Business Architect

Our vision is to become the ‘best loved platform for advisors’ and the Architecture team plays a crucial role in helping us navigate a major transformation programme and a series of transitional states to achieve this; whilst in parallel ensuring that we continue to support the near-term business strategy within the constraints of our existing solutions and capabilities.
As Business Architect you will develop an integrated view of the current enterprise and support the definition of the ‘target state’ design for at least one of the following strategic priorities:

1. Platform Transformation – providing business architecture across a significant transformation programme to develop and implement a new platform that underpins our various propositions; with the ambition that we create the ‘best loved platform for advisors’.
2. Change portfolios– provide support to the approved change portfolios through triage, feasibility and impact of all new significant change requests, architecting solutions that underpin these initiatives and working with the Change team to shape the strategic roadmap.
3. Acquisitions – representing Architecture in due diligence and integration design and planning for acquired businesses that underpin our inorganic growth agenda.

You will work principally at the macro level, designing the operating model, defining the art of the possible and create value support by influencing the focus and scope of change initiatives to align to strategic goals and objectives.
The Architecture function comprises of a small team within Nucleus and is part of the Technology function, they work with stakeholders at all levels and across all functions within the business; the team’s purpose and vision is:

• Purpose: To translate the business strategy into guidelines and directions for delivery of transformational organisational change
• Vision: To be trusted advisors across Nucleus and provide ‘critical thinking’ that enables successful execution of our strategy

Responsibilities
The key accountabilities for the role include:

• Develop and maintain a broad and deep understanding of the marketplace in which the business currently operates (Pension) and the future market it wishes to extend into (Investment Platform).
• Apply a structured business design approach and methodology for capturing the high-level views of the business units and investor / Advisor needs in the context of the strategic goals.
• Develop and maintain a holistic view of the organisation to ensure that all elements impacted by a problem are considered.
• Support project pre-initiation activities such as initial options, feasibility, business case, RFP reviews, vendor selections and high-level impact assessments.
• Provide solution options and recommendations to solve business problems or meet business goals, with appropriate commercial considerations.
• Provide architectural oversight to ensure appropriate solution vendors are selected to support business solutions, both internally and externally, ensuring strategic relationships are subsequently maintained.
• Responsibility for the generation and maintenance of artefacts to define the as-is and to-be operating model (and any transition states).
• Maintain the business capability reference model, mapping capability functionality to other architectural artefacts.
• Design traceability matrix of business strategy to capabilities to processes.
• Analyse current capability maturity and promote activities to develop capabilities and close gaps, e.g. local action plans in place – owned by business areas.
• To provide SME / mentor support to Business Analysts and other members of the Change team to aid their development.
• Participation in post implementation reviews with accountability for ensuring that function specific improvements are taken forward.

As part of working within Nucleus you will;

• Take responsibility in everything you do to deliver good outcomes for our customers
• Positively demonstrate the Nucleus Smart, Heart and Courage values and behaviours
• Ensure compliance with Code of Conduct at all times

About you
You’ll enjoy working within a fast-paced environment that gives you the opportunity to use your strategic thinking skills to support the development of transitional and end-state solution design.
Creative and motivated, you’ll take great pride in your ability to act on your own initiative and remain flexible in the face of changing circumstances and priorities.
You’ll thrive when working as part of a diverse and supportive team, collaborating with your colleagues to share ideas and knowledge, and displaying you knack for relationship building with your peers and stakeholders.
Key Competencies (Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours)

• Previous experience working on large scale Change programmes.
• Experience working with outsourced partners and third-party providers
• Applying architectural principles to business solutions.
• Planning and deploying Business and IT initiatives.
• Modelling business processes using a variety of tools and techniques.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Able to communicate appropriately at all levels of the organisation; and maintain good relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• The ability to act as liaison between Business and Change functions to achieve common strategic goals.
• Experience articulating and assessing benefit realisation criteria.
• Team player able to work effectively at all levels of an organisation with the ability to influence others.
• Continuous Learning: You should have a passion for learning, continuous improvement and staying up to date with industry trends and best practices.
• You will be competent in using:
  • MS Excel
  • MS PowerPoint
  • MS Word
  • MS Teams
• Desirable experience:
  • Direct experience of a regulated industry with a strong preference for financial services industry experience.
  • Accreditation / knowledge of Financial Services Industry, including WRAP Platforms & SIPPs.
  • Technical certifications: such as TOGAF, ITIL, Prince 2 / APM, BCS BA Diploma.
  • Other qualifications: Degree and/or MBA may be advantageous.

At Nucleus Financial Services, we are committed to providing a warm and inviting work environment, where our team members can thrive and grow.
A little about us
We’re the Nucleus Financial Platforms group and we help make retirement more rewarding. People come first - whether it’s our colleagues, or the advisers and customers we support, we know that working in partnership and collaboration leads to the best outcomes. Together, we’ve shaped the platform to how it is today. We work hard, and we celebrate hard too.
Our ambition is to create a platform with a difference, putting the customer centre stage meant tearing up the rule book and starting from scratch. We’ve come a long way since then, but our mission remains just as focused. That’s why our culture, values, and social responsibility are things we keep at the top of our agenda – because we know they matter and have a big impact.
Our culture is one of the many things that sets us apart from the pack. We want to have an environment where our people feel that they can make a real difference, know they’ll be rewarded for their efforts and more importantly, enjoy themselves at work.
Inclusion and diversity at Nucleus
As with most things in life, who cares, wins. We really care about inclusion.
For us it’s not a tick box exercise; inclusion and diversity are embedded in our culture and everything we do. It’s a commercial imperative. It isn’t about being PC. It’s about being future-relevant and durable. We owe it to ourselves and the industry to ensure we are playing our part in creating a fair, balanced and transparent financial services sector.
More diversity means broader experience, a wider set of perspectives and a better collective ability to problem-solve. And it means being more representative of customer groups, which supports areas such as product development.
At Nucleus, we offer a generous blend of benefits for the things that really matter to our people, including a non-contributory pension, bonus, enhanced parental leave, paid time off for emergencies, health and wellbeing initiatives and flexible working options.