Position Description:
The IT Strategy & Technology Planning Division is responsible for providing IT strategic directions, technology roadmaps, investment strategies, service models, and solutions architectures covering all Digital & IT disciplines such as Computing, Communication, Application, and Information Protection. The Enterprise Architect primary role is to develop strategic Digital and IT roadmaps, define applications and technology architecture required to deliver and enable core business capabilities; optimizing shortand long-term architecture plans, identifying new IT capabilities that leverage the installed base technologies and solutions, and developing plans and programs to introduce new IT services ensuring alignment with business demands and company digital transformation initiatives
Selection Criteria
- The candidate shall hold a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Communication Engineering, or Software Engineering from a recognized and approved program. An advanced degree is preferred.
- The candidate should have minimum of 12 years of experience in Digital and IT systems analysis, programming, computing hardware, cloud computing architecture, mobile software implementation, data networking, telecommunication and information protection, including at least 10 in applying EA framework, culture & tools, designing Digital and IT solution architecture, performing quality assurance, analyzing investments strategies, developing Digital and IT services costing structure and TCOs, designing Digital and IT integration platforms.
Minimum Requirements
- Education: Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in one of the following disciplines: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Management Information Systems (MIS), Computer Information Systems (CIS), Engineering, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Finance, Business Administration.
- Experience: At least 12 years industrial work experience in complex Digital & IT environment such as digital transformation, systems analysis, programming, computing hardware, software implementation, and mission critical facilities; Knowledge of industry standard Enterprise Architecture (EA) Frameworks and tools. Eight or more years of business experience in strategic and operations planning and/or business analysis or experience as an enterprise architecture consultant.
- Languages: Excellent spoken and written English is essential. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.
- Ability to compose and edit concise, well organized reports and presentations for various levelsof management is also essential. The Digital & IT Architect must also often interface with senior Management of various companies, including CIO's and CEO's. He must therefore be highly articulate in English (and preferably in Arabic) and be able to discuss Digital & IT Architecture and technology directions appropriately.
- Other: Requires a very high level of professionalism, maturity, multi-discipline technical knowledge and interpersonal skills to manage highly professional and senior personnel; must
possess business knowledge and acumen so that appropriate Digital & IT solutions and directions are selected; excellent negotiation and influencing skills and ability to moderate
discussions.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Work with Business and Leadership Stakeholders to Develop Strategy
- Leads analysis of the business’ future-state capabilities and future (and current) Digital & IT environment to detect critical gaps and opportunities and recommend solutions for improvement to drive the business towards its targeted outcomes.
- Leads analysis of the IT environment to detect critical deficiencies and recommend solutions for improvement.
- Leads the development of an implementation plan for the enterprise architecture based on business requirements and the varying IT strategies for project-driven or product-driven delivery teams.
- Facilitate alignment between business and Digital &I T and connecting strategy to execution
- Tell stories to visualize the future state and trigger long-term planning
- Defines Digital & IT’s technology architecture and develop Digital & IT roadmaps;
- Identifies important Digital & IT technology trends and their impact on the Company business;
- Defines the proper adoption plan for introducing a new technology or switching from one technology to another, and defines major milestones in this adoption journey;
- Provides consultation to other Digital & IT entities or business units on complex Digital & IT related matters;
- Develops Technology Statements of Direction as applicable;
- Identifies new Digital & IT capabilities that leverage installed base of technologies and solutions;
- Ensures enabling technologies are in place to provide consistent Digital & IT architecture;
- Ensures Digital & IT master appropriations and capital projects scoping is aligned with technology roadmaps;
- Reviews compliance of Digital & IT Business/Operating plans against technology roadmaps;
- Participates in Technology obsolescence reviews;
- Conducts technology updates on pertinent issues and/or new technology initiatives;
- Provides consultation relating to technologies and solution architectures; Participates in purchase agreement development;
- Coordinates external technology consultations;
- Coordinates technology refresh workshops and presentations;
- Conducts technology updates on pertinent issues and/or new technology initiatives
- Originates ideas for enhancing Digital & IT solutions, operating efficiency, user service, cost effectiveness and project control procedures
- Assures that all technical work meets accepted professional standards as well as the Company’s internal computing standards.
- Drive the evolution of the EA team’s services and operating model
- Builds the EA value proposition, contributing to positioning the EA practice as an internal management consultancy, offering services and skills to support the development and execution
of business strategy.
- Communicate the value of enterprise architecture, and its portfolio of services AA. Coach and mentor other architects
Skills and Competencies
- Knowledge of business ecosystems, SaaS, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), SOA, APIs, open data, microservices, event-driven IT and predictive analytics.
- Understanding of business models, operating models, financial models, cost-benefit analysis, budgeting and risk management.
- Familiarity with enterprise architecture tools, related graphical models, and frameworks.
- Insight into information management practices, system development life cycle management, IT services management, agile and lean methodologies, infrastructure and operations, and EA and ITIL frameworks.
- Understanding of various operating models such as project-centric and product-centric and also different types of agile principles, methodologies and frameworks, especially those designed to be scaled at the enterprise level.
- Awareness of existing, new and emerging technologies, and processing environments.
- Effective leadership skills with exceptional soft and interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation and negotiation.
- Strong consulting skills such as targeted communications, engagement management, stakeholder management and business development.
- Mastery of all components of enterprise architecture, business & IT principles and processes.
- Excellent analytical, planning and organizational skills. Organizationally savvy, with situational and contextual intelligence of the political climate of the enterprise and how to navigate obstacles and politics.
- Balances the long-term (“big picture”) and short-term implications of individual decisions and organization goals.
- Estimates the financial impact of EA alternatives and applies multiple solutions to business problems.
- Rapidly comprehends the functions and capabilities of new technologies.
- Ready to think, behave and act in an innovative consulting manner to drive the organization’s digital business strategies
- Understands and speaks the language of the business. Excellent written, verbal, communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate new ideas and concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
Characteristics
- Trusted and respected as a thought leader who can influence and persuade business and IT leaders.
- Comfortable, experienced and accomplished at working with business executives, and able to push back in a professional and diplomatic way.
- Highly collaborative and supportive of business and of its ideals and strategies.
- Highly innovative with aptitude for foresight, systems thinking and design thinking.
- Vendor- and technology-neutral — more interested in achieving targeted business outcomes than in personal preferences, or in vested personal preferences of other business and IT leaders.
- Composed in the face of opposition to architectural principles, governance and standards.
- Practical in approach to problem solving and decision making
