Senior Technical Architect and Practice Head

Job purpose/Summary:

To architect solutions and systems for both presales as well as for software development projects. Prototype solutions and develop functional demos. This role focuses on ensuring the architectural integrity of systems, optimizing performance, guiding technical teams, and collaborating with stakeholders (CxOs), VPs, directors, architects, and engineers, both internal and external to deliver scalable and sustainable solutions. This role will also be customer facing during presales presentations as well as during the entire course of client engagements

Key Responsibilities and Requirements

Architecture & Design:

• Lead the design and development of system architectures for engineering projects, ensuring scalability, performance, and security.
• Define technical standards and guidelines to be followed by the development teams.
• Able to bring architecture and designs into problems that are able to meet current and future needs.
• Always forward looking, staying a step ahead, and be knowledgeable on what is going on in the industry, aware of new technologies that are popping up

Hands on Experience:

• Should be hands on. Able to sit and work with engineers to code a complex problem/use case
• Able to debug and find the issue in software within short span of time
• Propose remediation options and later come up with permanent fixes.

Technical Leadership:

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineering teams, ensuring adherence to best practices and architectural principles.
• Review and approve system designs and implementations, ensuring alignment with architectural vision.
• Present new ideas in conferences
• Write papers/blogs. Good to see ideas getting published in reputed journals like IEEE/ACM, getting patents for new tech/solutions, etc.

Solution Development:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement technical solutions that meet business requirements and technical standards.
• Oversee the integration of new technologies and methodologies into existing systems.

Performance Optimization:

• Identify and address system performance issues, optimizing code, architecture, and infrastructure to enhance efficiency and scalability.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and capacity planning.

Risk Management:

• Identify potential technical risks and develop mitigation strategies to address them.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards, regulations, and security protocols.

Stakeholder Communication:

• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders, CxOs, VPs, Directors, project managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to understand project requirements and deliver technical solutions.
• Provide regular updates on architectural decisions, progress, and challenges.

Continuous Improvement:

• Identify opportunities for innovation and process improvement within the architecture and development process.
• Stay updated with the latest industry trends and technologies to ensure the company's solutions remain cutting-edge.

Work Experience

• Overall 15+ years of experience, with at least 10 years of experience in architectural roles in engineering or technology-driven environments.
• Deep understanding of software engineering principles, system architecture, and large-scale system integration.
• Proven experience in leading technical teams and delivering complex technical projects.
• Experience working in multiple technology and business problem domains

Must Have Skills:

• Strong knowledge of system architecture, design patterns, and best practices.
• Experience with various technology stacks, including front-end, back-end, and cloud-based solutions.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to effectively guide technical teams and interact with clients and stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities, focusing on achieving technical objectives while managing constraints.
• Familiarity with different development methodologies and tools (eg., Agile, Scrum, JIRA, Confluence)
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adapt to changing priorities and requirements.
• Certification in relevant technical or architectural domains is a huge plus (e.g., TOGAF, AWS Certified Solutions Architect). (nice to have but not a must)
• Excellent technical document writing skills
• Excellent technical presentation skills

Personal Attributes:

• Strong leadership qualities and the ability to inspire and guide teams.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• High attention to detail and a commitment to quality.
• Proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
• Adaptable and able to handle changing priorities and requirements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong sense of ownership and determination to solve technical problems

KPI’s

• Design Quality:

  % of architectural designs accepted by customers or stakeholders without major rework.

• System Performance:

  Uptime % (Systems meeting SLA) and response time improvements post-implementation.

• Technical Debt:

  Ratio of resolved vs. incurred technical debt.

• Stakeholder Satisfaction:

  Stakeholder feedback scores on delivered architectures.

• Innovation:

  Number of new technologies or methodologies implemented.

• On-Time Delivery:

  % of architectural deliverables completed on schedule.

• Risk Mitigation:

  Number of risks identified and mitigated before impacting the project.

• Code and System Quality:

  % of code and systems passing quality reviews without significant issues.

• Collaboration:

  Frequency and effectiveness of cross-team collaboration.

• Team Development:

  Improvement in team skills and successful mentoring outcomes.