Job Description:

Enterprise & Solution Architecture Practice Manager
£60,000 – £80,000 plus excellent benefits, including up to 10% employer pension contribution, private healthcare, and £6000 car allowance (Work Level 4)
Manchester city centre
We’re now working in a hybrid way, with colleagues dividing their time between home/remote working and the office. You can find out more about our hybrid working policy at colleagues.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy

We welcome candidates who require flexible working patterns, part-time applications, and job share applications

This role is eligible for tier 2 visa sponsorship

We’re looking for an enterprise & solution architecture practice manager to join us and manage and nurture our architects (business, enterprise & solution) who are deployed across technology teams, enabling them to deliver unique value and support Co-op’s overall long-term objectives – ultimately benefitting our colleagues, members, and customers.

In this role, you’ll make sure Co-op has a highly skilled, capable architecture practice through recruitment, training, and development, and that our architects have everything they need to be effective and are well-supported. We’ll also look to you to lead and contribute to our architecture community of practice, championing improved ways of working and good practices across our organisation. Effective leadership and the ability to develop and nurture a team are central to this role, along with a broad knowledge of the architectural practice. If you have the skills and experience we need, then we can offer you the opportunity to grow your career and make a real impact across our organisation.

What you’ll do

* Manage the deployment of the right architects to the right teams based on the right match of skills and experience needed
* own and improve working practices and standards within architecture
* oversee attraction and retention of talent, making sure we have an effective and successful recruitment process
* train and develop to make sure our architecture colleagues are technically capable of fulfilling their roles and our architecture best practices and standards are applied
* support the career progression framework that nurtures and develops our own talent and increases the diversity of our architecture practice
* support the professional development and continuous improvement of colleagues in the practice
* lead the overall communities of practice for architecture
* manage the operational relationship with 3rd party resource providers
* work with other architecture leaders to make sure all architects adopt the same working practices, and all aspects of architecture are considered
* act as line manager for between 5 and 15 architects

This role would suit people who have

* Experience in developing traditional architecture artefacts, such as architecture definitions, roadmaps, and high-level designs, or in working in agile teams using architecture processes to make and track key architecture design decisions
* an in-depth understanding of different types of architecture, including business, solution, and enterprise architecture
* the ability to support your architects to make key architectural decisions consistently, to the required standard
* a highly organised approach with strong planning and coordination skills
* knowledge of architecture governance processes
* The ability to motivate and inspire others, balancing coaching, mentoring, and performance management
* some experience in leading and developing a team of architects
* Excellent communication skills, adept at articulating ideas and messages, and able to build and maintain strong networks
* the ability to use external research to develop a good process around communities and development of architecture expertise

We know that some candidates are less likely to apply for a role if they don’t meet all the criteria in the job description. At Co-op, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive working environment, so if you’d like to apply for this role but your experience doesn’t quite meet every point, we’d still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for the job or other roles we have available.

Why Co-op?

Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you’ll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You’ll also get a package that includes:

* Competitive salary
* Car Allowance
* Private healthcare
* Coaching, training, and support to help you develop
* Pension with up to 10% employer contributions
* Annual incentive scheme
* Health and wellbeing incentives and rewards through the YuLife app
* Wagestream – a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
* 28 days holiday (rising to 32 in line with service)
* discounts on Co-op products and services

Building an inclusive work environment

We’re actively building diverse teams and welcome applications from everyone. But simply having a diverse workforce is not enough. We aim to build an inclusive environment, where everyone can contribute their best work and develop to their full potential. We celebrate our differences and recognise the importance of teams reflecting the communities they serve.

We welcome applications from candidates who need tier 2 visas to work in the UK.

We can make reasonable adjustments to our interview process according to your needs. And we offer a flexible working environment, so you can adjust your hours to suit your personal circumstances.