Delivery Assurance Architect

The Delivery Assurance (DA) Solution Architect is a critical, senior role within Anaplan's professional services organisation, acting as the primary guardian of technical quality and implementation health for our most strategic customer projects. This role is not about hands-on building; it is about providing expert peer review, architectural governance, and risk mitigation to ensure every Anaplan solution is scalable, performant, and aligned with our highest best-practice standards, ultimately leading to zero troubled deployments.

Core Responsibilities & Day-to-Day Tasks:

• Execute the DA Framework: Systematically conduct architectural and design reviews at key project milestones (e.g., Entitlement, Data Integration, Model Build, Go-Live) using standardised DA checklists and applications. Maintain the DA Progress Tracker, including updating KPI scores, logging detailed notes, and tracking project documentation.

• Drive Accountability: While not responsible for the "fixing," the DA Architect is responsible for holding implementation teams accountable for executing remediation plans and adjusting timelines accordingly.

• Manage Escalations: Act as the first line of defence in identifying project risks. When issues are blocked or ignored, execute the standard escalation path, from flagging risks in the DA tracker for leadership visibility to engaging with Anaplan account leadership and, if necessary, the customer sponsor.

• Interface with Customer and partner teams: Facilitate a three-way conversation on milestone review outcomes and next steps, providing visibility to the customer and partnership to the delivery team.

• Act as a Technical Advisor: Serve as a trusted expert for partners and internal teams, providing guidance on complex modelling logic, platform capabilities (e.g., Polaris vs. Classic), and strategies for handling App extensions and upgradability.

• Identify and Document Risk: Proactively identify, document, and assess technical and architectural risks, using the DA Checklist application to flag issues and provide specific, actionable best-practice guidance to implementation teams.

• Facilitate Remediation & Educational Workshops: After completing a checklist, lead sign-off meetings with partner and customer stakeholders to review findings, prioritise high-impact issues, and collaboratively formulate an action plan. When necessary, design and lead optional, targeted educational workshops (e.g., clarifying UAT vs. SIT testing methodologies) to ensure partners and customers fully grasp complex concepts and the "why" behind a required remediation.

• Interface with Internal Teams: When platform-level issues are identified, serve as the liaison with Anaplan's internal ecosystem

What We Need in a Delivery Assurance Architect:

• Deep Technical Acumen: You are a seasoned Anaplan expert with a Master Anaplanner or senior Solution Architect background. You can instantly recognize architectural anti-patterns, diagnose performance bottlenecks, and provide credible, expert-level design recommendations.

• Process Discipline: You are methodical and structured. You understand the value of following a standardised framework and using designated tools to ensure every review is consistent, auditable, and complete.

• Consultative Communication: You possess exceptional communication and negotiation skills. You can tactfully deliver critical feedback, challenge a flawed design decision, and guide a partner toward the correct solution without creating friction. You know how to be an advisor, not just an auditor.

• Unflinching Accountability: You are not afraid to have difficult conversations. You can comfortably escalate issues, hold teams accountable for their commitments, and clearly articulate the consequences of ignoring best-practice guidance.

• Pragmatic Problem-Solving: You can analyse complex, real-world project scenarios and apply a decision-making framework that balances architectural purity, project timelines, and customer requirements to achieve the best possible outcome.

• Executive Presence: You can synthesise and communicate complex technical findings into a clear, high-level summary for non-technical stakeholders, including customer teams and Anaplan account leadership.

Key Outcomes & Measures of Success:

• Zero Troubled Deployments

• Accelerated Time-to-Value (TTV)

• Protected Commercial Value (Renewals & Expansion)

• Elevated Ecosystem Capability

• 100% "No Surprises" Visibility: You maintain an accurate, up-to-date audit trail in the DA Progress Tracker