Senior Consultant - Enterprise Architecture

Job description / Role

Senior Consultant - Enterprise Architecture - Enterprise IT - Al Futtaim Group - Dubai, UAE

The Senior Consultant Enterprise Architecture will participate in defining AL-Futtaim s Functional and Technical Architecture with focus on Business, Technology, Governance, Methodology/Frameworks, Standards, Processes and Tools. He/she will be responsible for architecting highly available & scalable business systems and solutions that not only meet business needs for rapid growth but also protect the corporate investment. Along with the team, he/she will assist in arriving at various standards, ensure adherence to the same, collating and maintaining the Baseline architecture and road mapping the Target architecture. He/ She will also be responsible for assisting the Enterprise Architecture team in evaluation and selection of Technology, Solutions, Products and Vendors.

Key Accountabilities:

Architecture
- Participate in defining AL-Futtaim s Functional Architecture with focus on Business, Governance, Methodology/Frameworks, Standards, Processes and Tools
- Executing Base-lining, Gap & To-be architecture
- Review existing processes and functional architecture and suggest areas of improvement

Assessments
- Assist in evaluation and selection of Technology/ Solutions / Products / Vendors

Demand
- Understand new business requirements/processes and map to best fit solutions - Architecting and implementing highly available & scalable business systems and solutions that not only meet business needs for rapid growth but also protect valuable corporate data and applications.
- Participate in Demand management as the architecture vision holder to ensure alignment with stated enterprise level architectures directions and goals
- Conduct market research / keep abreast with latest technologies and assess fitment for implementation in the organization

Vendor coordination
- Vendor co-ordination activities as part of assessment/evaluation of technology solutions
- Participating in the assessment/evaluation /procurement of technology solutions through the RFI, RFQ, and/or RFP process including creating and evaluating the RFP for large enterprise-wide systems initiatives. Liaises with outside vendors, reviews bids/service contracts, and makes recommendations where necessary to the Head - Enterprise Architect (EA).

Standards
- Assist in defining technology standards for the enterprise
- Document software/technology ever-greening and publish regularly updates to relevant stakeholders
- Ensure compliance to technology standards by undertaking periodic reviews
- Assist in determining the technology roadmap of Business Applications

Enterprise IT Knowledge Management
- Build a knowledge base that will serve as a reference repository for the Enterprise IT
- Maintain and track any updates to the repository and map to business change requirements

Management Reporting
- Publish a monthly/quarterly Architecture bulletin on technology architecture updates - market/organization specific

Requirements

Working from our Festival city, Dubai based offices, Reporting to the Enterprise Architect, ultimately you will also be responsible for supporting Head of Enterprise Architecture & Compliance with the overall enhancement of Enterprise Architecture with mandate of planning, running, building and maintaining AFG IT landscape.

- Degree in Information Systems or related discipline
- 7 years in IT domain. Out of which min 2 years in the Enterprise Architecture domain

Job-Specific Skills:
- Complete understanding of Business priorities, Business models and Opportunity cost
- Worked in at least 3 domains of IT lifecycle. 3 of these 6 - Strategy/Envisioning, Requirements Analysis, Architecting, Solutioning/Development, Implementation, Support
- Able to distinguish between Strategic steps and Tactical moves on the ground. Also, be able to maneuver difficult customers/peers/teams
- Skilled in Information Technology but at the same time having full understanding and appreciation of Business concerns
- At least 2 years of Enterprise Architecture experience in big organization
- Minimum 2 years of Project Management experience successful delivery of large projects
- Robust experience of a fast paced, multi-site, high volume operation SAP systems implementation, project management, process mapping and IT Architectural skills are critical
- Proven ability in engaging with all levels of business customers up to the executive level

Preferred Attributes:
- Experiencing in Architecture frameworks (e.g. TOGAF)
- Experience - Working as End Customer as well as a Consultant
- Experience in Automotive / Retail / Real Estate industry a plus
- Process modelling experience
- Able to work comfortably in cross culture and multicultural environment

Behavioral Competencies:
- Strong analysis, communication, negotiation and change management skills
- Proven ability to absorb large amounts of information, analyze and synthesize the key ideas and/recommendations for presentation in a business friendly format
- Ability to work independently or in teams

About the Company

Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.

The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.

The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.