Senior Applications Solutions Architect

Southern Company • Birmingham, AL

6d

About The Position

The Application Solutions Architect in the Technology Organization (TO), Engineering and Plants portfolio, will partner with Generation, Operations & Business Shared Services (OBSS), and Technical Shared Services (TSS) in the development of technology plans to support the business. This is a strategic position that is focused on solution design, data architecture and system integration to meet the long-term goals of Generation. Responsibilities include working with Technical Planning Analyst and business partners to evaluate business requirements, provide technical solution proposals, conceptual designs and cost estimates, input and assistance on the technical aspects of business cases, and working across TO to determine infrastructure requirements and TO services needed to support the business. This includes working with Infrastructure Services, Database Services, Enterprise Architecture, Portfolios, Field Operations and Security.
This technical consultant is responsible for technical ownership and development of the data management and data integration strategy in support of Generation.
This includes:
Working with Generation leadership on the development of an information management strategy for the generation fleet, including data modeling from a business perspective.
Serve as the architect for the Generation data strategies and lead architect on custom built software solutions in support of the business.
Stay current on emerging data provisioning, application/data integration, big data, and business intelligence trends.
Strong concentration in our IT Strategy focus area to proactively manage enterprise data and develop strong working relationships with the Data Management & Analytics team, architects in Enterprise Architecture, and administrators in Database Services.
This position will be responsible for providing technical leadership on select projects. This includes leadership in design/analysis sessions, architectural reviews and diagrams, interface design, coding practices, mentoring, and troubleshooting as necessary; work to gain commitment from all key parties for proposed software solutions; responsible for the selection of the key technologies to complete those solutions; and provide technical leadership through the project lifecycle ensuring successful delivery. The incumbent should produce positive, growing relationships with the business resulting from a thorough understanding of their needs and the subsequent delivery of effective solutions. This role is for a self-starter that can work without direct supervision. Assignments require analysis, research, problem solving, and technical solution proposals to business processes that are manual and in need of technology and automation. The business focus spans engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance; includes support for emerging environmental and regulatory requirements (EPA, NERC CIP), and support for Research and Environmental Affairs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related field
• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of software development technologies and methodologies
• Substantial knowledge and experience of the business areas or related area supported
• Broad experience in application environments across the enterprise and how to effectively leverage each area
• Minimum ten years of experience in software development with increasing levels of responsibilities
• Strong expertise in refactoring, coding practices, and code organization
• Proficient in multiple software development languages such as C#, .NET, JavaScript, HTML, Blazor
• Experience with mobile development and responsive web design
• Fully versed in multiple database technologies such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server including proficient skills with T-SQL and PL/SQL
• Understanding of data virtualization techniques and tools such as PolyBase or Denodo
• Experience with business intelligence and analytical tools and technologies
• Understanding of CI/CD approaches as well as familiarity with Azure DevOps
• Understanding of Microsoft Azure, Databricks, or similar technologies
• Ability to organize, model, and structure data for integration & analytics
• Expert in software architectures, designs, databases, systems integration, and problem-solving skills
• Experience in software development lifecycle including waterfall and rapid/iterative development approaches
• Technical project management and organization skills centered on the planning, executing, and communicating of tasks associated with solution development.
• Understanding of architectural principles and their implications to system design, security, system extensibility and interoperability, costs, and operational considerations.
• Ability to negotiate and influence others
• Ability to function independently and as a team member
• Expert analysis and problem-solving skills, comprehensive technical skills
• Ability to learn new approved technologies and apply them
• Ability to handle multiple assignments and conflicting priorities
• Builds productive relationships with a focus on cooperation & teamwork
• Comprehensive customer service skills; delivers consistently on customer commitments
• Strong interpersonal skills; communicates effectively (verbal & written) with all levels of the business, peers, and TO management
• Lead major/strategic projects through identifying project goals and scope, assembling and equipping project team, casting vision for the project and providing key communications for the project.
• Promote excellence in TO by communicating business needs and appropriate technical response
• Provide comprehensive technical and business expertise for the applications and portfolio business solutions
• Provide comprehensive consulting services to business customers
• Have accountability to mentor others to grow business knowledge
• Develop concepts for next generation of tools – provide technical innovation for changing business needs
• Maintain integrity and consistency between systems
• Lead efforts with Technology Planning Analyst and business partners to develop a plan / roadmap to map the current state to the vision or future state of the portfolio applications
• Ability to organize and effectively communicate results to a broad audience, at different levels of the organization
• Build and maintain strong relationships with business partners, business analysts, peers, management, and vendors
• Evaluate new technologies and provide input into strategic selection and planning including the development of detailed architectural drawings
• Interface with partners to ensure that all services are planned, budgeted, and completed to meet both technical and budget requirements
• Exhibit Our Values in all aspects when representing Southern Company

Responsibilities

• Working with Technical Planning Analyst and business partners to evaluate business requirements, provide technical solution proposals, conceptual designs and cost estimates, input and assistance on the technical aspects of business cases, and working across TO to determine infrastructure requirements and TO services needed to support the business.
• Working with Generation leadership on the development of an information management strategy for the generation fleet, including data modeling from a business perspective.
• Serve as the architect for the Generation data strategies and lead architect on custom built software solutions in support of the business.
• Stay current on emerging data provisioning, application/data integration, big data, and business intelligence trends.
• Providing technical leadership on select projects. This includes leadership in design/analysis sessions, architectural reviews and diagrams, interface design, coding practices, mentoring, and troubleshooting as necessary
• Work to gain commitment from all key parties for proposed software solutions
• Responsible for the selection of the key technologies to complete those solutions
• Provide technical leadership through the project lifecycle ensuring successful delivery.
• Produce positive, growing relationships with the business resulting from a thorough understanding of their needs and the subsequent delivery of effective solutions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees