Middleware Integration Solution Architect

DIVISION:
The role is positioned within the Middleware & Frameworks team, reporting to the Head of the Middleware & Frameworks Group.

The Middleware & Frameworks Group within the company engineers (ie designs and develops), supports, and operates the communication and data management software tools, Middleware, frameworks and infrastructure. These are means and enablers for the integration of new and existing business services cross platform (Windows, Unix, Linux, Mainframe, and Tandem) while securing the non-functional requirements and cross-cutting concerns aka -ities (security, availability, operability, manageability, reliability, scalability, portability,).

This Middleware & Frameworks domain encompasses:
1. Middleware Products: A wide range of software/Middleware products and technologies. For instance:
Application Servers/Transaction monitors: IIS, COM+, WAS, JBoss, CICS
Messaging systems: MQ, Axway Synchroni Gateway,
File transfer: Connect:Direct,
Security Tools: Nexus, Gemalto, Application FireWalls,...
Databases: SQL Server, Oracle, DB2,
Data Replication: QRep,
BI products: Sybase IQ, Cognos,
Content Management: Documentum, Sharepoint, Fax,

2. Technical Frameworks: These are guidelines, templates or sets of API/classes that based on functional requirements, ensure the applications access Middleware in a standardized way and ensure -ities. Our frameworks are developed in various programming languages (eg PL/1, .NET, Java, C++).

3. Middleware Services: These are active services consumed by users (eg document management, content management, reporting and Business Intelligence services) or by applications (eg data querying, PKI services, ). Typically, nowadays, such services are solutions integrating multiple Middleware technologies in order to offer end-to-end application services.

The Middleware & Frameworks Group develops a technology vision in line with Information System Architecture guidelines and with Business needs.

Additionally, due to the its integration role between business applications, DMZ security, and hardware platforms, the Middleware & Frameworks Group offers technical expertise both to project-oriented activities and to production-oriented activities. The Group plays a key role in the design of end-to-end solutions and the way various components and/or services can be assembled/integrated to lead to the desired business solution, in line with Information System Architecture guidelines. Several roles of Middleware Integration Technical Architects (called Integration Technical Domain Owners ) have thus been identified in the team, with multiple and cross-domain skills, to offer such integration services.

The Middleware & Frameworks Group's activities are split between operational and project work.
Operational activities include production support (incident management, problem management), definition of solutions, technologies, and product roadmap (change management).
Project activities are driven by business demands (Roadmap or strategic projects) or by IT needs (eg release management).

The combination of these activities enables team members to leverage their field experience in order to further enhance their technical expertise, which is beneficial to technology strategy and solution design. Vice-versa, the involvement in the project activities and technology strategy enables the team members to anticipate changes in the infrastructure and potential issues resulting from these changes.
YOUR PART:
Middleware Integration Solution Architect

The Middleware and Frameworks Group is currently seeking an additional Middleware Integration Solution Architect. Together with the other Middleware Integration Solution Architects (called Integration Technical Domain Owners"), the successful candidate will take an active part in key IT projects contributing to the implementation of the company IT Vision.

In collaboration with different stakeholders like Technical Domain Owners, Product Owners, Application Owners, Commercial, Product Management, the successful candidate will:
Understand the business needs, translate them in technology and technical design, and promote the proposed solution to the respective stakeholders in order to obtain the buy-in.
Drive or contribute to the elaboration of high-level technical designs by aligning business requirements with existing Middleware Services and Information System Architecture guidelines to meet strong non-functional requirements (eg availability, security, performance, TCO, )
Support the Technical Design Authority (TDA) or act as a Technical Design Authority (TDA) in mid-to-high complex cross platform integration problems by validating and contributing to High Level Technical Design document elaboration and sign-off.
Assess Middleware Service impact of technology evolution and of new business requirements.
Be able to assess the advantages and disadvantages of using different service solution models (ie internal hosting, external hosting, managed services, ASP, cloud models like IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, ).

YOUR PROFILE:
Experience in analysis, design, and integration of OLTP-intensive applications spread over multiple platforms and communicating via synchronous and asynchronous protocols (eg messaging, web services, file transfer).
Experience in the design and implementation of data management and reporting applications (business intelligence, Datawarehouse).
Experience in the design and implementation of Extranet communication applications (B2C) with strong security requirements.
Experience in the integration of externally hosted applications (eg cloud).
Conceptual knowledge of application life cycle management based on agile methodologies (ie SCRUM).
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Flexible, rigorous, structured and assertive.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:
English fluency is mandatory (French and/or Dutch are an asset).