Security Architect in Chester House, Epsom Ave, Handforth, Cheadle, Greater Manchester, SK9 3DF

About The Pets At Home Group

At Pets at Home we have an ambitious plan, to become “The Best Pet Care Business in the world” and a key part of delivering this in sustainable way will be our most cherished assets: our People and our Culture. We are a business built on strong values and behaviours which guide everything we do. These are our foundations which will help us to deliver our better world pledge to create a better world for pets and the people who love them.

The Pets at Home Group includes over 450 stores, over 310 Groom Rooms and 440 First Opinion Vet Practices. It’s fast-paced, innovative, fun and we put people at the very heart of everything we do. We are committed to developing a culture of inclusivity where everyone is able to come to work and be themselves, a culture which welcomes everyone irrespective of what makes us all unique.

Our diversity and inclusion vision is that everyone is welcome and feels part of our group. If you think you’re a good match to what we are looking for, and you share our belief that together ‘we’re better with pets’, we’d like to hear from you, whatever your background or circumstances.

About your role
The security Architect has accountability for the architecture of any security product and the inclusion of security configurations and requirements within the wider architecture domains.
You will work proactively and holistically help guide Pets at Home through transformation, change and optimisation initiatives around cyber security. Focus on understanding and applying existing, new and emerging technologies to transform and optimise business and operating models. The focus is to help Pets at Home plan, design, innovate, orchestrate, facilitate, navigate and operationalise the digital enterprise in the most secure way it can.

Responsibilities will include:

• responding to disruptive forces by helping business leaders within the domain facilitate the decision-making process and providing actionable recommendations on initiatives and policies to help drive prioritised targeted business outcomes.
• Helping domain area business leaders enable their target prioritised future-state business capabilities through the choice of initiatives to invest in and working together with other lead architects to ensure the domains align and join up effectively.
•  Assist business leaders within the domain understand, monetise and operationalise existing, new and emerging technologies. They guide and motivates the solution and project architects and align architectural designs within the domain to key standards. 

Key Responsibilities Include

• Analyse the Pets at Home security area strategy and how it can optimise use of technology innovation 
• Support Cyber security area strategy development with, technology identification and opportunity which can deliver value as part of a prioritised business agenda. 
• Engage key stakeholders within the domain to identify technology-enabled innovation opportunities that enable and drive business strategy and focus on growing revenue, optimising costs and mitigating risks. 
• Work with business and IT leaders to help describe and understand innovation that will enhance the operation of the domain area.
• Seek ways to drive adoption of new technology and reuse existing technology for enabling business capabilities, value streams and business processes within the domain.
• Research and provides information on emerging technology trends and disruptions and competitors' practices relevant to domain.
• Work with the IT Business Partner in the domain area to provide internal management consultancy services to business leaders, business units and lines of business, helping them with design thinking, business modeling, ecosystem modelling, innovation management and IT investment analysis. 
• Consult with technical subject matter experts to develop technical solutions. Advises on options, risks, costs versus benefits, and impact on other business processes and system priorities.
• Lead architecture governance and assurance within the domain to identify business, information, solutions, technical and security architecture issues at the front end of the project life cycle, and with product managers and product owners at the different stages of the product lifecycle.

Essential Experience and Skills

• Knowledge of Cyber Security, tools and solutions
• Understanding of NIST cyber security framework
• Experience of Microsoft security products and solutions
• Knowledge of business and technology ecosystems including those such as SaaS, infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), SOA, APIs, Microservices, Event-driven IT.
• Familiarity with information management practices, system development life cycle management, IT services management, agile and lean methodologies, infrastructure and operations, and architecture and ITIL frameworks.
• Knowledge of business models, operating models, financial models, cost-benefit analysis, budgeting and risk management.
• Understanding of existing, new and emerging technologies and how they can be translated and applied to solve business challenges
• Commercially aware to ensure that direction can be realistic, not just aspirational
• Exceptional soft and interpersonal skills, including teamwork, facilitation and negotiation.
• Excellent written, verbal, communication and presentation skills with the ability to articulate new ideas and concepts to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Knowledge across the variety of components which comprise enterprise architecture – Business Strategy, Innovation, IT Portfolio, Solution Delivery, Governance & Frameworks and Architecture Practice Leadership
• Demonstrable Architecture experience 
• Proven ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels
• Able to demonstrate themselves as an ambassador for change and able to support others during periods of change

On offer, together with this fantastic career opportunity, you will be provided with a strong and competitive benefits package in addition to the base salary.

This Includes

• 15% Bonus potential
• 28 days holiday + Bank Holidays
• Pension Scheme
• Healthcare
• Share options
• Group Discounts
• Other flexible benefits

Far more than a retailer, Pets at Home Group is the UK’s leading pet care specialist, fulfilling every possible pet and owner need, from food and accessories to grooming and vet services. Since 1991, we’ve been building a business around pets and their owners and we’ve set our sights on becoming the best pet care business in the world. Join us now and you can be part of that journey, developing your future as we develop ours. This is a place where you can take pride and passion in your work within an inspiring, professional team that’s focused on supporting pets and their owners to live happier lives together.