The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

IT Services at the University of Sheffield provide a full range of  complex IT and technology-enabled services. This role supports delivery across our three strategic product areas: Education, Research and Innovation and One University (please see our vision below for more information on One University). These product areas are moving to utilise modern agile change methodologies to improve service provision, simplify processes and support product development.                                          

The Technical Architect role is located within the ITS Architecture practice and will lead on the development of technical and solution architectures which meet the current and future IT needs of the business and contribute to the analysis of technology industry and market trends to determine the impact on the existing IT technical landscape.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Develop and maintain architecture principles and models that guide technology decisions, working with the Lead Technology Architect to establish technical direction.
• Lead analysis of current IT environments to identify critical issues, deficiencies, and technical debt, recommending and developing migration plans for improvements aligned with departmental strategy.
• Liaise with stakeholders across the University to understand organisational strategy and guide technology investment decisions, ensuring business outcomes and non-functional requirements are met.
• Provide technical architectural guidance to product, project, software, and infrastructure teams to enable agility, scalability, and resilience throughout solution lifecycles.
• Oversee technology implementation and modification, ensuring technical solutions include appropriate assurance mechanisms and non-functional requirements.
• Investigate and maintain awareness of emerging technologies that might benefit the University, while identifying and mitigating business and architectural risks.
• Review vendor proposals to ensure architectural alignment and cost-effectiveness, establishing requirements for software, security and infrastructure components.
• Prepare and assist with business cases for IT solutions, documenting technical architecture designs and analysis including post-implementation documentation.
• Support engineers in the development of engineering-level designs and establish metrics to assess implementation success.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Next steps in the recruitment process

We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within two weeks of the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact it-services-recruitment@sheffield.ac.uk

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.