Lead Domain Architect - Infrastructure

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IT Services at the University of Sheffield provides a comprehensive range of technology and digital services that underpin teaching, learning, research and professional services across the University.

This role supports delivery across our three strategic product areas:
Education, Research and Innovation, and One University. These product areas utilise modern product-based and agile delivery approaches to improve services, simplify processes and accelerate digital transformation.

The Lead Domain Architect – Infrastructure is a senior leadership role within the Architecture Practice. The role is responsible for defining and governing the University’s infrastructure architecture, ensuring technology platforms are secure, resilient, scalable and aligned to the University’s strategic direction.

The post holder will provide technical leadership across infrastructure architecture, including networking, cloud, end user computing, hosting, data centres, storage, virtualisation and core infrastructure services. They will lead a small team of domain architects, establish architectural standards and roadmaps, and work closely with product, project and engineering teams to ensure technology investments support long-term business outcomes.

• Lead and develop the University’s Infrastructure Architecture capability within the Architecture Practice.
• Provide day-to-day leadership, mentoring and professional development for the Cloud Architect and End User Compute Architect.
• Build a collaborative architecture culture focused on innovation, consistency and continual improvement.
• Support the Lead Architect in developing the overall Architecture Practice, governance processes and standards.
• Lead the architectural design of major infrastructure initiatives including cloud adoption, networking, hosting, identity, end user technologies, data centre modernisation and technology refresh programmes.
• Work with Solution Architects to ensure infrastructure requirements are appropriately incorporated into project architectures.
• Support engineering teams in developing detailed technical designs while maintaining architectural integrity.
• Ensure infrastructure solutions deliver appropriate levels of resilience, performance, availability, security and operational supportability.
• Build strong relationships with senior technical leaders, product teams, project managers and suppliers.
• Lead the organisation in exploiting technology, using knowledge of IT solutions to support innovative and high-impact business capabilities.
• Maintain awareness of emerging technologies that might benefit the University, identifying and mitigating business and architectural risks.
• Provide architectural guidance and technical support to project teams, assisting with business cases and reviewing vendor proposals for architectural alignment and cost-effectiveness.
• Support engineers in developing engineering level designs and embed the University's sustainability principles in all activities.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the…