RBC: Lead Architect

The Royal Bank of Canada is looking for a Lead Architect:

Assist the Lead Architect in developing the strategy, vision and architectural direction for Information Security.
Provides direct support to the Lead Architect and may be called upon to perform the duties of the Lead Architect as events warrant.

This position will contribute to the development and refinement of Enterprise Security Architecture and communicate Enterprise Security Architecture Strategy to business and technical project stakeholders. Project level security architecture consulting will ensure enterprise security architecture strategy is delivered consistently and is in line with current and future enterprise security architecture strategy.

The Good
It’s a pretty senior role in a pretty big company with a 60B market cap.  If you’re even slightly interested in security, this seems like a role where you could really dig in and learn/apply security concepts, which could be an interesting technical challenge.

The location’s very central – as is true for many of the bank jobs in Toronto.  It’s not a bad area to work in, and it’s moderately convenient for just about everyone.

The Bad
The title is Lead Architect, and yet it reads like Assistant to the Lead Architect or Architect would be more fitting, since the job description makes regular reference to assisting the lead architect.  It’s not clear how you’re supposed to read into that. 

What’s Missing
Well, a link to the job posting would be a good start — it’s not hard to follow another RBC posting to the source and then put in the reference number to get the actual posting, but that requires a lot more work than simply clicking on the link that should be in the posting.

What’s the compensation like?  What would be the localized organization structure in which you’d be working: who would you be reporting to, working with; would anyone be reporting to you?  Would there be much need to travel?  What kind of mix would there be between the various things you’d be working on?

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to working in finance right now, even though the Canadian retail banking sector seems to be weathering the storm for the most part. 

It’s not clear how hands-on this role would be; some might find that problematic.

In Summary
This is probably most interesting to people already in some kind of architectural role with either a background in security of an interest in it.

Unspecified: Lead Technical Architect

The Laudi Group and Red Canary are helping an unspecified startup look for a Lead Technical Architect:

Armed with your understanding of how layers of technology, infrastructure and usability underpin a successful web app, you’ll plan and build the company’s flagship product.

While you’ll be an architect first and coder second, this is very much “roll-up-your-sleeves” work. You’ll select base technologies that will scaffold the most robust and scalable application/platform possible, integrating APIs, relational databases, cross-browser development, and more in your long-term plan.

Enjoying both salary and options, the small team you’ll join is lead by two successful entrepreneurs – both with expertise running and selling venture-funded companies.

They are looking for you to put your signature on a yet-formless application and platform. You’ll contribute not only your technical expertise, but lend business wisdom and insight – as well as the ability to fight in the trenches and build a polished product.

Although I haven’t received any official information about the company’s name, the information that I have received implies that this is a startup we’ve listed a job for before, but not for this role.  I won’t clarify further, since the information I’ve received may be considered confidential.

The Good
This is a pretty senior role, and it sounds like an opportunity to make your mark with a startup.  The startup also sounds like it’s at least moderately well-funded.  If this is the company that I believe it is, they’ve recently received a multi-million dollar investment that should last a little bit.  The technology stack sounds pretty wide-open.  If it’s true that it’s founded by serial entrepreneurs with a clear track record, that could be positive.

The Bad
If this is the company that I think it is, they had a senior technical guy on staff who was eventually titled CTO.  Is he still there?  If so, can’t he fill this role?  If he isn’t , why isn’t he? 

What’s Missing?
Most of the specifics.  What’s the company?  Where are they located?  What’s the compensation like, and does it include benefits?   Is there a team of people you’d be working with on the implementation?  What’s the size and composition of that team?  What is your relationship with said team?  What would you be building?  What’s the profit model?

YMMV
Not everyone wants to work for a startup.  Compensation tends to be lower, with some kind of salary-equity tradeoff, although this isn’t always true in funded startups.   Not everyone has and/or wants to apply this kind of cross-technology skillset.  And if this is the company that I think it is, not everyone will be excited by their business model.

In Summary
If being a lead technical architect for a startup sounds like your idea of fun, then it’s probably worth talking to these people in more detail to get the information you’re missing.

Telus: HSPA Mobile Device Platform & Services Architect

Telus is looking for what they’re calling an HSPA Mobile Device Platform & Services Architect.  In essence, Telus is rolling out a new technology platform along with Bell, and they’re hiring to fill some roles, including this one, which seems to be largely a planning and liason role to work with vendors, standards groups, and Telus to create roadmaps and strategize about this platform:

TELUS is looking for an individual to fill a Terminal Planning role, a position within the TELUS CTO Office, reporting to the Manager, Terminal Planning. The position is responsible for defining the 18 months to 5 year Terminal roadmap and strategy for the enablement of wireless services on mobile devices. The position will support TELUS plans to launch innovative and future friendly services over our next generation mobile devices while ensuring alignment with TELUS core and access networks.

Your enthusiasm for learning, love of a challenge and leadership capabilities will be keys to your success.

It sounds like this role requires a pretty solid background in Telecom, and my background in Telecom is probably not strong enough to pick out all of the good and bad points in this description.

The Good
Telus is a pretty big force in Canadian telecom. and from what I can tell, HSPA is the future for at least Bell and Telus, so this could be a pretty significant role in a pretty significant company in Canadian Telecom in a future-facing technology.  

The Bad
Some aspects of the role are well-described, others less so.   Where will this job be, out at Scarborough Town Centre, where much of Telus’ work gets done?  Is there a lot of travel involved?  Who will you be working with?  What’s the compensation package like?  What kind of process would you be following?  What kind of goals will you have in your first few years, and how will you be measured?

YMMV
This role sounds like it’s mostly about planning, strategy, liason — talking to people, connecting people, reporting status, making plans, and so forth.  If you’re looking for anything vaguely hands-on, this is probably less interesting.  Not everyone can feel good about their work and productive when they spend the day in and out of meetings and Office documents.

In Summary
If you’ve got a background in telecom and you think that working the strategy/planning side of a major technology rollout for a major Canadian telecom carrier sounds like fun, then this is probably a gig worth looking into.

Royal Bank of Canada: Enterprise Application Architect

The Royal Bank (RBC) is loking for an Enterprise Application Architect:

The Applications Architecture group of RBC’s Enterprise Architecture Services is responsible to research, design and develop application architecture strategies, directions and frameworks; collaborate in order to shorten application delivery cycles, improve quality and encourage reuse of application assets.  As an Application Architect you are responsible for providing application architecture leadership and direction for the Enterprise.  You will engage with vendors and analysts to understand applications trends and futures and ensure that the enterprise is positioned to take advantage of new directions for applications. You will work with Lead Architects, Solution Architects, Business Architects, project managers and application subject matter experts to review business drivers, needs and strategies and understand implications to overall application architecture.  You will have the opportunity to participate in technology planning sessions and anticipate future technology changes.

The Good
It’s a senior / strategic role in a pretty big company.  And although the credit crisis is wreaking havoc in finance, so far the Canadian Banks seem to be holding up under the strain.

 

The Bad
There’s lots of room for improvement in terms of the details:

• Where would you be working?  Front Street West is not the biggest area to search through for a Royal Bank office, but would it really kill them to just spit out an address?
• What does an enterprise architect at the Royal Bank get in terms of compensation?
• Why is this job category ‘investment advisor’?
• What kinds of projects would you be architecting?  
• What’s the process here, and how would you be closing the feedback loop with the implementation team?  Who will you be working with day-to-day, are there other architects with whom you’ll be collaborating?
• Are there goals, metrics to be met?

And so on.

YMMV
Although there are justifiable reasons to want an enterprise service bus, and I have to imagine that some people think the Open Group’s TOGAF and Zachman are well worth knowing, this is clearly not everyone’s cup of tea, nor is ‘governance’.

Your mileage may vary when it comes to an architecture job that isn’t directly tied to actual implementation work.  From what I gather from the job description, you’ll spend your time architecting, not architecting a little and being seriously involved with the resulting implementation.  You’ll be a chicken, not a pig. 

Your mileage may also vary about working for a financial institution during the credit crisis.

In Summary
I imagine this is mostly interesting if being a development-free architect for a bank sounds like your thing, or if the downturn scares you and you’re thinking that Canadian banks have what it takes despite the whole credit crisis.

Architech: Team Lead / Senior Java / Solutions Architect

Architech Solutions is looking for several positions, from a Team Lead [craigslist]:

Architech Solutions is seeking a Team Lead with a focus on the wireless telecommunications sector. The successful candidate will help lead development of a new software product targeted to the mobile advertising space on an international scale. You are proficient with viewing systems from various perspectives and clearly articulating decisions to a varied audience. We are looking for a focused, driven, detail-oriented, and big-picture thinker with the ability to consistently drive winning solutions. 

You are intimately familiar with wireless communications technology at the enterprise level: a real mobile guru. You have real-world experience architecting/implementing carrier-grade projects in the telecommunications space. You are an expert in Java and J2EE and experienced with a broad range of enterprise integration tools, technologies, and architectural patterns. You have experience with ESB products such as Aqualogic and WebSphere, portal platforms such as Weblogic Portal and Plumtree, XML and web services, Messaging Products such as MQ and MSMQ, as well as broad experience with industry class RDBMS systems. 

A solutions architect [architech]:

Architech Solutions is seeking a Solution Architect with a focus on the wireless telecommunications sector. The successful candidate will help lead development of a new software product targeted to the mobile advertising space on an international scale. You are proficient with viewing systems from various perspectives and clearly articulating decisions to a varied audience. We are looking for a focused, driven, detail-oriented, and big-picture thinker with the ability to consistently drive winning solutions.

You are intimately familiar with wireless communications technology at the enterprise level: a real mobile guru. You have real-world experience architecting/implementing carrier-grade projects in the telecommunications space. You are an expert in Java and J2EE and experienced with a broad range of enterprise integration tools, technologies, and architectural patterns. You have experience with ESB products such as Aqualogic and WebSphere, portal platforms such as Weblogic Portal and Plumtree, XML and web services, Messaging Products such as MQ and MSMQ, as well as broad experience with industry class RDBMS systems.

And a Senior Java Developer [craigslist, architech]:

Architech Solutions is seeking a Senior Java Developer with a focus on the wireless telecommunications sector. The successful candidate will participate in the development of a new software product targeted to the mobile advertising space on an international scale. 

You are a speedy and proficient developer who can remain focused in a fast-moving environment. You are familiar with wireless communications technology at the enterprise level: preferably a real mobile guru. You have experience with Agile development methodologies such as SCRUM and have real-world experience developing carrier-grade applications in the telecommunications space. You are an expert in Java and J2EE and experienced with a broad range of enterprise integration tools, technologies, and architectural patterns. You have experience with ESB products such as Aqualogic and WebSphere, portal platforms such as Weblogic Portal and Plumtree, XML and web services, Messaging Products such as MQ and MSMQ, as well as broad experience with industry class RDBMS systems. 

I’m not sure what the difference between the postings on Craigslist and on their site implies; perhaps the Solutions Architect and Team Lead are really the same position?

They’re also looking for QA, tech writers, and business analysts, so you can follow the links to their website to get more information on those fronts.

The Good
This seems to be a good time to join Architech, as they’re going through some growth, and it looks like their clients are among those not currently suffering from the subprime meltdown to any great degree.  In particular, i’d hazard a guess that the work they’re hiring for has to do with Rogers.  The role is fairly senior, the process seems to be some form of Agile, the work seems to have the potential to be visible and of significant scale.

The location seems to be 3 Church Street, right by the Bier Markt, St. Lawrence Market, etc.  Lots of shops, restaurants, food around, and not too far off the beaten path with respect to the TTC.  This is one of the better locations I’ve seen.   They may even have a foosball table.

And, of course, the usual gaps in information: what’s the team? are they hiring a whole new team for this, or working with some people already on board?  how big will the team be? what’s the compensation?  And finally, although there is some information about things like the work, the role, the process, there’s still room for more.

The Bad
SOA and ESB are often employed by companies swayed by technology hype rather than solid technology choices backed by a skeptical agile YAGNI sense.  That said, I believe that either one of those technologies can be chosen for the right reasons as well, and I can’t say that Architech has chosen these for the wrong reasons, only that many companies do.

Although I’m sure they’re just being thorough, the postings have come through Craigslist a fair number of times within a relatively short period, which is vaguely annoying if you’ve got a feed and you keep seeing the same items repeated.  I doubt you can generalize that into a “problem” about working at Architech, though. 

There are some little hiccups in the postings.  Architech doesn’t list an obvious contact point for responding to career postings on their website, and there’s the occasional typo, like “xTremeExperience with” which should presumably be “eXtreme Programming.  Experience with”

YMMV
Your mileage may vary when it comes to large-scale integration projects.  Often, people working on these end up spending most of their time fiddling with the wiring and very little time on what feels like “delivering value”.

I get the impression that Architech is a relatively small company at this stage, and they seem to be pretty new — not much more than a year old at best?  Their branding (name, logo) seems acceptable without being stellar (although presumably that’s a matter of taste — mouth media obviously disagrees with me).  It’s an open question how stable they are, although it’s certainly true that no stability is guaranteed.  Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Merril, AIG all looked pretty stable until subprime ate away their foundations, right?

In Summary
Java developer, Solutions Architect or Team Lead working near the St. Lawrence Market on telecom advertising at a very new and presumably small company.

Director at Aeroplan in Montreal

If moving to Montreal doesn’t phase you, it seems like Aeroplan has some big openings right now:

 

• Director Technology – Architecture, Strategy and Operations
• Director, Technology Security
• Data Architect

Seems like a good time to join Aeroplan.  But it’s Montreal, so I’ll leave it at that.

ING: Manager, Infrastructure Architecture

ING is looking for a Manager, Infrastructure Architecture:

We are actively recruiting for a Manager of Infrastructure Architecture to join our Technology Architecture group. The desired candidate will work with Project Managers, Capacity/Strategic planning, Development Managers, Ops and Technical Services on infrastructure design, development of strategic roadmaps,  and technology standards. This position is responsible for leading and mentoring other Technology Architects and assisting them in the Enterprise Architecture, and will play an integral role in the overall implementation of  the Technology Architecture strategic vision.

The Good
ING’s a pretty well-known player in the financial space, yet they’re fairly innovative for a financial company, so working there may not be entirely stifling.  It’s a pretty senior role.  Some of the technology sounds like it could be interesting (SAN, Virtualization, messaging, etc.)

The Bad
The has a fair amount of enterprise-speak (“strategic vision”, “integral role”, “strategic roadmaps”, “global infrastructure roadmaps”, “future business requirements”, “technical knowledge leading-edge”, “IT portfolio”).  You could probably play a bit of buzzword bingo with it.

And the usual knowledge gaps: process, work, team, compensation, etc.

YMMV
“Willingness to travel” could mean a lot of things.  Unless you’re completely indifferent to the amount of travel, you may want to inquire what that means before getting to far.

In Summary
If you have a stomach for Big-E Enterprise and financial institutions and want to get into a senior role where you can exercise your strategic vision to achieve business/IT alignment through the careful application of best practices resulting in service-oriented architectures that create return on investment, then ING would be pleased to accept your application in triplicate and assemble a committee to investigate facilitating acquiring you as a resource.

Bevertec: Application Architect “Level 3″

Bevertec is looking for an Application Architect, Level 3, which makes me wonder if Level 3 architects get any kind of bonus in hand-to-hand software development.

If you’re interested, you’ll need to know about EDL, PCT, WHTI and SPP.  Since I don’t know what those are, I can’t tell you if working with them would be interesting.  You’ll also want to know the Zachman Enterprise Framework, GOSMART, PIA, TRA, EPM, IMS DB/DC, PKI, RUS and WTF.

“International Investment Firm”: Development Manager / Architect

Pencom is helping a ‘Major International Investment Firm’ look for someone that they can call a ‘senior software development manager / architect‘:

• Build, maintain, retain and grow a strong development team
• Set technical architecture direction and vision for the development team
• Partner with IT Mgmt and Business to deliver eCommerce projects on-scope, on-time and on-budget and contributes to evolve an effective strategy
• Lead development of technology solutions to automate and support critical business processes and strategic plans

The title’s quite a mouthful, but the posting is reasonable, although I’ve seen this one before in other forms. In addition to the technical skills, they’re clearly looking for someone with a background in fixed-income securities (aka bonds) and messaging:

• Experience with electronic trading aspects of the Global Fixed Income business, such as current and emerging new markets, connectivity, auto-quoting, distribution, etc.
• Experience with full trade lifecycle events, and it’s technical and operational support

The Good
The salary is listed as ‘open’, which might be good. Investment banking is supposed to be an industry where there’s money to be made, although I’m not sure if that’s true for the development manager / architect types.

Certainly, there’s something appealing about the firm logic of financial markets and software development. They seem well-suited for each other, and because investment banks are a rarer bird than retail banking, the work might be more exciting.

The Bad
They don’t seem especially familiar with the adage, “on time, on budget, on quality: pick two.” That may simply be using industry boiler-plate for “looking for someone who won’t screw up our plans”, or they may be have-their-cake-and-eat-it types who refuse to acknowledge that software development is difficult to predict.

Those I’ve met who do work for retail banking are either very bored or very well paid, sometimes both. If investment banking isn’t more exciting, then you could be in for a dull ride.

Ultimately, the biggest problem here is the usual: lack of information. Who’s the investment firm, and are they on the verge of topping over in the sub-prime mess? What exactly is the work? Where is (or will be) the office? What are the details fo the technology? What’s the compensation, other than ‘open’? Are you building a team and a product from scratch, or working with an existing team and product? And so on.

YMMV
Your mileage may vary with respect to the aforementioned ‘open’ salary. Does that mean it’s well-paid, or simply that they’re not sure how much they’re willing to pay you until they meet you?

In Summary
If you’re looking to make a move and a development manager / architect role in investment banking sounds like fun to you, this might be an interesting opportunity, but the only way to find out is to respond.

Capgemini: Enterprise Architect

Capgemini is looking for an Enterprise Architect:

As a senior member of the Capgemini Technology Services: Strategy, Architecture & Integration team you will be responsible for and play a leadership role in the creation of Business and Technology Strategies, Transformational Roadmaps and value-driven technology implementation plans for our premier clients.  You will be seen by both your clients and your sales & delivery team partners as a trusted IT technology advisor and thought leader.

The Good
Capgemini’s pretty big in consulting, and this is a senior role.

The Bad
There’s a lot of Big-E enterprise in here: ITIL, PMBOK, Six Sigma, CMMI, TOGAF, Zachman, RUP, ESB. It’s hard to know if this is just because Capgemini has work with enterprises that are trying to manage their vendor relationships with one of these, or if Capgemini believes that these are the key to good service delivery.  I tend to find these warning signs that the position will be about following a process rather than attempting to get something done

The travel requirements (up to 100%) are excessive.  There’s very little about the location, but with those travel requirements, it may not matter.  The compensation doesn’t get a mention, although given the above, I sure hope it’s good.  There’s very little about the work, but that’s probably the nature of the consulting.

YMMV
Consulting.  Some of you are made for it, others are likely to hate it, and the rest are only willing to put up with it if the pay is high enough.  You should probably know where you fall before you talk to Capgemini.

Travel.  If you don’t have ties, getting to shuttle about the globe can be exciting, and fun, and with paid expenses, you can stash your paycheque into long-term savings, or toys.  If you’ve got ties, or your idea of a good night is curling up with a home-cooked meal, your dog and watching the latest episode of Gossip Girl, then travel’s probably not for you.

In Summary
This position sounds like it’s well-suited to someone already well-adjusted to the desires of Big-E Enterprise Architecture and consulting.  If ITIL, CMMI, TOGAF and Zachman are your best friends, or at least casual acquaintances, and you’ve got no ties to encumber the travel, this might be for you.