Senior Specialist: Data / Information Architect (x2) Jobs

Job Purpose

To provide expert advice and support in creating best practices for the application domain, a key part of the overall enterprise architecture. This role involves designing, building, deploying, and managing the organization’s application and software architecture. It also includes defining and modeling how applications are developed or purchased, integrated, and managed across different environments to meet business goals and support organizational objectives.

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

• Bachelor’s Degree / Advanced Diploma (NQF 7) in Information Technology, Informatics, Computer Science, or Computer Engineering, plus a minimum of 8 to 10 years’ experience in Information Technology, including 3-4 years at specialist level.

Alternative

• Senior Certificate (NQF 4) plus a minimum of 15 years’ experience in Information Technology, including 3-4 years at senior specialist level.

Minimum Functional Requirements

• At least 5 years’ experience in Application Architecture.
• Knowledge of Enterprise Architecture frameworks, toolsets, and MS Office.
• Relevant Architecture Certification (e.g., TOGAF). Skills in modeling and mapping technical aspects.

Job Outputs

Process

• Analyze and recommend improvements to specialist systems, procedures, policies, and practices.
• Contribute to the best use of organizational resources by advising on planning and development of resources in your area of expertise.
• Develop a single practice area aligned with operational frameworks and ensure its tactical implementation.
• Use your technical or professional expertise to identify and recommend solutions to defined problems.
• Integrate business information, analyze it, and produce reports to spot trends, discrepancies, and inconsistencies for decision-making.
• Optimize goal achievement through tactical strategies, processes, and systems across the internal value chain.
• Plan for ongoing improvements in practices and systems to meet objectives and enhance implementation.
• Identify interconnected problems, assess their impact, and develop best-fit solutions.
• Recommend and implement changes to optimize processes, systems, and procedures.
• Translate top-level policies into your practice area and communicate impacts to stakeholders.
• Identify and evaluate specific technologies, products, methods, and techniques for potential benefits to the organization.
• Stay updated on emerging technology trends through research, publications, conferences, and contacts.
• Lead the development of application design methodologies and detailed designs from architectures.
• Document key decisions (e.g., architecture review records, technology evaluations) and share guidelines with stakeholders.
• Coordinate design activities between application administration, engineering, and service delivery for consistency.
• Define application standards, catalogues, policies, and capabilities for approval through governance structures like the Architecture Review Board.
• Drive rationalization of the data environment for strategic delivery.
• Develop and maintain the Enterprise Application Architecture blueprint and roadmap aligned with the Modernisation Programme.
• Ensure application architectures balance functional, service quality, and management needs based on business strategy.
• Establish standardized frameworks, best practices, and design patterns (e.g., for interoperability, digital design, security, and service reuse) to guide teams.
• Produce and maintain architectural documentation and share knowledge of decisions.
• Create multi-year roadmaps for modernizing legacy applications into modern platforms, aligned with business priorities and technology opportunities.
• Provide expert oversight during solution delivery to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and modernization goals.

Governance

• Develop or align governance and compliance policies for your practice area to manage risks.
• Lead enforcement of enterprise architecture governance to align all application solutions with strategic objectives and the Modernisation Programme.

People

• Apply new knowledge and skills from learning opportunities in your role.
• Provide specialist expertise, support, advice, and thought leadership in your area.

Finance

• Implement and monitor financial controls, cost management, and corporate governance in your specialization.

Client

• Build practices that deliver excellent service and encourage others to do the same.
• Contribute to organizational knowledge management through specialist community participation.
• Provide authoritative expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain clear engagement models and manage stakeholder relationships carefully.

Behavioural Competencies

• Accountability
• Analytical Thinking
• Attention to Detail
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Conceptual Ability
• Expertise in Context
• Fairness and Transparency
• Honesty and Integrity
• Organisational Awareness
• Problem Solving and Analysis
• Respect
• Trust

Technical Competencies

• Application Development and Maintenance
• Business Knowledge
• Computer Literacy
• Customer Relationship Management
• Data Architecture
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Efficiency Improvement
• Functional Policies and Procedures
• IT Knowledge
• IT Project Management
• Reporting
• Verbal Communication
• Enterprise Architecture (IT) – Proficient (Applied theory)
• Break down objects or ideas into simpler parts and find evidence to support generalizations.
• Compile component ideas into a new whole or proposed alternative solution.
• Perform actions associated with the skill without assistance and recognized as an expert in the organization.
• Focus on broad issues; capable of coaching others; participate in senior discussions.
• Provide ideas on process or practice improvements and assist in developing reference materials.

Method of Application

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