We’re First Central Insurance & Technology Group (First Central for short), an innovative, market-leading insurance company. We protect the things customers love so they can get on with what matters to them in life.
Data drives us. It fuels our outstanding distribution, finance, technology and legal services. Our underwriting skills are built on data expertise; it creates the insights we need to give the right cover to the right customers at the right price. But, it’s the people inside and outside our business that power us. They make us stand out, help us succeed. We’re ambitious. We’re growing. We’ve won awards.
We’re seeking a Product Solutions Architect to join our team in a hybrid capacity. Our offices are located in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, Salford Quays, Manchester, and Guernsey. We embrace hybrid working, so you'll primarily work from home, with office visits for team meetings about once a month. However, if you prefer to be in the office more frequently, that's perfectly fine with us too.
You’ll be responsible for the architectural direction and governance of a product group. You’ll create product solutions, supporting the Product Owner in the development of the product roadmap and delivery of business value. This leads to a controlled autonomy within the product team, driving efficiency whilst ensuring alignment to the prescribed Enterprise Architecture, business, and technology strategies.
If you’re a fast-paced, ambitious team player who gets great things done you’ll fit right in here.
Core skills we’re looking for to succeed in the role:
- Expert in Stakeholder Engagement and Business Translation
- Comprehensive SDLC Experience in Regulated and Consumer-Focused Industries
- Proficient in Architecture Creation and Presentation
- Specialist in Systems Integration
- Experienced in Insurance/Financial Services Sector
- Adept at Remote Collaboration with Multi-Disciplined Teams
Making things happen. Together
What’s Involved:
- You’ll work closely with Product Owners, Product Stakeholders and Business Analysts to understand business drivers and business capabilities (future and current state) and determines corresponding product solution designs to drive the targeted strategic business outcomes.
- You’ll provide Architectural leadership and insight in definition of the product roadmap in collaboration with the Product Owner.
- You’ll ensure alignment between the business goals of the product and the technical architecture that supports it.
- You’ll work with product team(s) to define, document and maintain the reference product architecture and develops a roadmap for the evolution of the product architecture from current to future state.
- You’ll be responsible for architectural governance of the product, reviewing designs and implemented change against the prescribed enterprise architecture standards and pattens, technology and business strategies.
- You’ll provide guidance on interpreting the reference architecture, identifies critical architecture decisions that require changes to the product architecture, and escalates decisions that are not compliant with enterprise architecture to the Architecture Review Board
- You’ll document high-level solution architectures to help direct engineering resource.
- You’ll work with product team(s) to identify required capabilities and features to enable delivery of the product strategy, and coordinates with Solution Architects and portfolio stakeholders to prioritise development of needed enterprise enablers.
- You’ll collaborate with Product Business Analysts to support the definition of Features and User Stories
- You’ll contribute principles, guidelines, standards, and solution patterns to the Enterprise Reference Architecture, based on feedback and lessons learned during product development.
- You’ll help product teams proactively identify technical roadblocks, identify appropriate resolutions to those roadblocks and coordinate with delivery teams to ensure delivery of value to the business.
- You’ll monitor the current-state product architecture to identify deficiencies through aging of the technologies used or misalignment with business and technology strategies.
- You’ll identify investments to support the roadmaps and the business goals, identifying opportunities to deploy new technologies and innovations that would support, enhance, improve or replace product features in line with the business, product and technology strategies.
- You’ll provide consulting support to the wider organisation, assisting with evaluation of emerging technologies.
- You’ll contribute to the setting of standards and processes for the Product Solution Architecture Community of Practice and ensure these are adhered to and best practice is followed to support a fully agile change and development environment.
- You’ll comply with the requirements, and act in accordance with, the Group Code of Conduct and Fitness and Propriety policies at all times.
- You’ll ensure compliance with Company Policies, Values and guidelines and other relevant standards/ regulations at all times.
- You’ll be responsible for maintaining department risk registers (as applicable), providing evidence and commentary for controls, updates for Mitigation Actions and maintaining control matrices and Attestations.
- You’ll create and present recommendation papers to governance.
Experience & knowledge
- Exposure to multiple, diverse technologies, platforms, and processing environments.
- Good understanding of strategic and emerging technology trends, and the practical application of existing and emerging technologies to new and evolving business and operating models.
- Experience of creation and maintenance of reference architecture documentation and roadmaps, ideally leveraging architectural tooling.
- Experience of delivering solution architecture and governance services within an Agile delivery framework.
- Experience delivering presentations to senior-level executives and technical audience.
- Ability to communicate complex and abstract concepts in an easy to understand and follow manner.
- Ideally an insurance or financial Services background, although other backgrounds will be considered.
- Knowledge of FCA requirements (including TCF).
Skills & Qualifications
- Minimum of five years of experience in at least two technology solution development disciplines, including technical or infrastructure architecture, network management, application development, middleware, database management or cloud development.
- Formal architectural certification is preferred, but not essential
- Identification and management of risk
- Problem solving skills, with the ability to adopt a logical approach.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Behaviours
- Acts as a mentor, leading by example to continuously embed architectural thinking within the product teams.
- Commercially focussed and results driven taking a pragmatic approach to delivering value
- Self-motivated and enthusiastic
- An organised and pro-active approach
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
- A flexible approach and positive attitude.
- Emphasis on attention to detail and accuracy
- Takes initiative to make decisions.
- Strives to drive business improvements to contribute to the success of the business.
Ready to make a positive impact? Apply now and be part of something big!
What can we do for you?
People first. Always. We’re passionate about our colleagues and know the best people deserve an extraordinary working environment. We owe it to them so that’s what we offer. Our workplaces are energetic, inspirational, supportive. To get a taste of the advantages you’ll enjoy, take a look at all our perks in full here.
Intrigued? Our Talent team can tell you everything you need to know about what we want and what we’re offering, so feel free to get in touch.
