirements and develop well-formulated models of the components of the solution, augmenting the models as necessary to fit all of the circumstances and define intersection points with other solution areas. This position is responsible for the logical and physical architecture of applications and infrastructure within the most complex areas of a technology segmented solution portfolio. The SSA will research, analyze and recommend new technology, architectures, frameworks and products for complex solutions as well as design and develop architectural prototypes. This role will also identify emerging trends and thought leadership in software development and introduce these to benefit the application/project as well as the enterprise. The successful candidate must have multiple years of actual end to end implementation experience of said architectures. POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: The SSA is responsible for: • Developing / maintaining an understanding of the company’s business processes and the application systems/infrastructure that supports them. • Understanding the specific business needs and direction of more than one business area and defining the resulting IT implications. • Translating requirements understanding into architecture specifications and models. • Influencing business partners to align with the IT strategy. • Integrity of the overall architecture integrity and maintaining the vision of the offering from an architectural perspective. • Being an "agent of change", representing the need for the implementation of the architecture. Through this development cycle, the architect continuously fosters the sharing of customer, architecture, and technical information between organizations. • Supports vendor product RFP and selection processes. • Preparing and presenting high level activity and progress reports and presentations to senior leadership. • Mentoring and guiding more junior architects and technical resources. MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES: • Works in conjunction with Enterprise Architects to ensure alignment of actions with company/business area goals and strategies. Understands, advocates, and augments the principles of information technology strategies as defined within the Enterprise Architecture. • Translates business and IT requirements into architecture specifications and models. Takes ownership of a particular solution/technology segment serving multiple cross-functional processes. Acts as visionary and strategist for solution/technology segment. Develops and executes a solution strategy and business plan that supports solution maturity. • Shapes, designs, and plans specific services within solution/technology segment creating associated design patterns and promotion of reuse. Establishes and communicates the value proposition of the end to end solution to Business and IT senior leadership. • Surveys market landscape for solution insights, direction, vendors, and methods. Identifies and qualifies solution improvement opportunities both in solution/technology segment and across the overall solution architecture. • Develops and maintains vendor relationships within solution space. • Develops, implements, and manages the use of formalized solution methodologies, deliverable/documentation standards and complex design patterns and technical standards. • Documents architecture and solution decisions as well as white papers that provide further insight and thought in the solution space. • Interfaces and coordinates tasks with internal and external technical resources. Drives cross functional alignment with other Architects at solution space intersection points. Collaborates with Project Managers and technical teams to provision estimates, develop overall implementation plans, and serve as lead as required for implementation, customization and integration efforts. • Provides architecture consulting and manages compliance throughout all aspects of project life cycle, from initial kickoff through requirements analysis, design and implementation phases for projects within solution space. Oversees design decisions and provides architectural guidance to team members who implement improvement projects in the solution space. FUNCTIONAL KNOWLEDGE: • Deep expertise in more than one specialty with broad knowledge across a wide spectrum of industry technologies including Microsoft .NET, SAP Netweaver and Java stacks, Partner Integration technologies, Service Oriented Architecture, Portals, SAP ERP, Infrastructure technologies (from the UI to the Database and everything in between). • Full SDLC (Systems Development Lifecycle) experience • Integration Tools – SAP XI / Webmethods / biztalk • Specific knowledge in the implementation and support of enterprise PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) -- PTC Windchill and/or Siemens TeamCenter applications preferred. AND experience in at least one of the following: • mCAD – mechanical Computer Aided Design • CAT – Computer Aided Test – laboratory and field test; data acquisition, analysis and reporting • CAM – Computer Aided Manufacturing – CNC programming, CMM, rapid prototyping (SLA) • CAE/SIM – Computer Aided Engineering and Simulation (FEA, CFD, NVH, etc ) • eCAD – electrical Computer Aided Design • Visualization – virtual reality, lightweight CAD, drawings • DFx – Design for “x”; x = manufacturing, assembly, reliability, recyclability, etc • Digital Manufacturing – process design, factory simulation • Collaboration – sharepoint, projectlink, visualization • SCC and Software Development Tools – Source Code Control, configuration management, regression testing, etc • Requirements management/systems engineering – market requirements, functional requirements, technical requirements, design specifications • Prototyping – Rapid prototyping: SLA, 3D printing, direct metal deposition, etc • Portfolio management – 5 year product planning, product mix, profitability • Product Cost Management – product target cost achievement; cost estimating and roll-up • Project Management – new product development; major project; project planning, reporting, resource management; time tracking, project cost, etc • Infrastructure – end user desktop; server, storage; high end computing (analysis and simulation); specials like Virtual Reality Candidates with experience and/or familiarity with principles and concepts in two or more of the following areas will receive preference: • Product Cost Accounting • VAVE - Value Analysis Value Engineering • Design consulting • MIP - Margin improvement process • CRT - Cost reduction teams • ABC/ABM – Activity Based Costing/Activity Based Management • DFMA – Design for Manufacturing and Assembly • Competitive tear down • QFD – Quality Function Deployment • Lean product development and manufacturing • New Product Introduction stage gate process MANAGERIAL KNOWLEDGE: • Able to lead the design of a detailed solution architecture as well as facilitate development of component and technology architectures • An understanding of how to leverage Business, Application, Data and Integration Architectures in development of solution architectures • Understanding how to link solution architectures to business/enterprise strategy • Knowledge of techniques to undertake the detailed definition of the architecture including strategies, as-is assessments, program assessments, sustainability analysis, targets, roadmaps and briefings, and defining measures of success. • Expert knowledge and demonstrated experience in opportunity and business case development, business process design, transition planning, system development lifecycles, program/project management and fielding of business applications in a large scale enterprise with complex organizational and IT structures • Significant knowledge/experience in the development of enterprise architectural frameworks and methodologies with experience developing architecture principles and standards as well as using architecture modeling tools. • Able to validate, refine, and expand the complex solution architecture models: verify assumptions, bring in subject matter experts, etc. in order to improve the model and to further define it, adding as necessary new ideas to make the result more flexible and more tightly linked to current and expected requirements. • Experience working with technology vendors and offshore development teams in the delivery of enterprise solutions PROBLEM SOLVING: • Must have the ability to create innovative solutions to complex technical problems. • Able to gather information from local & partially global stakeholders to understand key issues and obstacles • Identify potential solutions, working with others, keeping in mind the project goals and the overall goal of business transformation • Works with and through others to achieve local and global alignment often with no authority, relying only upon their influence. • This person must regularly demonstrate noteworthy level of insight, ingenuity, initiative, creativity and productivity • This role requires flexibility, adaptability and the ability to deal continuously with ambiguous situations – creating and socializing (rather than escalating a request for) the sets of instructions that allow continued progress I. NATURE OF IMPACT: Cross-functional integration and rationalization of our IT applications is critical to meeting the company’s goal of global business process harmonization. This objective is also critical to achieving the productivity growth needed to support the corporate targets. As such, the Senior Architect role in IT is critical to the company overall and critical for the IT organization to be able to support and drive the technical enablement needed by the company. The person in this role will interact regularly with senior leaders in the organization This role will have responsibility for translating the company’s Enterprise architecture plans and IT strategies into executable solution designs and implementation plans. Jobholder must be able to drive architectural decisions throughout implementation projects despite strong organizational conflict at times and work in strong relationships with senior leaders to help establish alignment across the areas with no authority, relying only upon their influence. II. AREA OF IMPACT: The Senior Solution Architect has global impact in terms of defining how complex business processes will be automated across functions as well as defining how highly integrated solutions and technologies will be implemented within the company’s IT environment. The SSA impacts the organization globally through aligning cross functional business and IT teams with Global Enterprise Architecture. This person has to strongly communicate to and work closely with the Enterprise Architects, global BPLs, with specific Project Leadership and the IT Organization including Application Management to ensure aligned system decisions. LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS: The candidate will need to be able to manage across the organization – both within IT as well as with external departments and will need to be sophisticated in managing upward in the organization. The successful candidate will bring a highly collaborative style that is comfortable operating in a flexible, matrixed environment. In addition to obvious technology and functional skills, strong leadership tendencies and demonstrated written and verbal communication skills will support this executive’s daily interaction with the IT and business organizations. • Ability to influence senior IT and business leadership on complex strategies and concepts. • The role will have matrix management responsibilities on multiple projects, so the candidate must be able to manage in an environment of multiple demanding tasks or assignments. • The candidate must be able to work under loose supervision and without continual review of work. • The ability to communicate effectively with senior leaders, key clients, and other stakeholders, particularly on the subjects of enterprise and business architectures. • Capable of synthesizing complex topics into meaningful information and preparation of materials appropriate for senior level communications. • Able to facilitate decision making at very senior level within the organization. • Flexibility, adaptability and ability to deal continuously with ambiguous situations. • Expert in advanced writing, verbal and other presentation skills. • Able to sell ideas across the organization. • Able to gain buy in from multiple departments and multiple levels within the company in order to support strategic changes and transformation. • Able to establish credibility with peers and higher ups in order to garner support for architectural policies and processes as well as support for IT plans and roadmaps. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: • Able to communicate effectively with senior leaders, key clients, and other stakeholders, particularly on related architecture topics. • Ability to develop and lead a high performing team. • Able to synthesize complex topics into meaningful information and prepare materials appropriate for senior level communications. • Able to facilitate decision making at very senior level within the organization. • Flexibility, adaptability and ability to deal continuously with ambiguous situations. • Expert in advanced writing, verbal and other presentation skills. • Able to sell ideas across the organization. • Able to gain buy in from multiple departments and multiple levels within the organization in order to support strategic changes and transformation. • Able to establish credibility with peers and senior management in order to garner support for architectural policies and processes as well as support for IT plans and roadmaps. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE : • A BS degree in Engineering, Computer Science or a related field • 5+ years of experience in a solution architecting role. • 10+ years of IT related and/or Engineering experience. • Experience in at least two of the following areas .product design, product management, manufacturing, or product support. • 5+ years of working with global manufacturing companies. • Experience in leading teams at remote locations. • International experience will receive preference. • Able and willing to travel up to 50%, both domestically and internationally. COMPENSATION: A competitive cash compensation and benefits package will be offered to the appropriate candidate. CONTACT INFORMATION: Diane Gdula Dupont White & Stone gduladi@dupontws.com
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