Lead Business Architect

Since Aspen was founded in 2002, we have become a leading, diversified specialty insurance and reinsurance company. We respond thoughtfully and creatively to find the best outcomes for our clients and business partners through carefully-tailored solutions.

We believe the way we work is just as important as the work we do, and we are guided by our core values of respect, honesty, trust and professionalism.

Aspen is a great place to develop your career offering an exciting and challenging environment where achievement is rewarded.

The Role 

Develop and embed business architecture capability in Aspen including process, approach, governance framework and key artefacts.

Liaise with stakeholders to maintain the integrity of Aspen’s business architecture, ensuring application of design principles and Aspen’s strategic goals including to establish baseline Aspen enterprise capability map as a north star for all future product development and change delivery.

Build an Aspen business analysis capability, community of practice and internal domain knowledge and expertise.

Key Accountabilities       

Strategy and Planning 

• Develop the enterprise capability map defining future state business architecture and ensuring solution and product designs are strategically aligned and sympathetic to our future state operating model, group strategy and group operations strategy.
• Establish a process working in lock step with enterprise architecture and project teams, to support validation of change initiatives at AAB
• Support projects with impact assessment, defining capabilities that are subject to change and supporting design of change to key capabilities – ensuring any changes remain aligned to strategy and target enterprise maturity
• Design and embed business section of AAB papers
• Embed group operational strategy into business designs (process excellence, reusable capabilities enabled by ML / AI and other developments in technology
• Design and embed working arrangements with projects through business case and into detailed planning to ensure solution aligns to business architecture and supports the case for change
• Define business architecture best practice and business design principles for Aspen
• Ensure business designs and architecture considerations encompass all elements of Aspen’s compliance, risk management and controls environment
• Support the AAB process
• Collaborate with process excellence teams to define and embed Aspen process mapping standards
• Ensure all business architecture and process artefacts are maintained in a central repository
• Establish a robust peer review process for business architecture and analysis

Technical Performance 

• Supports architecture process (AAB and TAF approval)
• Acts as the expert to get projects to finalised design
• Maintains Enterprise Capability Map and detailed capability maps of functions (organically)
• Owns and delivers on key business architecture work product including any templates and outputs
• Promotes and supports the creation of effective knowledge management processes to ensure delivery of continuous improvement.
• Accuracy of MI provided (e.g. portfolio budget, resource, trends, risks, issues, decision tracking).
• Proactive identification of risks / potential issues.

Skills & Experience 

• Experienced in a related role (business analysis, process excellence, operational excellence etc.)
• Experience working in a matrix structure, influencing to get to an equitable solution
• Working as part of a senior team within a complex organisation (preferably within financial services industry)
• Demonstrable experience negotiating difficult situations to a successful conclusion
• Managing business analysts either as Lead Business Analyst or Business Analyst managerial role
• Excellent knowledge of insurance operating models
• Understanding of Aspen’s business goals, strategies, and operations
• Ability to assess complex business problems, identify patterns, and develop insightful solutions.
• Familiarity with business process modelling, enterprise architecture, and associated tools.
• Modelling and visualisation techniques
• Ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment, demonstrating teamwork, innovation, and excellence.
• Developing specific business model aligned to group and operational strategy
• Understanding of interdependencies between technology, operations, and business needs

At Aspen we know that having a diverse and inclusive workforce is good for our people, good for our business and good for the environments in which we operate.  We therefore welcome applications from people which allows us to draw on diverse cultures, perspectives, skills and experiences.