Solutions Architect

Division: Media Action

Reports to (title): Senior IT Solutions Architect

Location base: Kathmandu (Nepal) Nairobi (Kenya), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Dar ES Salaam (Tanzania)

Job purpose

The Solutions Architect will work with the Senior Solutions Architect and IT Projects team to help deliver the organizations technology strategy. The post holder will have the opportunity and responsibility to shape the organization’s strategic technology projects, being engaged from idea conception through to delivery. You’ll have the experience, passion and determination to ensure a successful technical solution is implemented every time. They will be expected to advise in the use of appropriate technology, budgeting, procurement, and provide technical governance for UK & International offices when implementing new IT solutions to ensure users get the most out of our IT services.

Additional job specific responsibilities and accountabilities

• Collaborate to define and communicate IT architectures & approaches for each project.
• Ensure full integration with other BBC Media Action services, such as finance and media archiving products
• Contribute to departmental technology strategy
• Increase the technical depth of the both the UK & International IT teams and act as a technical advisor
• Promote skills and knowledge share, investing new ideas and skills into the core technology team.
• Update create and develop project implementation plans and take responsibility for delivery of these plans
• To advise on equipment and software purchasing in accordance with procurement procedures of the BBC Media Action and donors/partners.
• Technical lead with systems integrators and others who provide installation services.
• Provide specialist expertise for 3rd line escalations
• Travel to BBC Media Action country offices to provide in-person support to builds and installs when required.

Additional knowledge, skills, training and experience

Essential:

• A fair standard of communication and presentation skills in English, both oral and written

• Has a thorough understanding of virtualization – Hyper-V, cloud computing, IP Networking, storage, Microsoft Office 365, Azure and Microsoft Configuration Manager and Intune.

• Understanding of Windows Server technologies including Active Directory, User account management, NAS / SAN Drives, trouble shooting, Antivirus, and Encryption.

• Experience of programme management and migration planning for deploying medium size software projects.

• Ability to work on own initiative and organising time effectively within a range of often conflicting deadlines. Capacity to juggle competing priorities and a busy programme of work while working to an agreed plan.

• The interpersonal skills to establish confident and effective working relationships with BBC staff at a variety of levels, and with external organisations.

  Desirable:

• Experience of requirements analysis, development and understanding of business processes

• Sound knowledge of developments in the IT industry and how these can be applied to the BBC Media Action work.

• Genuine interest and enthusiasm for BBC Media Action aims and objectives

The requirements of the particular role as shown above should be read in conjunction with the following job description, covering the generic job which this role is a sub-set of:

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Delivering improvements in the operating environment and ensuring alignment with the overall BBC enterprise architecture strategy.
• Key role within engineering teams in the planning, design, development, integration, commission and test of media systems.
• Contribute towards (in some cases lead on) the provision of technical advice and consultancy across a range of projects and products to shape and deliver technical production solutions.
• Work with project, product and technical leads, contractors and manufacturers to design media systems and create implementable solutions to the business’ technical requirements.
• Integrate media systems with existing and new monitoring, and support tools.
• Where required, responsibilities may include elements of system operational development and support.
• Write, review and take responsibility for technical documentation as part of project and product delivery.
• Contribute to test and resolution of issues throughout the project or the product life cycle – including writing and running detailed test scripts and procedures.
• Operates processes that support the timely delivery of their maintenance, roadmaps and/or project plans.
• Oversee acceptance testing of new installations, ensuring test logs/registers are kept up to date.
• Work with system vendors and suppliers to ensure successful delivery of solutions.
• Maintain knowledge of industry and competitor developments.
• Learn new technologies and keep abreast of existing technologies and drive the introduction them where appropriate.
• Provide guidance to team members.
• Liaise with the project manager and project support staff to enable them to provide effective and informed reporting.
• Provide effective communication to stakeholders, conveying technical information to non-technical staff, either verbally or in written form.

Knowledge, skills, training and experience

Essential

• Experience assisting with the design, delivery or support of technical systems and infrastructure within a media technology environment.
• Experience assisting with systems test and handover procedures.
• Knowledge of systems engineering for key operational criteria (monitoring integration, performance testing, security considerations).
• Experience of applying new and emerging technologies within media technology projects and products.
• Motivated and organised, with the ability to manage multiple active tasks.
• Good communication (spoken, written, listening) and IT skills.
• Able to work in a dispersed and varied team, showing evidence of dealing with complex technical issues.
• Able to deliver to deadlines and demonstrate resilience to ensure the correct technical solution is selected.
• Experience translating project, user and product requirements into technical solutions.

Desirable

• Ability to write and communicate complex technology solutions in a clear and coherent way.
• Experience of operational workflows as they pertain to complex media technology systems.
• Knowledge or experience of working with media/technology tools (hardware and software).
• Some knowledge of web architecture and key technologies (Hypertext Transfer Protocol, (HTTP), Domain Naming system (DNS), distributed design).
• Knowledge of broadcast or datacentre infrastructure installations including power, environmental and space layout considerations.
• Knowledge and experience of procurement processes.
• Experience working alongside third party service delivery or support in an engineering environment.
• Experience of mentoring and supporting less experienced members of the team.
• Knowledge of how media technology systems are supported by operational engineering teams and the tools and interfaces they rely on.
• Knowledge of cloud computing disciplines (Networking as a Service (NaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Internet Protocol (IP) technologies).

Job impact

Scope

Finance:

Responsible for the design and/or delivery of technical systems and services up to the value £250k. The post holder is responsible for maintaining project expenditure to budget and forecast including monthly forecasting, actuals and general performance reporting.

Line management:

No line management responsibility. Regular supervision of junior members of the team and third parties/contractors.

Ad-hoc teams:

May lead ad hoc teams.

How to apply

Please submit your application to recruitments@ke.bbcmediaaction.org