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Enterprise Solution Architect

Technical leadership in the Architecture Community

Overview
Springer Nature (SN) is seeking to hire an Enterprise Solution Architect to join our Enterprise
Architecture team.
In close partnership with the solution architects in our Technology and Operations teams, you
will provide the thought leadership and the analytical- and design expertise necessary to enable
the management of the organization's portfolio of "as is" and "to be" solutions. This includes
programs/projects; systems (including applications, technologies, processes, and information);
shared infrastructure and cloud services; shared application services; and shared security
services across the organization.
As a member of the Enterprise Architecture team, you’ll build relationships with both business
and technology stakeholders. You’ll participate in our Architecture Community of Practice where
you will communicate the value of core architectural approaches. You’ll also ensure that
solutions can meet business needs and align with architectural policies and standards.

In this role, you will:

● Support the Chief Architect and VP of Engineering. You’ll also work closely with the
Enterprise Architecture team in leading the development of solution architectures in
business-, technical- and functional domain areas.
● Identify and evaluate alternative architectures and the trade-offs in cost, performance,
and scalability. You’ll need to determine and document architecturally significant
decisions.
● Support product development-, project- and change initiatives through the preparation of
technical plans and the application of approved technical strategies, policies, standards,
and practices (including security).
● Provide technical guidance and governance on solution development and integration.
You’ll also need to evaluate requests for changes and deviations from specifications and
provide recommendations for action.

For this role, Springer Nature will be operating a “bench rotation scheme” with architects in our
business domains. This will enable you to gain first-hand knowledge and experience working
with technical teams from across the organization by spending time embedded directly with

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them. You’ll need to collaborate closely with the architectural community on common initiatives;
help drive the alignment and evolution of the guardrails needed to promote technical
consistency and best practice; and provide guidance and coaching as needed from learnings in
other domains.

What you will be doing?

Interpreting Business Needs:
● Translating business and technical requirements into solution options and architectures
that will achieve strategic business objectives (yet also address immediate needs) in
accordance with agreed standards.
● Working closely with our business stakeholders to ensure a robust architectural
foundation that can support future business requirements throughout the product
life-cycle. You’ll also promote and support a technical strategy that will evolve our
architecture into the desired vision.
● Clarifying the impact of technical constraints, trade-offs, or important non-functional
decisions to non-technical stakeholders whilst remaining cognisant of, and sensitive to,
the product direction established within the business domains.

Assessing Technology
● Monitoring the current-state solution portfolio to identify deficiencies and risks associated
with aging technologies and/or misalignment with current business needs.
● Supporting product managers in end-of-life product decision-making, including
determinations to maintain-, refresh-, or retire: services, systems, applications,
technologies, processes, and/or information.
● Consulting with our Engineering Enablement, Cloud, and Infrastructure teams to inform
solution architecture plans and, in so doing, incorporate their technical requirements and
opportunities for delivering business benefits.
● Engaging with technical leads to review technical options (e.g. tools, practices,
principles, etc.) that will inform solution architecture plans.

Applying Technology
● Building and maintaining relationships with program managers, product owners, and
other stakeholders (both across and between domains) to support teams in planning,
coordinating, and rolling out architectural changes.
● Leading the evaluation, design, and analysis for the implementation of a solution
architecture across a group of specific business applications or technologies.
● Ensuring the execution of plans corresponds with the approved architectural direction
throughout the project or product lifecycle.
● Providing teams with technical and architectural consulting support across a broad range
of technologies, platforms, and vendor offerings. You’ll also support application
architects within agile teams to ensure alignment with the overall enterprise architecture.
● Fostering a safe and collaborative technical community, growing technical knowledge,
and cultivating knowledge sharing in and across teams

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Providing Enterprise Guidance
With the knowledge you gain over time through your work with the business domain/product
delivery teams and in close collaboration with the Architecture Community of Practice (CoP) and
the Enterprise Architecture and Portfolio team you will be:
● Identifying practical opportunities to exploit emerging technologies and market trends;
assessing potential risks from legacy technologies and technical debt in the current
portfolio.
● Defining guiding principles, standards and patterns, in partnership with the Enterprise
Architecture team, and directing governance activities to assure compliant solution
architectures.
● Developing and continuously adapting a roadmap for the evolution of the enterprise
solution portfolio from current to future state, as defined by the solutions architectures.
● Supporting an architectural Community of Practice (CoP), guiding and helping delivery
teams and product owners to align with the overall enterprise architecture governance
and assurance.
● Working closely with the Portfolio Operations team to ensure a healthy
application/solution portfolio.
● Seeking continuous improvement in our product-building capabilities by encouraging
closer collaboration across- and between technical disciplines, product teams, and other
stakeholders

Skills:
● You have a degree in computer science, information-technology, engineering, system
analysis or a related field, or equivalent experience
● You have a minimum of five years of experience in at least two IT solution development
disciplines, including application/software development, infrastructure and networks,
Cloud and platform services, database management or others
● You have been exposed to multiple, diverse technologies, platforms, and processing
environments in your past career stations
● You have a good understanding of strategic and emerging technology trends, and the
practical application of existing and emerging technologies to new and evolving business
and operating models
● You have a good understanding of product management, agile principles and
development methodologies and the capability of supporting delivery teams by providing
advice and guidance on opportunities, impact, and risks, taking account of technical and
architectural debt
● You have experience developing architecture blueprints, strategies, and roadmaps
● You have experience delivering presentations to senior-level executives and technical
audiences

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Capabilities and Competencies:
● In your current and past career stations, you have been a thought leader in the solution
architecture space who can influence and persuade business and technology leaders as
well as cross-functional product development teams
● You are technology-agnostic in your work and remain unbiased towards specific
technologies and neutral to vendor hype (favoring business benefits over personal
preferences)
● You are motivated and driven by achieving long-term business outcomes and help
develop sustainable solutions for products that our business and customers love
● You are organisationally savvy with the ability to navigate organizational politics
● You have the ability to work effectively in a global team environment and guide
cross-functional teams to achieve their objectives within the companies policies,
standards, and guidelines
● In your role, you understand the concepts of business objectives and business
outcomes, business capabilities, value streams, and business processes and their
importance in solution architecture.
● You are skilled at influencing, guiding, and facilitating stakeholders and peers with
decision making and you can articulate new ideas and concepts to technical and
non-technical audiences
● You understand the big picture and long-term as well as short-term perspectives and you
are able to translate future-state business capabilities and requirements into solution
architecture requirements
● You can propose and estimate the financial impact of solution architecture alternatives
and provide an impact analysis and cost/value view of the different options
● You work analytically as well as creatively to solve business problems and propose
adequate solutions with the customer in mind
● You can quickly assess and grasp the functions and capabilities as well as the
opportunities and risks of new technologies

Your experience:
● Excellent written and spoken command of the English language
● Excellent written, verbal, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to
articulate new ideas and concepts to senior-level executives, non-technical business
stakeholders, and technical audiences alike.
● Strong interpersonal skills, including community building and facilitation.
○ Ability to work with software engineers in an outsourced environment
○ Ability to work with geographically distributed teams in a “remote-first manner”
● You have a degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, system
analysis or a related field, or equivalent experience
● You have extensive experience in at least two IT solution development disciplines,
including application/software development, infrastructure and networks, Cloud and
platform services, database management and others.

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 ● You have been exposed to multiple, diverse technologies, platforms, and processing
environments in your past career stations.
○ Backend development languages like Java, Scala, Kotlin, Python
○ Database technologies like MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MarkLogic
○ Frontend web development languages like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
○ Various aspects of a technology architecture like integration, network, and
security
○ Information principles and processes
○ Solution development life cycle methodologies (such as agile software
development, rapid prototyping, DevOps)
○ Knowledge of different modeling languages (e.g. UML and ArchiMate)
○ Understanding of technology standards and controls
○ Excellent understanding of application development methodologies and
infrastructure and network architecture
● You have a good understanding of strategic and emerging technology trends and the
practical application of existing and emerging technologies to new and evolving business
and operating models.
● You have a good understanding of product management, agile principles, and
development methodologies and the capability for supporting delivery teams by
providing advice and guidance on opportunities, impact, and risks, taking account of
technical and architectural debt.
● You have experience developing architecture blueprints, strategies, and roadmaps.
● Experience in the Publishing industry is desirable but not a must.

What are the benefits?

● 10% time (‘hack day’).
● Private Health Insurance for you and your partner and children if applicable – Medis TOP +
serious illnesses.
● Personal accident insurance.
● Work Accidents Insurance – by law.
● Food allowance, € 9,60 EUR per working day via meal card.
● Up to 5 additional days off
○ In Portugal, we have 22 vacation days by law after 1 year of service.
○ We will offer you 2 additional days off from the start.
○ After 1 year of service: 1 additional day = 25 days.
○ After 2 years of service: 1 additional day = 26 days.
○ After 3 years of service: 1 additional day = 27 days.
○ “Jubilee day” off after 5 years of service.
● Up to 3 times a year, up to 3 days SN will “continue to pay” the salary for those sick days, as
the first 3 days sick leave (Baixa medica) are not covered by social security.
● Work Mobile Phone.
● Travel costs compensation for the commute to the office via a commute card (with the
company NIF) up to max. € 40 per month.
● Access to LinkedIn Learning via our internal learning and development platform

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 ● Free access to all SN Publications.
● Use of Urban Sports gyms at a reduced price.

Work from Home (WfH) Policy

We’re currently working in a Hybrid environment, with 1-2 days a week at the office. Our office is
located in Rua Castilho, 77, Fração A/E.

Salary Band
The expected salary band for this role goes up to 85.000€/ per year. The meal allowance is paid
separately and it’s not within.