Principal Enterprise Architect- Network Reliability

Why this job matters

This role is pivotal in shaping the future of Network Reliability (Network Assurance) within the OSS sub-domain, driving a 3 to 5-year systems technology vision and roadmap to achieve business objectives.

As BT Group transitions to a digital service delivery and management model based on the NaaS paradigm and 5GSA-enabled network capabilities, this role ensures we harness the full potential of cloud-native architecture, service lifecycle orchestration, and intent-based automation.

As Principal Enterprise Architect, you will be playing a crucial role in streamlining our current systems architecture, simplifying processes, and unlocking business efficiencies, ensuring BT Group remains at the forefront of technological innovation and service excellence.

Join us to make a significant impact on our journey towards a more efficient, innovative, and digitally-driven future.

What you’ll be doing

This role is critical for fixed and Mobile networks, Telco cloud assurance, Digital Voice and other business areas.  This role will impact the speed, capability and value BT can deliver (especially in the areas of Fault management, performance management, Test & Diagnostics, Observability, etc.)

• You'll be accountable for the business outcome led technical architectural states, strategies, simplification, 3-5 year roadmaps & value optimisation.
• Accountable for and decides on Enterprise Architectural direction, adherence to principles, standards and patterns for key strategic programmes.
• Presentation of the technical choices, direction, vision for Network Reliablity sub-domain, to Networks SLT.
• Driving a business capability, complexity, cost, risk and maturity assessment of the current state architecture to meet business outcome and simplification goals.
• Creating simple and agile architectures for your domain that drive clear business value and re-use pan-BT whilst removing cost and legacy from the landscape.
• Developing and maintaining realisable capability based roadmaps spanning a 5 year horizon.
• Supporting the selection of any IT vendors, suppliers and partners for your area and managing the practice of architecture through these parties where they impact your domain.
• Driving Enterprise Architecture and supporting business case development of signature ready vehicles that deliver timely, fit for purpose strategic transformations in business capability to senior stakeholders.
• Maintaining and communicating up-to-date knowledge of technology standards, industry trends, skills change, and emerging technologies within your area of expertise. 
• Strategy: Develop and support IT strategy, recognize and implement emerging technologies, and ensure alignment with industry best practices and vendor roadmaps.
• Leadership: Collaborate to define organizational vision and goals, ensure awareness of IT strategy among peers, and foster innovation through partnerships and community engagement.
• Governance: Establish architecture policies, maintain compliance with standards and regulations, and ensure alignment of budgets and project investments with the IT strategy.
   

What you'll bring

Mandatory: 

• Experience as a Senior Enterprise Architect / similar capacity with a telecom operator, developing long-term roadmaps linked to business outcomes, and setting up governance processes in large organizations.
• Networks Domain: Experience in both fixed and mobile networks, and Network Assurance.
• Supplier Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of supplier landscape, open-source options, and marketplace trends, including FCAPS, Observability, Telemetry, YANG modeling, Test & Diagnostics, and TMF standards.
• Sourcing Management: Preparing pre-qualification questionnaires and tender invitations, evaluating open source vs. proprietary options, and acting as the main contact between the organization and suppliers.
• Relationship Management: Identifying stakeholder communication needs, translating strategies into tasks, facilitating open communication, negotiating with senior stakeholders, and providing informed feedback.
• Information Systems Coordination: Proficiency in promoting the benefits of a common ICT approach, and coordinating the promotion, acquisition, development, and implementation of information systems and services.
• IT Strategy and Planning: Ensuring adherence to IT strategic management, collating information, creating reports, developing and communicating plans, and contributing to policy development.
• Enterprise and Business Architecture: Capturing and prioritizing market trends, and objectives, identifying business benefits of strategies, conducting feasibility studies, producing business models, preparing business cases, creating and reviewing systems capability strategies, developing enterprise-wide architecture, ensuring stakeholder buy-in, and setting strategies, policies, standards, and practices.
• Strategic Leadership, Compliance and Business Case Development: Develops and presents business cases for high-level initiatives, ensuring compliance between business strategies, enterprise transformation activities, and technology directions. Leads the creation and review of systems capability strategies, develops enterprise-wide architecture, sets strategies, policies, standards, and practices, and ensures stakeholder buy-in.
• Technology Trends: Good understanding of strategic and emerging technology trends, and their practical application to new and evolving business and operating models.

Nice to have:

• Recognised as a experienced technical expert within area of Network Assurance.
• Experience of Enterprise Architecture Frameworks including TOGAF, and their relevance to the practice of Enterprise Architecture.
• Hands-on experience of conceptual system or process modelling.
• Experience of producing business cases, gaining approval from senior stakeholders and ensuring delivery of  business benefits.
• Digital business literacy: Understanding business models, ecosystems, business model innovation, Lean start-up, and agile methods for Enterprise Architecture.
• Advanced Network Technologies: Proficiency in Netconf and gNMI, sFlow, Network Analytics, Intent-Driven Networks, Active Assurance (Probes), and Passive Assurance.
   

What's in it for you

• 15% on target bonus
• Private Health Care & Life Assurance Cover
• Car Allowance
• BT Pension scheme, minimum 5% Employee contribution, BT contribution 10%
• From January 2025, equal family leave:  receive 18 weeks at full pay, 8 weeks at half pay and 26 weeks at the statutory rate. It’s for all parents, no matter how your family is made up.
• Enhanced women’s health support: including help with menopause symptoms, cancer screenings, period care and more.
• 25 days annual leave (not including bank holidays), increasing with service
• 24/7 private virtual GP appointments for UK colleagues
• 2 weeks carer’s leave
• World-class training and development opportunities
• Option to join BT Shares Saving schemes.
• Exclusive colleague discounts on our latest and greatest BT broadband packages, BT TV with TNT Sports and NOW Entertainment