Solution Architect in Brighton

The UK IT Team is at the heart of delivering innovative, secure, and scalable solutions that power critical business operations. The team works across multiple lines of business and technologies, partnering with other technology teams around the globe to ensure seamless digital experiences for brokers, advisers, and internal stakeholders.

The Solutions Architect role translates business vision and strategy into effective enterprise change by creating, communicating and improving the key requirements, principles and models that describe the enterprise's future state and enable its evolution. As the Solutions Architect, you will be a subject matter expert in information technology architecture with a focus on the insurance industry, and be able to collaborate with product development teams to develop applications/solutions/systems by providing architecture guidance and hands-on technical coding/scripting support during all phases of agile SDLC. Through influencing both business and IT leaders, you will ensure the success of enterprise-level programs in the context of technology & solutions, and drive maximum efficiency in both application development, security, and infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Subject matter expert in information technology architecture with a focus on the insurance industry.
• Assures that architecture solution delivers business values, aligned to MetLife IT strategic roadmap and standards in order to maximize synergies and enterprise leverage.
• Collaborating with product development teams to develop applications/solutions/systems by providing architecture guidance and support during all phases of agile SDLC.
• Creates architectural specifications for the end-to-end solution with minimal oversight.
• Creates, analyzes, reviews and documents assigned architecture with minimal oversight.
• Development of current and/or target state reference architecture artifacts which includes: Principles, Rules & Guidelines, Conceptual and Logical Domain Architectures, Domain Roadmaps, with minimal oversight.
• Participate in Program Increment (PI) planning and Pre- and Post PI Planning, System and Solution demos and inspect & adapt events.
• Identification and communication of risks with minimal oversight.
• Supports domain-related governance efforts with minimal oversight.
• Evaluates technical/business approaches and new or enhanced technical tools/methodologies/solutions.
• Simplify the IT landscape by reducing complexity, diversity of solution and establishing consistency of approach within IT, covering IT applications, security, and Infrastructure architecture.
• Cultivate an environment of innovation, thought leadership, and partnership.

Required Business Qualifications

• Must demonstrate experience and knowledge in information technology architecture practice, standards and plans in the financial industry.
• Must have a good understanding of the financial services business and be able to discuss the business implications of technology decisions, as well as the technology implications of business decisions, particularly in terms of costs and implementation roadmaps.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of financial, non-financial, technical, and executive audiences.
• Must have the ability to develop strategic relationships with their client groups and vendor partners.
• Ability to direct multiple teams’ activities; ability to direct, motivate and develop project staff in an evolving environment.
• Strong interpersonal, conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
• Highly analytical, methodical with excellent attention to detail.
• Long-term vision, experimentation mentality.
• Ability to think strategically, assess business risk and apply creative problem-solving skills.
• Strong team player and ability to learn quickly.
• Proactive work style, especially as it relates to project, client and partner follow-up.
• Ability to manage multiple work-streams simultaneously.
• Awareness of various work styles, communication and cultural differences and needs; ability to adapt to each audience’s unique approach.
• Strong relationship-building skills - internal colleagues, 3rd parties, suppliers/vendor management – on and off-shore.

Required Technical Qualifications

• 2-5 years of related architecture experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related discipline and/or equivalent work experience.
• Proven knowledge of one or more architecture disciplines, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Experience working with System Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Ability to understand, analyze, and apply abstract architectural concepts.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects of varying complexity.
• Good understanding of technologies and design patterns.

Additional Skills

• Experience working in an Agile Team.
• Scrum / SAFe certifications.
• Azure Solution Architecture Certification.
• Working knowledge of Salesforce products, including Salesforce Industries (formerly Vlocity), Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Salesforce Shield.

Benefits We Offer

MetLife UK offers a range of benefits to deliver value to our employees and their families, supporting their health, wellbeing and financial security. Our flexible benefits offering provides freedom, choice, and flexibility in the way that you receive your benefits to better suit your lifestyle, meet some of your practical needs, and provide advantages in terms of tax and National Insurance savings. Our core benefits include 9% employer pension contributions with up to 4% matching available, comprehensive private medical insurance, income protection insurance, and life insurance. We offer a host of additional benefits that you can choose to buy including critical illness/dental/travel/gadget insurance, annual leave buy/sell, partner life insurance and more. All employees receive a £20 benefits allowance per month to spend on any additional benefits they select.

About MetLife

Recognized on Fortune magazine’s list of the "World’s Most Admired Companies" and Fortune World’s 25 Best Workplaces™, MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies; providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutional customers. With operations in more than 40 markets, we hold leading positions in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Our purpose is simple - to help our colleagues, customers, communities, and the world at large create a more confident future. United by purpose and guided by our core values – Win Together, Do the Right Thing, Deliver Impact Over Activity, and Think Ahead – we’re inspired to transform the next century in financial services. At MetLife, it’s #AllTogetherPossible.