At a Glance
- Tasks: Design innovative solutions and ensure they meet client needs throughout the project lifecycle.
- Company: Join a leading financial technology firm focused on delivering high-quality products.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with mentorship opportunities and a focus on continuous learning.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping solutions that drive business success for clients.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in software development, ideally with RPG and Java experience.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
The Solutions Architect is responsible for consulting with clients and ensuring high quality designs that are practical, deliverable, and maintain the integrity of FNZ’s products and services that help clients meet their business objectives.
Specific Role Responsibilities
- Contribute towards business requirements and ensure the underlying business problem is understood throughout FNZ.
- Produce technical and/or functional designs that fulfil the requirements, are commercially viable and technically achievable.
- Participate throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure the project stays true to the design vision and the client’s needs, and that the design is responsive to challenges encountered during build.
- Maintain the functional integrity of the primary areas of the delivery team.
- Act as subject matter expert for nominated areas of the delivery team.
Requirements
The Solutions Architect will gather, review, validate and provide feedback on requirements for solutions and products, to ensure that the requirement:
- Fully and coherently expresses the underlying business need for change.
- Includes a full consideration of non‑functional requirements.
- May reasonably be answered by a development that will be consistent both with existing technical architecture and the product roadmap.
Design
On allocated projects, the Solutions Architect will be the overall solutions architect and be responsible for the design. On other projects, the Solutions Architect may support other members of the delivery team. The Solutions Architect will be responsible for the production and documentation of designs.
Designs Must
- Meet all the agreed functional and technical requirements.
- Take account of and meet the agreed non‑functional requirements.
- Be documented fully according to FNZ standards for design documentation.
- Utilise the technology framework in which products are built.
- Be clearly and easily traceable to the requirements.
- Deliver usable functionality (intuitive, transparent, easy to test, maintainable, recoverable).
- Be consistent with the functional and data architectures of all FNZ’s products.
- Correctly utilise existing software components and refactor as necessary to generalise their function.
- Review and provide constructive feedback and help ensure the high quality of designs done by others within the delivery teams.
- Contribute to wider FNZ design meetings, including sharing best practices, sharing architectural decisions and gathering feedback on proposed designs, and providing constructive feedback to designs from others.
- Use best practice principles of good software architecture.
Project Build and Delivery Participation
The Solutions Architect will participate in all software projects for which they act as designer, throughout the build, delivery, implementation and support phases.
- Provide a handover of the design to the delivery team via design walkthroughs and help lead estimation sessions.
- Provide client walkthroughs and demos.
- Be available to both the delivery team and external stakeholders such as regression testing, releases, documentation, implementation, consultancy and support to answer questions about the design.
- Ensure that the design is built correctly.
- Amend the design if problems emerge during the build and test phases.
- Participate in development and test activities on a project where extra capacity is required.
Product Owner Responsibilities
- Ensure that changes within their stream support the product vision and strategy.
- Support and assist the sales and marketing team throughout the sales process, including software demonstrations.
- Participate in product webinars.
- Develop other people’s expertise in primary areas of responsibilities.
- Assist Delivery and Project Managers in putting project plans together.
- Raise any issues encountered promptly with key stakeholders.
- Fulfil the Product Owner role on Scrum projects.
Other Duties
- Document existing designs within an FNZ product where full documentation does not already exist.
- Act as a consultant in areas of expertise, both internally and externally to clients.
- Devise and deliver training courses in areas of expertise.
- Assist the production support team in triage of client support issues in their functional areas.
- Help mentor more junior members of the team.
Essential Requirements
- Significant relevant prior development experience ideally in RPG and Java (5+ years).
- Customer facing experience.
- Significant experience with Figaro (5+ years) in either a development or a consultancy environment.
- Significant knowledge of the financial industry.
- Experience of mentoring more junior members of a team.
- Confident, and able to take initiative in a client and delivery focused environment.
- Commercially aware.
- Excellent organisational, administration and time management skills.
- Good team communication skills, confident in dealing with internal and external clients.
- Highly developed written and oral communication skills.
- Superior analytical thinking and problem solving.
Solution Architect in London employer: FNZ
At FNZ, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture. As a Solutions Architect, you will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects in the financial industry, with access to continuous professional development and mentorship programmes. Our commitment to employee growth, combined with a supportive environment and a focus on delivering high-quality solutions for our clients, makes FNZ a rewarding place to advance your career.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Solution Architect in London
✨Join the IT Consultancy Buzz
Get involved in local or virtual IT consultancy meetups and forums. This is where we can rub shoulders with industry professionals, get insights into what FNZ values, and even spot unadvertised opportunities. Don't miss out on these chances to make a name for ourselves in the IT world!
✨Show Off Your Skills
Create a personal project or case study relevant to the challenges FNZ might face. Use platforms like GitHub or Medium to share your findings. This not only demonstrates our consulting skills but shows a proactive attitude, making us stand out from the crowd when applying for that full-time gig.
✨Leverage LinkedIn for Connections
Follow and engage with the relevant thought leaders and influencers in IT consultancy on LinkedIn. Share insightful content and join discussions to gain visibility. A well-placed comment or shared article could catch the attention of someone at FNZ!
✨Direct Apply to FNZ
Let's not forget to apply directly through the FNZ website! Tailor your application to showcase our understanding of their consulting style and how we can contribute to their projects. A personalised approach can make a huge difference in landing that full-time position!
We think you need these skills to ace Solution Architect in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills:In IT consulting, it's all about problem-solving, so make sure your CV highlights your analytical skills and any relevant projects you've tackled. Mention specific technologies or methodologies you've used to resolve issues or improve processes; this shows you can think critically and deliver results, which is vital for us at FNZ.
Highlight Relevant Certifications:Certifications like ITIL, PMP, or even specific tech stack qualifications can really make you stand out. Make sure to include these in your CV, as they not only demonstrate your expertise but also your commitment to staying current in the field. We love seeing candidates who are proactive about their professional development!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to connect personally with us at FNZ. Share stories about your experiences in IT consulting, and how they shaped your desire to join our team. Mention why you’re excited about this particular role, and how you see yourself contributing to our projects.
Keep It Clear and Concise:We're all busy, so make sure your application is easy to read. Use bullet points for key achievements, and don’t overload us with jargon. A clean, professional layout goes a long way. Remember, the clearer your application, the more likely we are to invite you in for an interview!
How to prepare for a job interview at FNZ
✨Brush Up on Your Technical Skills
For an IT consulting role, be ready to demonstrate your technical prowess. You might face questions on systems integration, cloud technologies, or even troubleshooting specific software. If you have experience with tools like AWS, Azure, or even specific programming languages, make sure you can talk about them fluently.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Approach
IT consulting is all about solving problems for clients. Think about how you can illustrate your approach to a past challenge using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). It's a great way to show how you tackle complex issues and come up with effective solutions.
✨Know the Business Impact of IT Solutions
When discussing your experiences, focus not just on the tech solutions you implemented, but also on their business impact. Employers want to see that you can connect IT with organisational goals. Prep examples that highlight how your tech contributions improved efficiency or reduced costs for past clients or projects.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
Since IT consulting often involves teamwork and client interactions, expect behavioural questions that assess your interpersonal skills. Be prepared with examples that demonstrate your adaptability, communication skills, and how you handle client feedback. Before the interview, think of situations where you worked closely with clients to create effective IT strategies or changes.
