Reporting To: Head of Lead Consultancy
Location: Head Office or Home-Based
Rate/Salary: £dependent upon experience

Overview

Smart421 is seeking people who have confidence in their ability and are able to demonstrate significant achievement in their areas of responsibility within the software industry. The right candidate will have a proven successful delivery track record and a good network of contacts.

We are looking for an experienced hands-on Technical or Solutions Architect-level individual, ideally with a Consultancy background, to play a key role on a range of high profile projects with our blue chip client base. You will have experience integrating customer's systems using Websphere Application Server and WebSphere Process Server, ideally with WebSphere Portal as the presentation layer, and will probably have a proven track record in architecting and delivering scalable, robust and secure enterprise n-tier Web-forms environments using Java EE, XML and DB2/Oracle/SQL Server. Experience will ideally be supported by relevant IBM and Sun qualifications that compliment your commercial experience. With first class customer facing skills and a genuine passion for quality / professional delivery, you will be looking for a new challenge with a company that genuinely recognises and rewards its star performers.

Role and Responsibilities

You will operate as a Senior Smart421 consultant who establishes the working relationship with our customers following the initial establishment of a commercial relationship.

You will provide the customer with their first experience of Smart421's delivery capability and approach and must therefore be able to deliver a high standard of day to day consultancy as well as be responsible for client relationships, managing feedback, ensuring satisfaction and taking ownership of risk.

The commercial development of this customer relationship will be an essential component of the role working closely with the sales team, Sales Director and Managing Director. Delivery and sales targets will be agreed for each new customer.

It is anticipated that the Lead Consultant will work with a client for up to 6 months at which point the project team will be established and the Consultant will move to the next new client. Timescales will, of course, vary depending on customer requirements.

Clients may be based at any location (currently mainly UK) and it is therefore key that the Consultant understands the need for, and is able to be, flexible with regard to the location of the work, sometimes for extended periods.

The role will involve design of architecture, definition of specifications and some hands on implementation work - often 'leading by example' for a small team. Working closely with the customer to identify key drivers and communicate the rationale and benefits for will require excellent interpersonal skills at all levels within an organisation.

You will also take a lead role in Smart421's internal WebSphere practice and provide 'thought leadership' to drive the continued development of Smart421's sales propositions, skills and capability. This will be achieved via regular practice meetings and quarterly research assignments.

You will have experience of working on key IT programmes with large blue chip clients, in particular large-scale solution and outsource deals. You will be able to successfully combine quality delivery with the sale of add on business benefits and have an "off the shelf" not "bespoke" mentality. Your experience will ideally be within one of our key our market sectors (Utilities, Telecoms, Finance, Insurance) and the ideal person will have experience of a fast moving, creative and entrepreneurial environment.

The successful candidate will either be working on client sites or in our Ipswich, London or Wakefield Offices, assisting customers in defining and implementing integration strategies; this may be as an individual or as an integral part of a multi-skilled team. Your main discipline in previous roles may have been as Solutions Architect, Technical Architect or Business Analyst. The technical attributes of the role are outlined below:

Technical Experience

• A proven track record in designing and delivering complex Websphere-based integration solutions using Websphere Process Server and Websphere Portal technologies as a presentation layer
• Extensive experience in building architectures based on Java technologies (Java EE, XML) Ant, JUnit, javadoc. Maven is desirable
• Involvement across the full project lifecycle (to successful deployment)
• Good experience with and knowledge of UML and design patterns
• Ability to gather business requirements and architect solutions based on those requirements
• First class design skills including the ability to draw up extremely accurate specifications that could be effectively utilised by development teams offshore as well as onshore
• Good hands-on coding skills in Java EE
• Strong experience in common relational database platforms, WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Portal and other IBM Websphere technologies
• XML skills are essential including schema (xsd) design, XML parsing technologies (Xerces, SAX, DOM) with XML binding technologies JAXB, JAX-RPC and XSLT
• Commercially aware both in terms of sector and I.T. i.e. must understand how I.T. is funded, projects are costed
• Skilled in preparing and presenting sound business cases and feasibility studies i.e. ROI, TCO
• Demonstrable experience of implementation of a range of business solutions: Consultancy, Bespoke Development and Product Integration
• Good knowledge of current processes/techniques used in industry in their area of expertise including UML
• Ability to remain composed, decisive, positive and unflustered in trying moments; maintaining sense of humour/perspective
• Able to manage self and others to solve problems collaboratively
• Strong team building and mentoring skills within mixed teams internally and externally
• Good interpersonal and influencing skills
• Clear and effective written and oral communication
• Preparation and delivery of external presentations
• Innovative approach, and strong creative flair
• Strong understanding of industry trends (i.e. Web Services / Service Oriented Architecture)

• IBM Websphere Certified or SCJP or equivalent
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or similar

• Experience in WebSphere Message Broker and WebSphere MQ is an advantage
• Experience in non-IBM technologies is an advantage, particularly BEA WebLogic, C#, SOA, .NET SharePoint and BizTalk
• A delivery focused attitude with the ability to drive tasks forward and meet demanding deadlines
• Extremely capable of picking up new technologies quickly and a very proactive self educator
• A desire for a variety of work with different customers in different locations
• Ability to deal successfully with staff at all levels within an organisation
• The ability to communicate clearly to a wide range of people both internally and externally to the organisation (as well as the ability to influence / negotiate)
• Exceptional customer facing skills
• Strong written and presentation skills