At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of user-centric business solutions and streamline application portfolios.
- Company: Join KPMG, a global leader in audit and consulting services.
- Benefits: Flexible work options, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on innovation and excellence.
- Why this job: Shape the future of technology in audit and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Senior leadership experience in business architecture or service design required.
The predicted salary is between 90000 - 110000 £ per year.
KPMG Audit Technology is building a world-class product organisation. We are looking for a visionary, business-outcome-focused leader to establish and run our new Business Solution & Service Design function. This is a critical team that will ensure we build a cohesive, user-centric, and rationalised product portfolio, transforming our technology landscape from a collection of fragmented, siloed applications into a service-oriented ecosystem designed around value streams.
The Director, Business Solution & Service Design is the senior Product counterpart to the technical architecture team within Engineering. This role is responsible for shaping and leading strategic business initiatives through a business capability, value stream, and user-experience lens. While highly technically literate, this role is decisively business-outcome focused. You will act as the primary bridge, ensuring that business capabilities, operational workflows, and logical data needs are clearly defined, mapped, and translated into logical blueprints that Engineering's technical architects can seamlessly execute.
The ideal candidate will champion robust service design principles, drive application rationalisation based on business utility, and ensure our product roadmap is optimised to deliver seamless end-to-end user journeys. Professional Services experience, and preferably knowledge of Audit within the Big 4, is essential.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and Own the Business Architecture: Create, maintain, and champion the firm's enterprise-wide Business Capability Map and Value Stream Maps, providing a shared taxonomy and framework for discussing product and operational needs.
- Design Conceptual Service Blueprints: For major strategic initiatives, design the high-level, end-to-end service blueprints illustrating how users, business processes, logical data flows, and capabilities come together to deliver desired business outcomes.
- Lead Business Application Rationalisation: Drive the strategic business evaluation of our application portfolio to identify functional redundancies, assess business utility, and define the business transition roadmap for consolidating apps into streamlined, service-oriented clusters.
- Translate Business Journeys to Integration Needs: Partner closely with Enterprise and Solution Architects to define integration requirements from a business utility perspective to support seamless, cross-platform user experiences.
- Govern Business Solution Alignment: Establish and lead a lightweight business design review process to ensure new product initiatives align with the overall business capability map, preventing the creation of new functional silos.
- Act as a Strategic Advisor: Serve as a senior advisor to business leaders and product directors, helping them understand the "art of the possible" and proposing technology-enabled business solutions to complex operational challenges.
- Influence Technical and Product Roadmaps: Provide critical business-architecture guidance to product and technology roadmapping, ensuring engineering efforts are directly tied to future-state business capabilities.
- Represent Business Needs for Data & AI Utility: Define functional data needs, business events, and user-facing AI use cases to support the design of connected data architectures by technical teams.
- Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a team of business integration analysts, business architects, and UI/UX/Service designers.
Desired Attributes
- A Systems Thinker: You are naturally able to see the big picture and understand how the different parts of a complex system interconnect.
- A Pragmatic Visionary: You can paint a compelling picture of the future state while also understanding the practical steps and trade-offs required to get there.
- An Expert Facilitator & Influencer: You excel at bringing diverse groups of people together, facilitating productive debate, and driving towards a shared solution.
- A Master of Simplification: You have a passion for untangling complexity and creating simple, elegant models that bring clarity to everyone.
- A Strategic Thinker: Strategic mindset, with a focus on long-term business outcomes and value creation.
- A Collaborative Leader: Collaborative approach, able to build strong working relationships across business and engineering teams.
- A Quality- and Outcome-Focused Designer: Design orientation, with attention to detail and a commitment to quality standards.
- A Problem-Solver: Proactive, innovative, and adaptable to change.
Required Skills & Experience
- Senior Leadership experience in roles such as Business Architecture, Technical Product Management, Service Design, or Business Transformation Strategy.
- Proven experience creating and utilising business architecture artifacts, including business capability maps, value stream maps, and customer journey blueprints.
- Deep experience in large-scale enterprise environments, preferably in professional services, ideally in Big 4 Audit.
- Demonstrated success leading business-side application portfolio rationalisation or functional consolidation initiatives in complex, regulated environments.
- High Technical Literacy: Extensive familiarity with modern architectural concepts and the ability to converse fluently with Enterprise and Solution Architects.
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex operational workflows into clean, compelling narratives for executive stakeholders.
- Strong collaborative leadership skills, with a proven track record of building consensus and operational trust with engineering counterparts.
Audit is the largest of our UK practices. Some of the world’s biggest companies rely on us to provide independent insight, challenge and expertise, so the work we undertake affects investment decisions, inspires confidence in public sector expenditure and supports our economic growth. Today, more than ever in disruptive times, audit is a function needed by society, and in the future, so we can capitalise, and grow.
As part of the Audit team, you’ll be helping to build the confidence and trust that business and society need to thrive. We want to lead the conversation when it comes to shaping the future of the profession. And given the scale and variety of our audit engagements in both the UK and globally, we are well placed to create change.
If you share our commitment to achieving excellence and working to the highest audit standards, are a natural collaborator who values different perspectives and relishes the opportunity to develop and progress - then KPMG could be the place where you can thrive.
With offices across the UK, we are part of a global network of firms providing Audit, Tax & Law, Consulting, and Technology Services to diverse clients. They provide us with a strong sense of identity, ensuring we can grow stronger. They bind us together, across our different backgrounds and cultures, and are common to each of us.
Explore more about why Our Values matter. From role sharing and flexible start and finish times to home working, we'll try and support the flexible work patterns that best suit you. We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues thrive and reach their full potential, whatever their identity or background.
We're a member of the Business Disability Forum so please get in touch if you'd like to discuss any adjustments that you might need in the application process - and if you are successful beyond this. We're a recognised leader in the Government's scheme. We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all experienced professional opportunities.
Director, Solution & Integration Design in Birmingham employer: KPMG Careers
KPMG is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where creativity and insight thrive. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide ample opportunities for professional development and mentorship within our leading Indirect Tax practice. Located across the UK, our collaborative culture fosters innovation and strong client relationships, making KPMG a rewarding place to build a meaningful career in financial services.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director, Solution & Integration Design in Birmingham
✨Tip Number 1: Get Involved in Consulting Case Competitions
Look for case competitions hosted by universities and consulting firms. They’re a fab way to showcase your problem-solving skills and meet industry players. Plus, winning one can seriously boost your CV, which we know is key when applying for roles like Director, Solution & Integration Design at KPMG Careers!
✨Tip Number 2: Leverage Alumni Networks
Tap into your university’s alumni network; many consultants love to help out new talent. Reach out to alumni who are working in management consulting, they might have insider knowledge about openings at firms like KPMG Careers or be willing to refer you for that Director, Solution & Integration Design position!
✨Tip Number 3: Attend Industry Events and Conferences
Keep an eye on management consulting events, workshops, or panels. These are prime opportunities to network with top professionals and get your name out there. You might even bump into someone from KPMG Careers who’s on the lookout for their next Director, Solution & Integration Design star!
✨Tip Number 4: Polish Your Consulting Skills Online
Engage with online platforms that offer consulting simulations or courses. Prove your chops by completing relevant projects — this not only beefs up your experience but also gives you concrete examples to chat about during interviews for that full-time Director, Solution & Integration Design role at KPMG Careers!
We think you need these skills to ace Director, Solution & Integration Design in Birmingham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Problem-Solving Skills:In management consulting, it's all about problem-solving—so make sure your CV highlights your analytical and critical thinking skills. Include examples from your studies or previous roles where you tackled complex issues or came up with innovative solutions. Quantify your achievements whenever possible to demonstrate your impact!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to explain why you're a perfect fit for the consulting world. Focus on your motivation for joining the industry and how your skills align with the requirements of the role at KPMG Careers. Remember to mention any relevant coursework or projects that showcase your understanding of strategic frameworks or business models!
Highlight Team Experience:Consultants often work in teams, so it's vital to showcase your collaborative skills. Include experiences where you've worked effectively with others, whether in academic group projects or internships. Discuss your role in the team and how you helped achieve common goals, demonstrating you can thrive in a consultancy environment.
Professionalise Your Online Presence:Make sure your LinkedIn and any other professional profiles are up to date, reflecting your career aspirations in management consulting. Connect with industry professionals and follow relevant groups—show you’re serious about entering this field. Applying through our website is a great way to get noticed, so showcase your personality and enthusiasm there!
How to prepare for a job interview at KPMG Careers
✨Master the Case Study Game
In management consulting, case study interviews are all the rage. Make sure to practice structuring your thoughts and analysing data on the fly. Use resources like example case studies to get comfortable with frameworks and solutions. Remember, it’s not just about getting the right answer but showcasing your thought process, so talk us through your reasoning!
✨Know Your Numbers
Be prepared for some numerical and analytical questions. Brush up on your mental math and be ready to interpret data from charts or graphs. We might throw some business scenarios at you that require a quick turnaround on numerical analysis, so practice these skills to feel confident and swift!
✨Show Your Leadership Flair
As this is a full-time role, we want to see your potential as a seasoned consultant. Be ready to discuss experiences where you've led a project or a team. Think about times you've influenced decisions or navigated challenges—this is your chance to show how you can thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
✨Be a Cultural Fit
We’re not just looking for brains; we want to see if you vibe with our company culture at KPMG Careers. Prepare to share how your values align with ours. Have a think about what makes a great team environment for you and how you can contribute to that. A good cultural fit goes a long way in management consulting!