Brief Description

Reporting to the Senior Manager IT Strategy and Enterprise Architecture, the role holder will shape and drive end to end Architecture for IT for Safaricom ensuring that our technology assets continuously evolve to deliver best customer experience, enable new rich services and meet future operational targets. This role requires a high caliber individual with strong strategic mindset. Solid understanding of IT Architecture together with underlying IT infrastructure is a key imperative. He/ She should be inquisitive, always keeping abreast with emerging IT best practice. The role holder should additionally have a track record of working effectively with a wide set of stakeholders on complex technology programs.

Detailed Description

• Manage target architecture vision and roadmap in alignment with Safaricom strategy.
• Design, develop and deploy Enterprise Architecture practices, standards, frameworks and patterns.
• Test and onboard new technologies and suppliers to drive innovation and meet emerging business requirements.
• Provide thought leadership on contextualization of global best practice for Safaricom Enterprise Architecture and IT strategy
• Develop standards to guide Solution Architecture practice and other teams in day-to-day delivery.
• Lead the evaluation and selection of hardware and software products
• Develop and maintain the technology roadmap for assigned area, collaborating with business and IT partners to ensure that the roadmap creates business value with technically sound solutions.
• Provide key inputs into financial management processes to align budget priorities with strategy and architecture.

QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree in Information Technology or a telecommunications biased discipline.
• Experience of leading development of complex technology strategies, architectures or roadmaps
• Experience in End-to-End Solution Architecting
• Demonstrated experience implementing standard architecture and governance frameworks in a busy IT environment. TOGAF preferred.
• Certification in leading Architecture frameworks will be added advantage. This may include TOGAF, CGEIT.
• Good understanding of broad set of technologies used in IT.
• At least 7 years’ experience working in a software engineering or planning role or End-to-End for BSS or OSS applications.
• Demonstrated experience working within financial and supplier management processes.

Brief Description

Reporting to HOD - Enterprise Architecture, the position holder is responsible for ensuring all solution architectures are well aligned to architectural frameworks and guided by strategy. Working with Solution Architects to guide them on how to work with partners, Project teams, Squads as well as virtual IT delivery teams to implement various projects and business deliverables. Lead and coach the Solution Architects to break down complex requirements into simple trackable tasks and to be committed to high-quality output and delivery on time.

Detailed Description

• Work with Solution Architects to agree on standardized tools, processes, and methodology for design.
• Cascade blueprints and target architectures to IT delivery teams and solution architects.
• Resolve complex solution architecture challenges experienced by various IT delivery teams.
• Anticipate customer and business requests and build capacity to meet the demands.
• Contribute to strategy and target architectures.
• Ensure maximum re-use of technical and business functionality with no duplication.
• Documentation and optimization of all solution architectures.
• Mentorship and leadership of other solution architects.
• This role is responsible for transferring the vision and objectives to chapter leads, tribe leads, tech leads, solution architects and the entire digital IT organization fostering establishment of architecture practices, frameworks, patterns and innovation
• Remove blockages experienced by solution architects.
• Ensure attainment of Delivery KPIs.
• Robust testing of both existing and new delivery to ensure the customer promise is met and proper functionality.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree in Science/computer science/Engineering/Business related.
• Certification in Business Analysis & Agile Project Management will be an added advantage
• Strong business acumen and mindset – with knowledge of Human Centered Design
• 7+ years of technical experience in a busy IT development environment, 2 years of which must include experience in designing systems and solutions.
• 3+ years’ Experience in Technical Leadership of large IT projects
• Team player who is skilled at building up and managing stakeholder relationships successfully
• Experience in delivering and optimizing solution architectures in a complex IT set-up.
• Experience in managing and coaching a team
• Ability to persuade stakeholders and to champion effective techniques through delivery
• Ability to drive initiatives without any formal authority in an ambiguous environment