Sr. Director / Director - Architecture Engineering Management

Advantage Solutions IT in Chicago, IL is looking for a Architecture Engineering Management Leader to work a hybrid role; onsite potentially 1-3 days/week.  Advantage Solutions IT is a newly-established shared service capability within Advantage Solutions, and the Strategy & Architecture function is an entirely new concept within Advantage Solutions IT.  Our IT organization is focused on driving a significant amount of simultaneous IT & Business transformation while preparing for next new innovations in technology as those transformations take place.  The Strategy & Architecture team is responsible for driving technology strategies and architectures to connect and achieve those transformations while also innovating on new technology concepts to embed into the business at scale. 

We work in a matrixed environment alongside portfolio technology leaders / delivery teams and business stakeholders.  Together we are planning and implementing technology solutions that align with Advantage Solutions strategic goals and objectives.  The Strategy & Architecture team is a common shared IT service at the center of this journey.  The Architecture Engineering Management Leader role will focus primarily on partnering across Strategy & Architecture, IT Portfolio Leaders (Data, Commercial, Enterprise Systems), and Business Executives.  This partnership will involve scaling engineering delivery of common Center of Excellence architectures and patterns into services for those portfolios to integrate and consume – examples being both in platform data integration services, and in the Strategy & Architecture Innovation and Service Design Center of Excellence.  This role will guide stakeholders through the Architecture Engineering Management process to shape demand into scaled delivery and ultimately ongoing operations. 

This is a new practice area for Advantage Solutions IT, and so this Architecture Engineering Management Leader will define a Architecture Engineering Management process, method, tools, and techniques – pilot those with early demand opportunities to prove success, and with success lead in building Architecture Engineering Management skills and practices within the IT organization and with business partners.  The Architecture Engineering Management lead will educate the organization, coach emerging practitioners, and creatively build the Architecture Engineering Management practice and team.  The Architecture Engineering Management leader will communicate in plain language, visually, and with stories that drive toward consensus and understanding of new delivery demand and approaches for Advantage business and IT stakeholders, eventually toward shaping an ongoing architecture & engineering delivery organization spanning IT teams.  Together, with the wider team, the Architecture Engineering Management leader will build enabling processes that allow Architecture Engineering Management to flourish in the Advantage organization.  The role will also serve as a node of management responsibility for building Architecture Engineering Management people and capabilities initially within Strategy & Architecture, and later – if successful – across Advantage Solutions IT – to include defining priorities across the Architecture function, interfacing with other common service teams (IT Portfolio Teams, Software Engineering, and Program stakeholders). 

What we offer:

• Full-Time Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life)
• 401(k) with company match
• Training and Career Development
• Generous Paid Time-Off 

Responsibilities

• Be a shared practice expert and leader, partnering and facilitating across executives in the software engineering, data, product, and architecture domains
• Contextualize Architecture Engineering Management demand and lead definition of needs
• Personalize design approach to the demand and business / IT stakeholder audience using Architecture Engineering Management techniques – initially and particularly on the Integration Services center of excellence
• Facilitate internal communication in order to build understanding of engineering delivery approaches for new Innovation demand – proofs of concept, engineering MVP, transition into delivery
• Work with the involved teams to guide toward and shape delivery priority and approach to supervised services
• Keep Advantage program needs always in perspective as Architecture Engineering Management processes evolve with programs
• Build Architecture Engineering Management awareness, understanding, and skillsets within the Advantage IT organizations and the business groups with which it partners

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in a Technical Role (software engineering, architecture, portfolio management, etc.)
• 4+ years in a Design role (application, user experience, etc.)
• Experience with enterprise architecture strategy and implementation
• Experience with agile software engineering delivery and relationships with business and IT executives
• Experience with team staffing, building, development and coaching
• Experience to enterprise / data architecture and IT delivery excellence
• Exposure to innovation / design thinking / experience and Architecture Engineering Management practices
• Bachelors Degree
• Local to Chicago, IL (willing and able to go onsite a couple days/week)Product management experience is a plus.

  Job will remain open until filled 

The Company is one of North America’s leading sales and marketing agencies specializing in outsourced sales, merchandising, category management and marketing services to manufacturers, suppliers and producers of food products and consumer packaged goods. The Company services a variety of trade channels including grocery, mass merchandise, specialty, convenience, drug, dollar, club, hardware, consumer electronics and home centers. We bridge the gap between manufacturers and retailers, providing consumers access to the best products available in the marketplace today.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities
Team Management

- Handle personnel issues relating to staff conflicts, absenteeism, performance issues, etc.
- Work with each direct report to establish goals and objectives for each year and monitor and advise on the progress to enhance the professional development of staff.
- Recruit, select, orient, train, coach, counsel, and discipline employees
- Communicate values, strategies, and objectives
- Assign accountabilities; plan, monitor, and appraise job results
- Delegate work duties to staff to attain objectives

Business Development
- Work with Business Development, Account teams and Project Management team to respond to RFPs and meet with prospective clients to win new business
- Engage with existing customers on assigned accounts to determine additional ways we can serve their business needs in order to grow the accounts
- Consult with business units to understand current business processes and provide recommendations on how to leverage technology to streamline processes.

Technical Leadership
- Hold monthly team meetings to develop and grow the technical competency of their team
- Work with other technical leaders to technical areas that need additional growth within the teams
- Act as Tech Lead or Architect on major projects
- Provide technical mentorship to team members both on and off your specific projects
- Contribute to projects as an individual contributor as needed; be the glue when projects need help

Vendor Engagement
- Work with platform and software vendors to build and maintain partnerships

 
Supervisory Responsibilities:

Direct Reports
- Hires, retains, trains, coaches, guides, directs, and develops direct reports using company-wide processes, tools and resources

Indirect Reports
- May delegate work of others and provide guidance, direction and mentoring to indirect reports

Travel and/or Driving Requirements:
- Travel is an essential duty and function of this job
- Travel up to 30%

Minimum Qualifications The following are the minimum job-related qualifications which an individual needs in order to successfully perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job
Education Level: (Required): Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience
Field of Study/Area of Experience: Must have an undergraduate degree in business, management information systems, computer science or equivalent job-related experience. PMI Certification is desired but not required.
- 12+ years of experience in technical architecture, technical development and/or leading technical teams

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:
• Excellent written communication and verbal communication skills
• Well-organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle a fast-paced work environment
• Ability to work effectively with clients and technical teams
• Strong technical skills in one or more web and/or application development areas, e.g., HTML/CSS, JavaScript, .NET, PHP, Java, iOS, Android, NodeJS, DevOps, Cloud (AWS/Azure), Server OS (Linux/Windows)
• Flexible and adaptable, able to change and alter according to changes in projects or business environment
• Strong computer skills including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and web-browsers

Environmental & Physical Requirements:
Office / Sedentary Requirements: Incumbent must be able to perform the essential functions of the job. Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Typically requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time (80%+ each day), ability to hear the telephone, ability to enter data on a computer and may also require the ability to lift up to 10 pounds.

Additional Information Regarding Advantage Solutions Job Duties and Job Descriptions
Job duties include additional responsibilities as assigned by one’s supervisor or other manager related to the position/department. This job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required for the position. The Company reserves the right at any time with or without notice to alter or change job responsibilities, reassign or transfer job position or assign additional job responsibilities, subject to applicable law. The Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable a qualified applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.
Any estimate, schedule, or guideline provided to associates in this job description or elsewhere in connection with their jobs is only intended to help describe job duties and for planning purposes. Regardless of any such estimate, schedule, or guideline, associates must always record all time worked for our company (which includes but is not limited to on-site work time in an assigned store, office, or other work location; required waiting time; administrative time; and work-related travel time).

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of associates so classified.

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment practices without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental disability, or any other category protected by law. As part of this commitment, the Company shall provide reasonable accommodations of known disabilities to enable an applicant or employee to apply for employment, perform the essential functions of the job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment as required by the law.