Principal Solutions Architect

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Role OverviewSolution Architect to bridge the gap between business problems and technology solutions, working alongside both our customers and colleagues during solution ideation, solution design, and solution implementation. Our Solution Architects will define and develop those technical and business solutions to meet our customer's needs. The breadth of technologies is wide and so the post holder will need to show broad and innovative thinking.

Reporting through an Engineering Director, but assigned to Strategic Captures, Campaign or Programmes teams, the role holder will work with Technical Leads across the company to develop customer value propositions and technical solutions that leverage our capability, and also bring together partner capability.

This will involve interpretation of business goals and drivers for both our customers and us and translation of business strategy and objectives into practice. There will be strong interaction between people, processes, technologies, tools, facilities and the external environment. They will oversee technical work and be forward leaning, shaping the solutions for the future.

Key Accountabilities

1. Strategy: Set the technical/capability/solution strategy for the area(s) and deliver against challenging objectives in line with the Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP).

2. Strategic relationships: Build and retain strong relationships with customers, partners and colleagues at senior management levels to support growth.

3. Leadership: As needed, form and lead virtual teams of experts from across the company. Success will depend on your ability to forge strong intra and inter-company collaborative working relationships to develop great solutions for new and existing customers.

4. Proposition Development: Builds a virtual network of experts and works with them to develop the solution and services proposition, including identifying synergies between existing activities in different domains and geographies.

5. Customer Engagement: Engages with Customers and Partners acting as a key interface between the Customer's business requirements and the QinetiQ proposition, ensuring the proposition is tailored to different Customer's needs.

6. Business Development: Works with Strategic Captures/Campaign teams to lead the development of technical solutions.

7. Capability Development: Works with the Capability Area Leaders (CALs) to identify the capabilities required to deliver the proposition and works with the CALs to develop internal capability and partners as part of teaming arrangements.

8. Thought Leadership: Leads on development of white papers and other thought leadership material and presents papers to senior audiences and conferences, as appropriate.

9. Internal Research and Development (IRAD): Identifies potential opportunities for IRAD to support solution development.

10. Technical assurance: Ensures that all deliverables (which includes bids) meet appropriate technical standards, comply with statutory, regulatory, company and project specific processes and procedures, as appropriate.

Key Capabilities/Knowledge

* A respected expert who can perform complex engineering/technical assignments developing creative, yet practical solutions to customer problems, challenging conventional or traditional methods or procedures where required.

* Strong customer focus with an ability to shape, describe and deliver whole or parts of projects.

* A Solution Architect/Technical Leader with a background of working on a range of project types.

* Excellent interpersonal/communication skills.

* Possess the leadership skills required to engage, nurture and motivate the team to contribute to the growth and success of the business.

* Evidence of building repeatable customer solutions/services that deliver profitable growth.

Experience & Qualifications

* Has proven experience operating in a Solution Architect/Technical Leader role, at a senior level, influencing and delivering significant propositions to customers (£10Ms - £100Ms).

* Has strong commercial awareness; has a good knowledge of how proposition(s) contributes to the business and a good understanding of competitors.

* Uses conceptual and innovative thinking; evaluates situations using multiple sources of information; makes complex judgements based on advanced analytical thought.

* Ability to manage and lead teams of experts and share solution architecture methodologies.