Technical Architect Connectivity

Job Description

Our IT Shared Service Centre was first established in 2008 and is designed to deliver centralised IT infrastructure and services to ABF companies. We currently operate in 23 countries over 185 locations, with over 160 employees.Reporting to the SSC Lead Technical Architect, the primary focus of this position is the technical designs of the shared service centre common infrastructure platforms and in particular those products relating to Connectivity. The technology employed in the designs must deliver the agreed service and performance for ABF businesses; security, scalability and availability are integral to all platform designs.This will include developing and maintaining an infrastructure roadmap for all infrastructure components, embracing technology development where appropriate to ensure a robust, scalable and innovative technical architecture.As part of the Architecture team this role will provide subject matter expertise in architecting solutions across the Connectivity product group and include WAN (SD-WAN), LAN, WiFi and Telephony components and adhere to security best practice in private and cloud environments.The Architect will technically lead key assigned projects and provide technical assurance for business unit SSC solutions delivered through project services.Responsibilities:• Produce platform design solutions for existing and/or new infrastructure platforms• Provide technical expertise, direction, and assistance to Technical Solutions Analysts, BAU teams (Networks, Platform, Security Operations) and Project Delivery teams• Produce solution documentation including high-level and low-level designs• Design and implement long-term strategic goals and short-term tactical plans for reference architecture.• Ensure that proposed and existing architectures are aligned with organisational goals and objectives.• Present technical solutions and providing supporting collateral• Conduct research on emerging technologies in support of SSC technology, reference architecture, and recommend technologies that will increase cost effectiveness, security and systems flexibility.• Development and ongoing refinement of the network architecture roadmap for business site local connectivity (Wired and Wireless)• Development and ongoing refinement of the network architecture roadmap for datacentre connectivity• Developing the network architecture roadmap for cloud connectivity• Design Authority for network topology building blocks and their continual evolutionRequirements:• Substantial experience in an architect role• Expertise in creating and improving the overall design for the Connectivity product group including WAN, LAN, WiFi, Telephony systems and services• Architecture experience of SD-WAN and SASE solutions• Strong, demonstratable experience architecting solutions with Microsoft Azure• Experience in transformation from traditional WAN architecture to SD-WAN and/or SASE framework• Experience in hybrid-WAN, public and private cloud network architecture and creating secure, scalable and resilient interconnectivity for a global Enterprise• Architecture experience of edge security, firewalls (checkpoint, Palo Alto), network segregation, load balancers.• Experience in developing infrastructure solutions with a focus on security requirements.• Ability to produce and present articulate and accurate proposals and recommendations.• Ideally educated to degree level in a computer science fieldAbout Associated British Foods (ABF Holdings):Associated British Foods is a diversified international food, ingredients and retail group with sales of £15.8bn, 138,000 employees and operations in 50 countries across Europe, southern Africa, the Americas, Asia and Australia.Location: Currently remote due to Covid. Offices in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 6WZ when we are able to return.Job type: Full Time, PermanentSalary: £CompetitiveYou may have experience of/as the following: Network Architect, Solutions Architect, SD-WAN, RFP, Application Gateway, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Checkpoint, Palo-Alto, etc.Ref: 97439