Solutions Architect Consultant

Department: Consultancy

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: London

Description

As a consultant at Actica, you will have the opportunity to work with a wide range of high-profile UK public sector and defence organisations. Our position as an independent, trusted, client-side advisor means that this role requires significant stakeholder engagement, dealing directly with the client, so excellent interpersonal and influencing skills are essential. So too are your written skills, as you will be producing high quality, formal written deliverables. Your help will enable Actica’s clients to get the maximum benefit from their digital investments and transformation and, in doing so, will play a key role in nationally critical projects which make a real difference to people’s everyday lives.

You will use your solution architecture skills to analyse and develop solution and technical architectures based on the needs of the customer, together with an understanding of the technologies, standards, patterns and operational processes required to achieve this.

Responsibilities

Working either individually or as part of a larger Actica team, you will undertake a number of consultancy assignments, which could include:

Defining end-to-end solution architectures including business, information, applications and infrastructure views and producing options assessments and/or design documents that are approved though formal governance;
Solution definition on large-scale IT projects with responsibilities for defining complex technical requirements and evaluating supplier responses;
Supporting large ICT procurements, including providing input to business cases, developing solution requirements and/or procurement documentation and evaluating proposals;
Providing technical assurance to ensure that solutions are fit for purpose.

Qualifications and Experience

The following attributes and areas of experience are essential for this role:

Experience in defining and assuring solution architectures demonstrated through production of documentation such as solution overviews and high-level designs;
Experience producing architecture documentation, such as options assessments, suitable to engage business stakeholders in both informal and formal governance settings;
A flexible, consulting mindset. The fast-moving nature of the ICT environment, together with the need to resource multiple, ad-hoc assignments, requires our consultants to be quick thinkers, proactive and self-motivated and have the ability to apply a structured approach to often unfamiliar subject matter;
Excellent interpersonal, presentation and written communication skills.

The following desirable attributes and areas of experience will make you particularly suited to this role with Actica:

Experience in the public sector or defence, preferably within the ICT context on enterprise solutions;
Consulting experience in the public sector or defence;
Experience with architecture tooling such as BizzDesign, Archi and/or Sparx EA;
Experience in one or more of DevSecOps and CI/CD technologies, cloud deployments, application design and delivery, integration design, testing.

Almost all of our roles require a high degree of technical skill. That being said, we are consultants and therefore a wide and varied background is preferable as the capability to adapt quickly to change is often required.

You might not feel that your skills precisely match the requirements of this job specification; however, we encourage you to apply if this is a role that appeals to you. We require individuals with a broad skillset, so there may be other aspects of your experience which are equally important to us, but that are perhaps not listed in this specific role specification.

All candidates must be eligible and willing to gain UK Security Clearance to apply for this position.

Career Development

You will be given the opportunity to further your career in consulting, specialising in the application of a broad range of methodologies and technical specialisations to a wide range of business problems.

A career mentor will be on hand to provide support and guidance throughout your journey with Actica. You will also work with a performance and development manager who will conduct reviews with you to set career objectives and identify appropriate training courses should these be needed

Benefits

A discretionary, performance-based bonus, paid twice a year;
25 days annual leave plus UK public holidays;
Private Health Care for the employee (subject to completion of a probation period)
Twice* yearly performance appraisals/pay reviews (*while at Consultant and Senior Consultant grades, annually thereafter);
Investment in training relevant to an individual’s development and Actica’s business needs.
Membership in our stakeholder pension scheme
Participation in a cycle to work scheme
Membership of an Employee Assistance Programme
Participation in an Electric Vehicle leasing scheme (subject to completion of a probation period)

About Actica

Actica Consulting is a growing digital consultancy that works on some of the most nationally critical technology projects. We specialise in delivering complex projects to limited timescales. Our customers include a wide range of public sector organisations; such as, the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, HM Treasury, the Ministry of Justice, Police Forces, Fire Services and the NHS; as well as a range of national and international companies across the private sector.

We are recruiting in order to facilitate continued growth of the business and as a result multiple positions are available across Consultant, Senior Consultant, and Principal Consultant grades.

We are a digital consultancy, working primarily for the UK Public Sector and Critical National Infrastructure organisations. Fundamentally our work is focused on making our clients more efficient, effective and secure.

We aim to nurture a diverse workforce through inclusive working practices, promoting equality in our recruitment activities, and by employing candidates on the basis of merit. We are keen to continue to improve diversity within our organisation and the industries in which we work, and hope to employ individuals who share that view.

In a typical week, our consultants might spend 2-3 days working remotely and the balance co-located with colleagues, either at a client site or at our office in Guildford. For some projects, there is a requirement to work up to 5 days a week co-located with colleagues at clients’ premises. Our work is team based, involving a high level of engagement with other Actica and client team members. Consultants are encouraged to get involved in internal activities and to attend Company team events whenever possible.

Candidates must be eligible and willing to gain UK Security Clearance to apply for this position.

Further Information Requested