Application Development Functional Architect

For our client in Brussels we are currently looking for a Application Development Functional Architect

Duration: 12 months (depending of project evolution, extension is possible)
Location: Brussels center
Languages: French (speak, read and write), Dutch (speak, read and write), English (basic speak/ read/ write)
Availability: ASAP

Our client is a leading insurance group in Bruxelles. They are actively looking for an Insurance Application Development Functional Architect who will work in the Architecture team, that is the link between the business team (delivers business requirements) and the IS 'factory' (functional and technical analysis & programming).

The main activities of this team are:
- Solution & Application Architecture (Functional & Technical) Design and Analysis
- Architecture Reference (Functional & Technical) documentation
- Functional & Technical Support and Coaching
- Application Design Monitoring
- System testing (preparation & execution)
- Define & improve the process, the tools used in the design phase.

Functions :
The Application Development Functional Architect deals on a daily basis with senior management, peers and junior staff, both internally and externally, with business and professional skills in Information Technology.

To function effectively, the Application Development Functional Architect is required to conceptualize and think abstractly, work and manage in a technically complex and heterogeneous environment, and effectively communicate with all levels of management.

Objective of the job
§ Acting as Functional Architect, you deploy a global vision of our functional architecture in order to improve the follow and the global implementation of our User's Requirements.
§ You assist the development responsible in the customer's relation.
§ You understand and participate in the redaction/consolidation of the business requirements
§ You have the ability to analyze, define, design and propose solutions to business problems at the highest level of complexity or in areas calling for significantly innovative approaches.
§ You define current and target state application architecture aligned with requirements of the various business and technology initiatives, insuring the necessary coherence in applications architecture.
§ During development of the target architecture, you compare application options according to function, technology and cost, make a recommendation and develop potential migration paths to the target state model
§ You understand the functional and technical architecture
§ You realize the functional architecture analysis and estimate a specific demand
§ You hand over the functional architecture analysis to the development team and deliver further support if necessary
§ You prepare (test scenario's, test cases) & execution of system testing (before qualification)
§ During the realization phase of applications, you follow up the compliance of architecture with standards and support architecture responsibilities as part of the standard project life cycle
§ You are responsible of the functional coherence of the domains you intervened : determination, implementation and follow up of functional concepts, integration of business needs in existing software solutions
§ You advise the different actors during the implementation phasing and bring a functional coaching to the functional development points of contact
§ You establish and maintain working relationships with technology management, business management, program sponsors, key business clients, and infrastructure management
§ You improve and maintain the processes, the tools used to realize our functional architecture analysis.
§ In summary, the key missions of a functional architect are

Designing and Achieving the following goals of the Architecture phase of a project: enabling maximum functional flexibility of systems over years:
- Defining the "what" of a project,
- Defining the "why",
- Defining the "how to manage" (propose & evaluate alternatives for project implementation, phases, dependencies between the blocks and between the projects )
- Defining the first cut functional design of systems

Documentation: Documenting and maintaining the functional architecture of his/her domain

Support and coaching:
- Explaining the functional contents of the projects to the development teams (link between users and the development team),
- The functional coaching and support the Functional Analysts in terms of business contents and in terms of functional design,

Monitoring: The monitoring/control of the functional design (logical data, functionalities and controls) of the applications of his/her business domain. Validating the deviations needed in the design and controlling they are documented.

Standards:
- The respect of the functional design standards of the company
- Defining best practices and patterns to be applied in his/her application context and documenting and maintaining them

Improvements: Proposing architecture projects and improvements to the Fortis standards,

Testing: Helping to define the testing approach of the projects.

Personal skills
Considerable degree of independency
Structured, pro-active, autonomous en well organized
Flexible
Open and analytical mind, pragmatical
Problem solving
Level of abstraction and versatilism
Excellent presentation, written and oral communication skills to clearly express and communicate concepts, designs and proposals
Demonstrated ability to interact with all technical and non-technical members of the organization
Client-friendly
People management is a trump

Business experience required (5-7 years)
Strong interest for Business Process Analyses
Good knowledge in modelling applications and processes, Functional Analysis
Knowledge on Life Insurance for Individuals

Technical experience required (5-7 years)
Mastering of MS Office tools
Understanding of relevant technologies and development life cycles
Cobol, DB2 (preferable)

Functional experience required (5-7 years)
Experience in similar function and Solution Analyses
Deep knowledge and experience of architecture: Service Oriented Architecture, design patterns, architecture methodologies
Building and construction functional design of insurance applications parts
Developing whole picture

Experience in Functional Enterprise Architecture (through projects) is a trump
Insurance and/or Banking applicationsMichael Bailey International is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.