Solutions Architect                                                                                                                       

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Background

Enterprise Ireland is a statutory agency under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment (DETE), responsible for the development and growth of Irish enterprises in world markets. We work in partnership with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales on global markets. In this way, we support sustainable economic growth, regional development and secure employment.

Enterprise Ireland is a large national and global organisation comprising of a network of nine regional offices throughout Ireland and over 33 international locations. Its annual budget is circa €400m and employs circa 800 staff. Its core functions are centralised and maintained at Enterprise Ireland’s headquarters located at The Plaza, East Point Business Park, Dublin, D03 E5R6.

Enterprise Ireland’s strategy, “Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally (2025-2029)”, was developed in the context of our 2030 vision: Irish enterprises creating solutions for global challenges and delivering sustainable prosperity throughout Ireland.

Further details on the organisation and its services are available at www.enterprise-ireland.com. 

Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) work with Enterprise Ireland to ensure that businesses of all sizes are assisted on their development journey from start-up to scaling. Our core collective objectives are to boost the productivity of established businesses and connect enterprises with innovation opportunities at home and internationally, maximising their growth and job creation potential.

Local Enterprise Offices working with Enterprise Ireland

The Local Enterprise Offices work “to develop and sustain a positive enterprise ecosystem at local level throughout the country that will in particular drive new added-value start-ups, the further growth of small and micro enterprises and enhance local economies.”

This role plays a vital part in the Enterprise Ireland Strategy - Leading in a Changing World. LEO’s are a key partner in delivering on the ambitions set out by Enterprise Ireland. LEOs operate under a service level agreement between Enterprise Ireland and the Local Authorities.

LEO Digital Transformation Programme

The LEO Digital Transformation Programme is a strategic initiative to deliver a modern Client Relationship Management Solution (CRMS) for the 31 Local Enterprise Offices. This solution will transform how LEOs manage grants, engage with clients, and deliver services by providing a secure, scalable, and integrated platform built on Microsoft Dynamics 365. The programme will enable end-to-end digitalisation, streamline processes, and improve client experience while ensuring interoperability with Enterprise Ireland systems.

Significant progress has been achieved, including the establishment of a strong governance framework, completion and sign-off of a comprehensive Business Requirements Document (BRD), and definition of technical foundations such as requirements traceability, data migration strategy, and testing approach. A vendor partner has been selected to implement the solution, which will include detailed design, build, data migration from legacy systems, testing, user acceptance testing, go-live, and post-implementation support including hypercare. The next phase will focus on mobilising delivery teams, conducting design workshops, and validating user acceptance criteria before moving into build and phased deployment.

Role Purpose

Enterprise Ireland is seeking a highly experienced and delivery-focused Solution Architect to join the LEO internal team supporting the rollout of the Client Relationship Management Solution (CRMS) for the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). This role is critical to ensuring that the solution meets the agreed business requirements and delivers a secure, scalable, and future-ready platform aligned with Enterprise Ireland’s digital transformation objectives.

The Solution Architect will report operationally to the Programme Manager and work in close partnership with them throughout the delivery lifecycle, while functionally reporting to the Department Manager. Acting as the technical authority for the programme, the Solution Architect will ensure that the solution design optimises functionality, performance, and interoperability with Enterprise Ireland systems.

Key responsibilities include:

·       Representing the agreed Business Requirements Document (BRD) and ensuring all functional and non-functional requirements are translated into a robust solution.

·       Working closely with the Programme Manager and vendor partner to guide solution design, validate architecture decisions, and manage technical dependencies.

·       Using JIRA extensively to maintain solution design traceability, track requirements, and ensure alignment between business needs and technical delivery.

·       Conducting design and architecture reviews at critical stages to ensure compliance with EI standards, security protocols, and scalability principles.

·       Providing technical guidance and assurance to internal teams and vendor resources, ensuring best practices in configuration, integration, and data migration.

·       Championing optimisation and futureproofing, ensuring the solution supports phased enhancements and minimises customisation.

·       Collaborating with business analysts and stakeholders to validate user acceptance criteria and ensure the solution delivers a seamless client experience.

This role demands strong technical leadership, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in delivering a solution that transforms LEO operations, streamlines grant management, and provides a unified 360° view of client interactions.

Key Deliverables

Solution Design

• Collaborate closely with the Programme Manager and business teams to understand strategic and operational needs, ensuring the solution reflects the agreed Business Requirements Document (BRD).
• Translate business requirements into technical specifications and optimise solution design for scalability, security, and interoperability with Enterprise Ireland systems.
• Use JIRA extensively to maintain traceability between requirements and solution components, track progress, and ensure alignment throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Apply an iterative, user-centric design approach, incorporating stakeholder feedback and promoting continuous improvement.
• Ensure solution designs comply with Enterprise Ireland’s architecture standards and support integration with systems such as SharePoint, Azure AD, and Local Authority finance platforms.

Technical Leadership

• Provide end-to-end technical leadership across all phases: design, build, data migration, testing, UAT, go-live, and hypercare.
• Guide vendor and internal technical teams, ensuring adherence to best practices and delivery milestones.
• Conduct design reviews and validate architecture decisions to mitigate risks early.
• Champion robust quality assurance practices, including automated testing, code reviews, and performance monitoring.
• Lead critical technology decisions, balancing innovation with maintainability and security.

Architecture Development

• Ensure architectural decisions align with Enterprise Ireland’s digital strategy and LEO programme objectives.
• Collaborate with EI’s Cyber & Information Security team to embed security by design.
• Produce comprehensive architectural documentation to support implementation, troubleshooting, and future enhancements 

Collaboration & Communication

• Work in close partnership with the Programme Manager to manage dependencies, risks, and delivery timelines.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across LEOs, Local Authorities, and DETE to ensure shared understanding of goals.
• Facilitate collaborative workshops and design sessions with vendor teams and business representatives.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly and concisely to diverse audiences.
• Embrace agile delivery principles to enable responsiveness and iterative value delivery.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the solution architecture for the CRMS platform built on Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Azure in collaboration with partners.
• Represent the agreed BRD throughout the delivery lifecycle, ensuring all functional and non-functional requirements are met.
• Oversee integration architecture and data migration planning, ensuring interoperability with external systems.
• Support governance processes including architecture review boards, change control, and risk assessments.
• Collaborate with the vendor partner to ensure timely delivery of components, adherence to SLAs.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, ISO 27001, NIS2, and EI’s internal data governance and security protocols.
• Use JIRA extensively to document and update solution design components
• Participate in sprint planning, demos, and technical workshops.
• Support the creation of artefacts such as solution blueprints, ERDs, data migration plans, and readiness checklists.
• Contribute to continuous improvement and futureproofing of the CRMS platform.

Functional Competencies (Key Skills & Knowledge)

Essential Criteria

·       Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, or related field coupled with relevant certifications such as TOGAF or Microsoft Certified: Solution Architect Expert is essential.

·       Extensive experience in a Solution Architect role within medium or large organisations coupled with a proven track record leading solution architecture for CRM platforms and delivering enterprise-grade solutions is essential.

·       Extensive experience of working in the IT industry with demonstrable experience of delivering large-scale projects across Microsoft technologies Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM platform, including Power Platform and Azure is essential.

·       Strong knowledge of software development methodologies, architectural patterns, and best practices is essential.

Desirable Criteria

·       Proficiency in web services and API technologies (REST, SOAP, JSON/XML).

·       Solid understanding of ICT security principles and controls to protect organisational data.

·       Expertise in cloud computing platforms and services (Microsoft Azure preferred).

·       Familiarity with the Zachman Framework

·       Experience with complex business systems integrations.

·       Experience in grants management through CRM systems is desirable.

·       Knowledge of Agile project management methodologies.

·       End-user focused, self-motivated, and comfortable working independently or in cross-functional teams.

·       Strong organisational, prioritisation and stakeholder management skills.

·       Critical thinking and analytical skills.

·       Exceptional English communication skills (written, verbal, digital, and formal presentations).

·       Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams).

·       Desire to share knowledge and mentor others with varying degrees of expertise.

Enterprise Ireland Behavioural Competencies  

Results Focused

The ability to remain outcome and results focused with regard to business requirements and organisational goals, monitoring progress and adjusting approach ensuring delivery against the appropriate timescales.

Innovation and Risk-Taking

Actively encourages new ideas, experimentation and measured risk-taking, while always being on the lookout for opportunities to continuously improve business processes and efficiencies within Enterprise Ireland and client organisations.

Problem Solving and Decision-Making

The ability to be decisive and take make clear recommendations after analysis of requirements, to deliver sustainable results, using the analysis of information and situations to make logical and sound decisions.

Client Focused

The ability to provide an excellent client service focusing on client needs and building and maintaining effective personal and business relationships to advance clients’ objectives and Enterprise Ireland strategy.

Communicating with Impact to Influence Others

Communicates in a manner that will persuade, convince, and influence their own staff and others, both internally and externally, to motivate, inspire or encourage them to follow a particular course of action. 

Teamworking 

Co-operates with colleagues, shares information, and respects the opinions and values of staff members. Understands the skills, experience and knowledge of staff members and maximises how these can be utilised to the benefit of the department, the organisation, and the client.

Embracing & Leading Change

Understands the business agenda of Enterprise Ireland and embraces changes for area of responsibility and for external and internal clients.  

Acting / Leading with Integrity 

Lives the Enterprise Ireland purpose and values, acting genuinely and with integrity, in a manner that builds trust and engages and motivates others, placing the genuine needs of the client, the organisation, and staff ahead of personal agendas  

Networking

Establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues and other networks for the purpose of sharing information.

Developing Yourself & Others

Creates an environment that enables others to excel in terms of job performance.

Salary Scale:

€81,475 to €100,064 per annum (contributory scale)

Rising to €103,138 and €106,220 by long service increments.

€78,696 to €95,058 per annum (non-contributory scale)

Rising to €97,983 and €100,909 by long service increments.

Candidates should note that entry will be at the minimum of the relevant scale and the rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Subject to satisfactory performance, increments may be payable in line with current Government Policy.

** Point of entry on this salary scale may differ from the minimum point of the scale if the successful candidate is a current public or civil servant. **

Application and Selection Process

The selection process may include shortlisting of candidates. The selection criteria will be based on the functional competency requirements listed as essential for the position. It is therefore important that you demonstrate a detailed and accurate account of where you believe your skills and experience meet the requirements for the position. This should be contained in a short document (maximum 2 pages – see template provided) accompanying your CV.  

To apply for the position, send a detailed CV and supporting document quoting reference number EI.006.26E to st[email protected] to be received on or before Tuesday 17th February 2026. 

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