Solution Architect

Are you excited by delivering end to end solution architecture across a multi-agency product?
- Opportunity to collaborate, lead, and consult architect to architect and architect to business
- Be a part of making genuine change to how we deliver value to our customers and users
- Flexible working + 3 extra Customs' service leave days

**Whakapuakanga Tangata Haere ki Aotearoa | New Zealand Traveller Declaration**

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) is the new digital form used to collect information from travellers arriving into Aotearoa New Zealand via air and sea. It helps us ensure that people are only bringing in what they should be into our country; improving the safety and security of New Zealand.

The opportunities for how we can now evolve our product to positively impact these travellers and all the Border Protection agencies involved in their journey are endless. Our vision is for a modern, digital and streamlined border into New Zealand that supports seamless travel by air and sea.

To help us achieve this vision, we are seeking a talented and motivated Solution Architect / Design Lead to join our newly established NZTD team and provide architectural leadership and direction for the NZTD Tower and all its technical componentry across Government agencies. If you thrive in a complex environment and have a passion for continuous improvement and making genuine change, we want you on our team

**What we value in the NZTD Tower**:

- Being customer / user focused to determine needs versus wants
- Organising around value being delivered
- Leveraging data to make more effective decisions
- Visibility and transparency
- Focusing on delivering value earlier over increasing delivery velocity
- Empowering and enabling our people and teams
- Embracing diversity, inclusion, and belonging for our people.

**Great additions to the NZTD Tower will**:

- Use direct and effective communication and are collaborative in all you do
- Respectfully collaborate, compromise, and work together to achieve shared outcomes
- Do what you say you will, and actively self-evaluate to continually grow and develop
- Value honesty in others and yourself, and in turn are able to hear, adapt, and give constructive feedback
- Care about people's wellbeing
- Understand that everyone has a voice and every voice counts
- Not be afraid to give things a go - even if it is unsuccessful, we have learnt something.

**Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About this role**

Reporting directly to the Tower Manager (NZTD), the Solution Architect / Design Lead will be embedded in the NZTD Tower and will provide high level architecture, review and update our service designs, and ensure architecture best practice across the NZTD system as a whole.

You will consult with the Product Manager to translate the product roadmap into a technology roadmap and work with the Product teams as an advisor on future state to ensure delivery of that technology roadmap. You will also be accountable for solution designs that are viable, feasible, sustainable, fit for purpose, and enable the delivery of real value to the customer.

Due to the other Government agencies involved in NZTD, the Solution Architect / Design Lead will also engage and drive conversations across agencies, and across business / operations and IS to ensure effective end to end technology solutions.

You will need to work closely with the IS Chief Technology Advisor and IS Architecture team to ensures that all solutions are also aligned to Information Services and Customs enterprise strategies and objectives, as well as contributing to the evolution of enterprise standards, principles, and strategies.

**To be successful as Solutions Architect / Design Lead the following knowledge, experience, skills and personal attributes are required**:

- 5 plus years' relevant experience as a Solution Architect of a live and evolving business-critical product (ideally public facing);
- Experience translating product roadmaps into technical solution design that delivered tangible business value;
- Experience with service design and alignment of architectural practices across systems;
- Experience working in a technical role within product driven software development teams within a complex environment across a wide range of technologies;
- Demonstrated experience with technical consultancy, facilitation, and presentation skills for business cases including development of feasibility studies, solution and implementation options, and total cost of ownership estimation;
- Experience working within an Agile delivery framework, ideally SAFe, as well as methodologies across DevOps, Lean and product management;
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal with an ability to understand complex challenges/concepts and articulate these in a simplified, easy to understand manner;
- Highly organised and result oriented with strong detailed planning and facilitation skills;
- Strong stakeholder management skil