Senior Data Architect

HSO Success and Ambition

HSO has grown organically to have more than 400 people throughout the UK and we expect to continue to grow significantly in the next five years. We are a leading member of the Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle, founded in 1987, and specialize in sectors such as Retail, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Financial Services and Local Government. We’ve won several prestigious awards over the last few years including being voted in the UK’s top 10 Best Large companies to work for the last 3 years running. This year we are also proud to have been named the D365 Finance Microsoft Partner of the Year Award and Finalist for D365 Sales & Marketing.

HSO is the place to work for those in the Microsoft Dynamics channel. People join and stay because we care; about adding value to our customers, about delivering what we say we will, striving to improve ourselves, being inclusive and having fun.

The core values that enable us to work so well together, also mean our customers want to work with us. We choose to be different to other Microsoft Partners. Caring about our people, customers and quality of work differentiates us. We always support our people and customers to achieve shared, agreed goals.

Reason for vacancy

Continued growth of HSO and with the increase in the number and increased complexity of D365 projects, we need to extend our capabilities to have a dedicated Senior Data Architect.

Job Purpose

This is a highly visible role, both internally and externally. The Senior Data Architect will work with HSO customers, with regular customer-facing and on-site contact. Good customer awareness is essential to be able to fulfil the breadth of the role. The Senior Data Architect will take a leading role in supporting the design and implementation of solutions for our customers and will be a key contributor throughout the entire project life cycle, and into prospect/customer engagement, the Cloud Services Team, and the Project Team. Alongside the team, you are tasked with finding and delivering the best solution for the prospect/customer utilising the full breadth of the D365 product and the rest of the Microsoft Azure stack.

You will provide modelling and analytical direction for all end-to-end elements of the solution design for our customers and will ensure cost-effective, high quality and controlled delivery of the customers requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• To be a member of the HSO Project Team focussed on implementing D365 at our customers.

• To support the architectural definition of a solution which can provide business intelligence and reporting landscape encompassing strategic, analytical, operational and compliance reports throughout the business

• To provide architectural modelling and documentation for the solution being implemented, ensuring that the rationale behind decisions is clearly communicated within the project team and customer.

• Be able to design smart data systems, using the information to drive forecasts, make predictions and support decision making.

• To design and implement data migration paths from legacy systems to D365 Apps.

• To design and implement master-data store concepts and distribution strategies.

• Be able to design and implement proof of concept solutions

• Provide the link between the customer technical team and the internal technical & development teams for queries and issues arising from the D365 architecture proposal and build.

• Provide the link between the implementation teams and the technical teams, ensuring the new system architecture provides a solid foundation for the solution being provided.

• Provide the link between the customer team, HSO implementation teams, HSO technical teams and Microsoft.

• Working closely with the Solution architect and the Technical architect to ensure that proposed data architecture will service all customer requirements and it takes maximum advantage of standard D365 Apps.

• Working closely with the Solution architect and the Technical architect to ensure the implementation details of a solution do not deviate from the agreed design.

• To produce systems architecture and design documentation to agreed HSO standards.

• To understand the HSO project delivery methodology and apply this implementation approach to all HSO Projects.

• Involvement in the migration of data between non-production environments and the production environment.

• Always represent HSO in a professional and positive manner.

• Ensure that all Microsoft certifications and accreditations required to fulfil this role within HSO are met as determined by you and the Team Head.

• To ensure that you are up to date with all Microsoft and D365 products through self-learning, and where necessary, through external / Microsoft-led conferences.

• To promote new or emerging technologies to the HSO Management Team where you believe HSO can benefit and provide a competitive advantage.

Key Competencies

• Commercial and budget awareness

• Client facing

• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills

• Planning and organising

• Decision-making

• Communication skills

• Influencing and leading

• Delegation

• Team work

• Negotiation

• Flexibility

Location

Based where appropriate whether on client site, in the office or working from home. Travel will be extensive to various locations. There is an expectation that this role will be part of the project delivery teams, and a likelihood of at least 3 days per week on customer sites. It will be a requirement to spend some time in the office to develop relationships in-house with the rest of HSO, as well as keeping abreast of the developments of the business and understanding the company’s approach to the market.

Experience and Skills

Essential:

• 5+ years of hands-on ERP systems e.g. Dynamics AX 2012, D365, SAP, Azure architected solutions, AWS. etc.

• Experience as a functional / data migration or integration lead, with an understanding of how the data elements of a solution underpin the overall solution.

• Experience or good understanding of all D365 Apps, Common Data service, Power Query, SSIS, Data warehouse, ETL process and technologies.

• Good understanding of the usage, constraints and considerations of the Microsoft tools: e.g. Data

management framework, Odata, Logic Apps, Service Bus, Event Grid, API Management, CDS, CDS

Connectors, Data Integrator, Functions and 3rd party integration tools.

• Should understand the uses of middleware in orchestration and integration, able to create integration architectures using Azure or 3rd party middleware.

• Have good knowledge tools and technologies related data architecture, able to define and implement performant solution that is capable to deal peak data volumes in secure and efficient way.

• Good understanding of general data compliance regulations e.g. GDPR.

• Good understanding of BI tools and capabilities.

• Experience of understanding and defining KPI’s of customer business, ability to define data architecture to provide bases so BI and AI tools can be used.

• Good presentation and demonstration skills.

• Project Management awareness.

• Good written and verbal communication skills.

• Good understanding of implementation methodology OR demonstrate understanding of the

implementation process for ERP system.

• Ability to identify emerging useful technologies, learn independently and if useful relay the knowledge to internal team.

• Confidence and ability to become trusted advisor both internally and to customers.

Beneficial (but not essential) Skills:

• Five year’s exposure to, or multiple complete Dynamics 365 implementations.

• Dynamic AX/D365 Certification, together with wider technical or functional accreditation.

• Functional and technical understanding of key elements of D365 for Finance & Operations and /or Sales.

• In addition to experience of successfully implementing AX, you will have the personality and ambition to evolve into a senior member of the HSO team with a high level of responsibility for the delivery of successful client implementations.

• Experience with LCS and Dev Ops.

• Educated to degree level.

Parking and close to Public transport at Office locations

Holidays

Pension

Healthcare

Dental

Life Insurance

Tonic Wellbeing

HSO Perkz