Solution Architect - Waitrose In Store Selling

As a Partner in our business your number one focus is to work collaboratively to create more value for our customers and our business. As a key function in the Technology & Change operating model, the purpose of Architecture is to identify the technical capabilities and changes that will enable the Partnership to successfully operate, adapt, and transform through technology. This role focuses on solutions to support our In-Store Customer and Partner experiences.

In this role you will:

Collaborate with cross-functional teams and business stakeholders to design end-to-end technology solutions that are effective, efficient, sustainable, and make a tangible difference to the business. Collaborate directly with product and engineering teams to translate architectural designs into actionable backlogs, ensuring clarity on non-functional requirements such as performance and reliability. Ensure architectural & engineering best practice is brought to bear during solution design to increase value, reduce delivery risk, and control technical debt Help to inform the thinking of senior stakeholders to meet key business and technology challenges. You'll drive technology options and choices, influence the product backlog and determine how the technology strategy will be achieved for our selling channels Help ensure JLP delivers on its strategic aims and enables the Partnership to adapt and grow in a competitive and changing market

You will have the opportunity to develop and stretch personally and professionally to achieve your potential., * As a co-owner, actively share the responsibilities of ownership and support Partners and colleagues to have a voice in our business.

• Invest in your personal and professional development, utilising the opportunities available to you to develop your skills and capabilities.
• Engage with your function, supporting your teams to continuously develop and improve it.
• Embrace Agile working principles by demonstrating a flexible approach to working, joining missions as needed and/or supporting colleagues to secure the success of the mission.
• Leverage insight and internal and external networks, as appropriate, to keep abreast of key customer requirements, market conditions and trends, including technological advancements, and feed these into strategic thinking.
• Design and maintain an accurate logical overview of the entire system throughout product lifecycle/delivery, including the end users needing consideration in the customer experience design.
• Ensure the solution design accounts for realistic capacity and capability demands and constraints, and that design integrity and consistency across different project or agile streams is maintained.
• Design and deliver in accordance with architectural design parameters, that rationale for key technology solution decisions (including vendor/tech selection) are recorded and within relevant standards/guardrails, and that strategy & design governance is engaged appropriately.
• Ensure that data flows and data governance for each solution are specified and recorded.
• Identify technical debt to be repaid by the sprint/solution, or debt proposed to be incurred.
• Provide support to engineering teams in the root cause identification and resolution of issues.
• Advise on phasing of delivery of a project., Our BAME Network supports Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Partners, celebrate their contributions and create a more inclusive workplace.

Faith & Belief

FAB (Faith & Belief) is aimed at educating, celebrating and increasing awareness of all faiths and beliefs.

Gender Equality

Promoting Gender equality, empowering Partners to overcome barriers and be more involved in topics outside of their day job.

Linkages

Our intergenerational or age network aiming to build awareness of the benefits and opportunities of an intergenerational workforce.

Pride

Our first network that we developed. Designed to support the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.

Working Parents

Our Working Parents' Network supports and inspires working parents throughout their parenting journey.

Care Experience

Providing a safe and supportive community for Partners with experience in the care system.

Carers Network

The network aims to raise awareness and support Partners who are carers, and their allies.

Ability

Championing workplace disability inclusion by creating a supportive environment and offering peer communities for those with diverse needs.

Unity

Our BAME Network supports Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Partners, celebrate their contributions and create a more inclusive workplace.

Faith & Belief

FAB (Faith & Belief) is aimed at educating, celebrating and increasing awareness of all faiths and beliefs.

Gender Equality

Promoting Gender equality, empowering Partners to overcome barriers and be more involved in topics outside of their day job.

Linkages

Our intergenerational or age network aiming to build awareness of the benefits and opportunities of an intergenerational workforce.

Pride

Our first network that we developed. Designed to support the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.

Working Parents

Our Working Parents' Network supports and inspires working parents throughout their parenting journey.

• Customer centricity - Understands the end to end customer journey and puts every customer, both internal and external, at the heart of everything we do
• Critical thinking - Uses data and evidence to develop thinking and form reasoned judgements
• Empathy - Demonstrates the ability to understand, relate to and be sensitive to your team, peers, colleagues and customers and is in the habit of seeing the world through the eyes of others
• Enterprise thinking - Breaks down silos and works with a one Partnership mindset, making links and connections across functions and divisions where necessary to drive efficiencies. Cuts through competing agendas to drive activity and outcomes.
• Influencing decisions and stakeholders - Works collaboratively through active listening and assertive communication to reach win-win outcomes. Adapts style to influence stakeholders and keeps Partnership interest as the forefront of decision making.
• Experience of working across a wide range of solutions and change approaches appropriate for the Product / Business Area
• Experience of influencing stakeholders at Leadership and Working Group levels on a major transformation or in an area with a high level of change
• Experience of working across the IT lifecycle with the ability to balance long and short term outcomes given commercial drivers and available levers in uncertain environments.
• Experience adopting solution architecture methodology that proves demonstrable improvements in value, exploiting component re-use and/or reduced delivery risk.
• You must have a good understanding of current software architecture techniques and tooling including: Domain driven design, Microservices, API-first design, Cloud Native, Continuous Delivery & DevOps, Containerisation and PaaS on GCP or AWS and other data and integration technologies (Event streaming, data lakes etc)

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• Software engineering background

• Working pattern/flexible working: Based at our Bracknell Head Office with a flexible hybrid model (typically 1 day per week in the office, primarily Thursdays, with ad-hoc visits as required by business needs), we support a healthy work-life balance, Leisure Learning

Enjoy learning a new skill or hobby even more by claiming up to £200 towards certain tutored courses.

(Applies to courses which you pay for in advance yourself).

PARTNER DISCOUNT

25% off at John Lewis and 20% at Waitrose. We knew you'd like this one!

(some exclusions apply). (Partner discount is only available following successful completion of your 90-day Earning Membership period once you have started).

Clubs & Societies

From arts & crafts to fishing, from skiing to running, we have so many clubs and societies bringing Partners with shared interests together.

HOLIDAY & LEAVE

Enjoy a generous holiday provision. Plenty of time for some rest and relaxation.

(The amount of holiday you'll get depends on your role and working hours. It increases over time).

PENSION & LIFE ASSURANCE

Secure your future with our comprehensive pension scheme and life assurance.

We're the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We're not just employees, we're Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there's never been a more exciting time to join us. We're ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose. As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we're free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it., This is where you'll be based, whether that's in a shop, distribution centre or one of our head offices. Bracknell Doncastle Road Berkshire, RG12 8YA See Commute, The Partnership has supported over 5,000 Partners enrol onto an apprenticeship since the levy was introduced in 2017.