Lead Sonata SME

Contract Type:
Permanent

Location:
Edinburgh or Glasgow or Alderley Park (Wilmslow)

Working Style:
Hybrid - 50% from home / 50% office based

The Lead Sonata SME provides specialist knowledge and guidance across the Bravura Sonata platform, ensuring the platform is effectively designed, configured, enhanced, and operated in alignment with business and technology objectives. The role acts as a key advisor and subject matter expert across product configuration, platform capability, solution design, business process alignment, change delivery, and continuous improvement. The Lead Sonata SME works closely with technology teams, business stakeholders, delivery teams, and external vendors to ensure Sonata remains stable, scalable, and fit for purpose.

• Provide Sonata expertise across platform enhancements, projects, and strategic initiatives.
• Translate business requirements into scalable Sonata solutions, covering configuration, workflows, rules, product setup, processes, and integration impacts.
• Review proposed changes, identify risks and dependencies, and ensure alignment with platform standards and business objectives.
• Provide design assurance and guidance to delivery teams throughout the change lifecycle.

• Provide governance over Sonata configuration, usage, and platform practices.
• Ensure solutions align with business needs, regulatory requirements, and Sonata platform strategy.
• Partner with business and technology stakeholders to define improvements, challenge requirements where appropriate, and identify optimisation opportunities.
• Support prioritisation of platform enhancements and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Provide Sonata expertise across testing, release, and implementation activities.
• Support solution validation, release readiness, and post-release assurance.
• Act as a key point of contact supporting product discussions, upgrades, roadmap alignment, and platform capability assessments.
• Contribute to platform governance forums and strategic technology decisions.

• Maintain Sonata standards, documentation, and knowledge assets.
• Promote consistent platform practices and knowledge sharing across delivery, support, and delivery teams.
• Coach teams on Sonata capabilities and support the reduction of platform knowledge dependency.

• Good understanding of how an Oracle DB operates
• Awareness of OracleAQ and the creation of JMS messages
• Knowledge of the Sonata data model would be desirable
• A good understanding of the technology and software that underpins the Sonata application
• Ability to write SQL queries (on an Oracle and/or SQL Server DB)
• Detailed knowledge of the Sonata Application including
  • Configuration capabilities
  • Sonata job setup
  • Use of transformation scripts
  • Flexibility of users/groups/permissions to allow targeted access to Sonata
  • Single Sign On setup using Azure Entra
• A good understanding of the Sonata installer process
• Awareness of how a Source of Truth is structured
• Using testing tools such as SOAPUI or ReadyAPI be able to construct SBS requests
• Ability to diagnose performance issues
• Experience with successful implementation of return to trunk upgrades
• Good knowledge of Operational Data Store (ODS) and Wheres cape Red application

• Knowledge of monitoring tools (e.g App Dynamics, Logic Monitor)
• Sonata Workflow knowledge
• Experience in managing multiple Sources of Truth
• Service Now experience
• Awareness of agile methodology

• A wide knowledge of UK Pensions
• Ability to problem solve and troubleshoot
• Ability to multi task effectively
• Able to remain calm under pressure
• Good attention to detail
• Can-do attitude
• Always striving for continuous improvement