Lead Architect

at  Pandora Jewelry

OVERVIEW:

As a Lead Architect in Retail and E-commerce, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the technological vision for our Pandora’s retail and e-commerce systems. In addition to your responsibilities in system design and architecture, you will also lead and manage architecture and engineering teams. This role involves providing strategic direction, fostering collaboration, and ensuring the successful implementation of architecture strategies within a dynamic and innovative environment.
You will report into the Engineering Director to devise the organisational architectural runway and devise roadmaps. An essential aspect to your role will be devising, embedding and leading design review and governance processes to ensure continuous alignment to our architectural runway which in turn will underpin the overall technology and product strategy. You will work closely with the Engineering Director, Product Directors and Delivery Leads to provide input and alignment with our strategic roadmaps.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Proven experience (5+ years) in designing and implementing scalable retail and e-commerce systems at a detailed level.
• Strong leadership and communication skills with experience managing teams of 5-10 experienced individual contributors.
• Good communications skills with the ability to manage conflict.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant technologies, frameworks, and best practices.
• Experience with Salesforce Commerce Cloud or equivalent commerce platform.
• Working understanding of Order Management Systems, e.g. IBM Sterling Commerce.
• Experience working with POS platforms. MPOS is desirable but alternatives considered.
• Working knowledge of the retail store environment across multiple markets incorporating technology elements such as hardware devices, peripherals, networking etc and aspects associated with the operating environment such as fiscalisation requirements and back-office procedures.
• Experience with cloud-based Azure solutions including Azure Kubernetes Service and microservices architecture.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools.
• Understanding of data management, analytics, and business intelligence in the retail and e-commerce context.

Architectural Planning and Governance:

• Collaborate with the Engineering Director to elaborate the overall architectural strategy into a detailed, deliverable runway.
• Transition the runway into technical architects and product/delivery teams as appropriate.
• Ensure detailed architecture planning and design artefacts across the Online and Retail Tech product lines maintain alignment with product and business goals.
• Play a lead role in shaping and embedding architectural governance processes, setting up forums, maintaining agendas, chairing meetings and surfacing decisions to the Engineering Director and Product/Delivery Directors/Leads as appropriate.
• Collaborate with Engineering Managers on a cross product line basis to formulate actionable detailed design and implementation artefacts.

Leadership of Architecture and Engineering Teams:

• Direct management of Solution and Technical Architects.
• Provide architectural guidance to engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.
• Mentor architecture team members, encouraging professional growth and skill development.

System Design and Architecture:

• Design end-to-end solutions that encompass front-end, back-end, and integration components for retail and e-commerce platforms.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather and define system requirements, ensuring a balance between business needs and technical feasibility.
• Research, scope, evaluate and recommend technologies, frameworks, and tools that enhance efficiency, system performance, security, and scalability.

Collaboration and Communication:

• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, business analysts, and developers, to ensure cohesive implementation of architectural solutions.
• Effectively communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay abreast of retail and e-commerce industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to inspire colleagues and drive innovation within Digital and Retail Tech

Scalability and Performance Optimization:

• Design systems that can scale efficiently to meet the demands of growing retail and e-commerce operations.
• Implement performance optimization strategies to enhance the speed and responsiveness of systems.
• Ensure solutions designed embrace operational readiness incorporating observability and resilience by design.

Security and Compliance:

• Ensure the security of retail and e-commerce systems, including data protection, payment security, and compliance with industry regulations.
• Collaborate with security teams to implement and maintain robust security measures.

Technology Stack Management:

• Evaluate, select, and manage the technology stack for retail and e-commerce systems, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and industry standards.

Continuous Improvement:

• Identify opportunities for process improvement and automation to enhance the efficiency of development and deployment processes.