Application Architect

Founded in 1906, American Greetings is the world`s largest
publicly owned creator, manufacturer and distributor of social
expression products. In the United States, our greetings cards
are marketed under the names American Greetings, Carlton Cards and
Gibson. Other domestic products include DesignWare party goods,
GuildHouse candles, and Learning Horizons educational products.

BUSINESS FUNCTIONAL AREAS SERVICED: Candidate will lead efforts to develop and implement application architecture strategies and standards, and will provide research services to ISD and the business to identify and define technology direction in advance of the need. This position is part of the IS Architecture Team. SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS OR TECHNOLOGIES SERVICED:Key delivery areas include technical and product functionality analysis versus needs for ERP (SAP or Oracle) and best-of-breed packaged solutions, technology and implementation planning for packaged solutions, application portfolio analysis and rationalization planning, development of an enterprise application integration strategy including supporting technologies, and focus on the software development lifecycle (SDLC) for both packaged and custom alternatives. This role includes effort to research and select the specific technologies to be used and to document the decisions, gain consensus, and disseminate/commercialize the decisions.Candidate is to have experience in the following:' Broad knowledge of multiple technology areas, including both software and hardware' Expertise in at least several diverse technologies, including ERP or best-of-breed package implementation, Mainframe, Databases, Application development technologies, SOA, Middleware and Security' Experience in the SDLC, with preference in Object-oriented technologies and UML' Experience in systems architecture development and systems integration' Demonstrated research and analytical skills' Understanding of key trends in the technology marketplace' Strong organizational and time management skills' Strong collaboration and teamwork skills' Strong written and oral communication skills, including ability to formulate sound recommendations based on often incomplete information Key Responsibilities: ' Develop application architecture strategies and reference implementations in support of business needs in the areas of major packaged application solutions such as ERP as well as custom application development' Provide architectural and design consulting on application implementation projects' Provide IT research support and technology advanced planning' Identify future technology and business trends and drive ideas out into ISD and business leadership' Lead both technical and functional aspects of package evaluations and make recommendations; lead the technical architecting on implementations' Investigate and communicate product benefits and risks to multiple audiences' Develop value propositions and ROI cases for emerging technologies OTHER SKILL/BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE:PC Skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), OO methodologies and tools, strong interpersonal skills, and self-motivated.

7+ years of IT Experience Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent
American Greetings is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer
and

a drug-free workplace.