Senior Solution Architect - BBC Studios (13504)

BBC Studios is a world-renowned content studio and channels & streaming business, powered by British creativity, with a reach that touches audiences in every corner of the globe. 

We work with outstanding creative talent who are responsible for platform-defining shows from Strictly Come Dancing to Bluey, Prehistoric Planet to Planet Earth III.

The range and quality of our content is unsurpassed, creating critical and commercial successes and global phenomena. 

From BAFTAs to RTS Awards, BBC Studios is Britain’s most awarded production company and the only producer with three of the top ten shows on IMDB; we’re the home of bbc.com, the widest-read English language news website in the world; and the UK’s largest distributor of British content.

Reporting to the Lead Enterprise Architect within the Technology and Transformation team, the Senior Architect works as part of a multi-specialist team to ensure that the BBC Studios’ technology and architecture strategy are implemented in the area that they support to transform business capabilities and enable the next generation of broadcast and digital services.

Primary responsibility involves designing solutions but it is expected also contribution to enterprise-level design patterns that extend beyond a single solution.

Job responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Translate business requirements into architectural designs.
• Ensures that the vision, roadmap and strategy for their area is implemented using standardised, reusable and innovative architectures.  
• Implement solution architectures for the supported area, ensuring consistency, standardisation and related best practices. 
• Govern the solution architecture within the initiatives.
• Creation and updating of relevant artefacts.
• Overseeing strategic relationships in the technology environment.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

• Interpret business needs
  • Develop an understanding of the business strategy drivers and the business problems to be solved by a given solution.
  • Have an understanding of value streams, business process and capability modelling.
• Assess technology
  • Be able to assess existing and future solutions requirements and support vendor selection.
  • Be involved in assessing technology across the enterprise application/technology portfolio.
  • Understand BBC Studios landscape, identifying gaps and potential fragilities and actively develop solutions.
• Apply technology
  • Understand existing enterprise technologies and their standard applications, as well as the application of new technologies as needed.
  • Provide guidance on enterprise adoption of new standard technologies.
  • Develops plans, designs and drawings that take a vision from idea to execution.
• Provide enterprise guidance
  • Support delivery of solution architecture for a given initiative complying with enterprise reference architecture.
  • Contribute to enterprise reference architecture.
• Recognise the opportunities presented, and take the initiative in solving complex technical problems and pursuing, with support, appropriate strategies that deliver business benefit.
• Work collaboratively within a specialised architecture team to assist delivering adaptable, scalable platforms across the BBC and in partnership with other areas to align requirements with solutions.
   

Essential

• Translates business and technical requirements into an architectural blueprint to achieve business objectives, and documents all solution architecture design and analysis work.
• Creates architectural designs to guide and contextualize solution development across products, services, projects and systems (including applications, technologies, processes and information).
• Leads evaluation, design and analysis for the implementation of a solutions architecture across a group of specific business applications or technologies, based on enterprise business strategies, business capabilities, value streams, business requirements and enterprise standards.
• Defines total cost of ownership (TCO) of the solutions/technological platforms being developed or adopted.
• Articulates the business impact of IT infrastructure and solutions that translates technical performance into business success metrics.
• Demonstrates good understanding of product management, agile principles and development methodologies.
• Delivers presentation skills to convey complex information across relevant stakeholders and technical audiences.
• Exposure to transformational change.
• Experience of successfully leading projects which transform technology and business processes within organisations.
• Data and evidence-based approach to decision making with a creative and driven approach to problem-solving.
• Collaborative, and understanding. Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to connect across the organisation with an open approach and a willingness to adapt and change.
• Aware of financial and business implications of your specialist architecture choices and alternatives.
• Negotiating and conflict-handling skills to ensure the best outcome for the BBC in the face of complexity and uncertainty.
• Togaf or similar architecture framework certification and working experience.
• Azure, AWS well-architected frameworks.
• C4 Architecture modelling.

Desirable

• Broadcast, production, start-up or media experience.
• A mix of public sector and commercial experience.
• Participation in published documents within an area of specialism.
• Successful academic background in a specialist discipline.
• Experience working with LeanIX EAM.
• SAFE Certification and working experience.

Job Reference: 13504
Band: D
Salary: Up to £85,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience.
The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London - Television Centre

Working Pattern: Hybrid Working (Mix of working from home plus two/three days a week in the office).

We are really proud to share that we are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer and so if you require any reasonable adjustments in order to apply please do contact us at with the job reference in the subject. 

We offer flexibility, competitive benefits and the opportunity to be part of the BBC's exciting mission. Some of the key benefits you’ll get from working in this role are:
Flexible/Agile working - opportunities across the business. We believe in empowering you to do your best work, so we offer support and flexibility to balance work and home. We’re happy to discuss a formal flexible working pattern. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at the offer stage.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities - we operate a people-first culture and pride ourselves on your development. Our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certifications.
Excellent career progression - BBC Studios offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation. Leaders at the BBC are passionate about helping our people grow in the organisation and you will have regular sessions with your line manager to support you with your career ambitions.
Benefits - We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (plus an additional day which is a Corporation Day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

LIFE AT BBC STUDIOS

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours here.

The BBC is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce and therefore strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of their background. More information on our D&I plan can be found here.

BBC Studios puts sustainability at the heart of everything we do both onscreen and offscreen, including delivering against the BBC Group’s science-based Net Zero targets. More information on sustainability at BBC Studios can be found here.