Smart Architecture Lead

Main Purpose of Role

The government is committed to the installation of 53 million smart meters in over 30 million homes and small businesses by the end of 2019. As such, Smart Metering represents a major transformation for RWE npower, our customers and our industry as a whole. RWE npower has established a major programme to ensure the smooth delivery of this change.

The Government has confirmed its intention to mandate smart metering for both gas and electricity consumption, for both Residential and SME markets. The npower Smart programme will commence Foundation Learning meter installation from the beginning of 2013. The mass roll out will start from mid 2014.

Reporting to the Design and Assurance Lead, for the duration of the Programme, the Architecture Lead will own (and is ultimately accountable for the quality of) the Smart Programme design estate direct design related activities and provide thought leadership in relation to Smart design and architecture - both within the programme and across the wider organisation.

The Architecture Lead will lead a team of architects, who between them cover the breadth and depth of the proposed architectures.

The Architecture Lead will be recognised throughout npower as the knowledge authority on all aspects of the Smart architecture.

Role of Architecture Lead

The role of the Architecture Lead is to:

• Direct the activities required to produce the appropriate quality design deliverables for the Smart Programme, ensuring that they comply with the relevant npower / RWE standards where applicable.

• Own the Smart design estate on behalf of the Smart Programme.

• Assure the integrity of the content of the Smart design estate.

• Transition and integrate the Smart design into the wider npower design estate.

• Ensure that the Smart design aligns with npower strategy.

• Provide thought leadership and direct activities in relation to the Change Control process.

• Provide thought leadership and direct activities in relation to the resolution of design issues/questions.

• Integrate with wider change programmes and their respective architecture leads and Design Authorities.

• Provide design guidance to the Smart Programme Design Authority (and also the Change Board, Programme Management Team, Programme Advisory Board, and Steerco as required).

• Lead a team of architects (which will be a mix of direct reports and a virtual team) of varied disciplines to achieve the outcomes required of this role.

• Be recognised throughout npower as the knowledge authority on all aspects of the Smart architecture.

• Influence stakeholders both within and outside of the programme (to senior management level) in relation to achieving the necessary outcomes in support of Smart design and scope.

The role may also have periodic requirements to present on progress at Performance Unit leadership meetings or other senior management forums.

In addition, there will be significant interface with key stakeholders at every level across npower and external suppliers, to ensure that the programme design is well communicated and understood and that all programme interfaces and overlaps have been identified. In this respect, exceptional communication skills will be a necessity to bring together the wide range of stakeholders, with differing priorities and requirements, to a common understanding of the programme, its opportunities and its limitations.

A high degree of understanding of how the industry and the business processes work is essential. It is also vital that the role holder has an excellent understanding of the underpinning Smart Programme business case to ensure that the design delivers the planned benefits. In addition, a good knowledge and track record in delivering or leading highly technical projects will be advantageous.

The programme will be highly visible across npower, so the success of the programme is a core expectation of board members.

Principal Accountabilities

1.Own the Smart design estate – content and quality - on behalf of the Smart Programme.

•Ensure that the scope and content of the design estate is such that it enables the successful delivery of the Smart Programme.

•Ensuring that they comply with the relevant npower / RWE standards where applicable.

•Determine the ‘gold standards’ which should be adopted for the design deliverables throughout the life of the programmeThe role holder has accountability for the overall content (breadth and depth) of the design estate.

2.Direct the activities required to produce the appropriate quality design deliverables for the Smart Programme.

•Lead a team of architects (which will be a mix of direct reports and a virtual team) of varied disciplines to achieve the outcomes required of this role.

•Provide direction to the delivery projects under the Smart Programme in relation to project level design activities.

3.Assures the integrity of the content of the Smart design estate.

•Understands the complex relationships across the Smart design at all levels (process, data, technology, organisation).

•Ensures alignment between the various design elements.

•Key member of the Smart Design Authority, providing design thought leadership.

•Ensures that relevant design control mechanisms (eg. Business Rules, design assumptions etc) are in place.

4.Transition and integrate the Smart design into the wider npower design estate.

•Work with the over arching Design Authority to align the Smart design such that it can transition into npower

5.Ensure that the Smart design aligns with npower strategy.

•Where feasible and managing the cost trade-off, build flexibility into the design against Corporate Strategy’s customer strategy.

6.Provide thought leadership and direct activities in relation to the Change Control process.

•Direct architecture related activities in support of the Change Control process including impact assessments (inc cost-benefit) and decision notes

•Make decision recommendations to the Change Board (or other governance bodies)

•Provide feedback to those raising changes in relation to feasibility and costs

7.Provide thought leadership and direct activities in relation to the resolution of design issues/questions.

•Identify issues and questions.

•Direct activities to drive solutions and product the relevant decision making materials (impact assessments, Decision Notes etc).

8.Integrate with wider change programmes and their respective architecture leads and Design Authorities.

•Provide the Smart perspective

•Influence outcomes to ensure the optimal outcome for npower in relation to Smart

9.Provide design guidance to the Smart Programme Design Authority (and also the Change Board, Programme Management Team, Programme Advisory Board, and Steerco as required).

10.Lead a team of architects (which will be a mix of direct reports and a virtual team) of varied disciplines to achieve the outcomes required of this role.

11.Be recognised throughout npower as the knowledge authority on all aspects of the Smart architecture.

•Influence stakeholders both within and outside of the programme (to senior management level) in relation to achieving the necessary outcomes in support of Smart design and scope.

Knowledge and Skills

The post holder will have a good academic background and ideally at least ten years experience in the energy markets.

The post holder will:-

•Have gravitas and credibility in order to represent Smart and influence outcomes with stakeholders across the organisation and at senior management levels (including the npower leadership team).

•Impressive experience of either leading projects with significant design content, or leading corporate design activities.

•Have highly developed communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex issues to a wide variety of senior stakeholders

•In addition, the post holder should be able to influence design outcomes with internal and external (e.g. solution provider) stakeholders.

•Will have excellent management skills backed up by relevant experience

•Will have good IT skills MS Office suite (especially Excel), case tools (ARIS),

•Will have in depth understanding of architecture domains and how they integrate to provide a consistent design.

•Be results-oriented, able to meet tight deadlines and produce clear and concise feedback/reports to senior management

•Be able to cope in a high pressure environment

•Will have the ability to think laterally and to provide solutions to problems which arise

•Knowledge and understanding of RWE npower business structures is important

Resources

Managing the business resources will be crucial and balancing the operational needs of the business, versus the resource needs of the programme will be a major requirement of the post holder.

The post holder will manage and lead a virtual team of people at various grades (some direct, some through an RWE IT consultancy agreement, some direct). The post holder will be expected to closely manage this changing team throughout the process, optimising resource across the business and programme office.

The output of this team will be highly visible across the business and senior stakeholders and it is imperative that it can be relied upon, is accurate and of high quality.

The post holder will also interface at a senior level with counterparts and stakeholders and will be expected to make regular presentations to the various programme governance meetings.

The post holder will also be expected to manage any departmental budget as may be appropriate, but will also be responsible for endorsement of spend in relation to changes.