Application Development Architect

Requirements

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company currently has an opening for an Application Development Architect at its' corporate headquarters in Akron, Ohio.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. The company employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 26 countries around the world. For more information about Goodyear go to www.goodyear.com/corporate

Department Description:
Technical Application Development, TAD, creates applications and databases to support the business needs of RDE&Q. The main focus is on data collection systems that support Analysis, Data Capture, Design Tools, Library functions, Reporting, Request Systems and Spec Systems used in the tire development process. Applications are web-based and client/server; toolsets employed include Oracle RDBMS, SQL, PL/SQL, Java/J2EE, Visual Basic for Applications, .NET, Lotus Notes, and declining PL/1, CICS, DB2, and QMF.


Primary Purpose of the Position:
This position is responsible for designing, developing, supporting, and enhancing .NET software solutions in support of the tire development process. Development and enhancement activities will vary from small, individual efforts lasting a few days to large, team-oriented projects spanning many months. These work assignments may arrive in a less than detailed fashion, requiring further investigation, objectivity and creativity in arriving at a solution. The Architect must be able to apply knowledge of .NET technologies and methodologies with business subject matter to design and develop technical solutions. Support activities include problem resolution, security maintenance, and end user training. This position may guide or instruct lower level staff members on larger, project related efforts.
This position will also be a technical liaison for outsourced development efforts. They will work with both onsite and offshore contractors to ensure that 3rd party developed solutions comply with Goodyear development and production standards, and interface seamlessly with existing Goodyear applications.


Principle Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Analyze business needs and identify effective, potential technical solutions. Project involvement is multi-disciplinary and complex in scope. A thorough awareness of Goodyear's technical environment, coupled with cross- functional knowledge of business process, is needed to make decisions.
2. Design and develop new processes, programs and configuration to support the business. Translate process into practice through the current Information Technology and Methodology tool sets, all the while promoting acceptance from the stakeholder community through active participation.
3. Conduct full unit and integration testing scenarios. Document and write operational instructions for all work requirements. This documentation may serve as training material for the stakeholder community or operational group.
4. Troubleshoot, investigate and persist. Develop solutions to problems with unknown causes by applying logic, inference, persistence and experience with creative initiative. Confer with stakeholder community on problem determination. Make joint analysis decisions on cause and correction methods. Provide cross-functional support and maintenance for responsible areas. Perform tasks necessary to ensure data integrity and system stability.
5. Provide knowledge transfer on current technologies and application design methodologies to junior level staff and stakeholders. Provide knowledge transfer on business process practice to junior level team members.
6. Conduct cost/benefit analysis through evaluation of alternative design approaches to determine best-balanced solution. Best-balanced solution is one that satisfies the immediate stakeholder needs, meets system requirements and facilitates subsequent change.
7. Track to project plans. Monitor results and make adjustments to priorities in order to accomplish objectives on time and under budget.
8. Assume basic Team Lead assignments from task planning through implementation of small systems or components of larger complex system. Supervise junior level team members and/or contractors when appropriate.
9. Liaise with onsite and offshore contractors to communicate Goodyear's technology standards, review technical design specifications and solutions for compliance, and assist in solution migration into Goodyear's production environment.


Qualifications:
Required-

* Associate or higher level degree in Computer Science, MIS or related discipline or equivalent technical work experience. Equivalent work experience must include: a minimum of 10 years general Information Technology experience.
* Minimum 5 years experience with .Net.
* Experience with IT system development lifecycle processes.
* Excellent organizational and time management skills.
* Excellent oral and written communications skills.
* Experience working with onsite and offshore contractors.
* Capable of working independently.
* Basic knowledge of the MS Office 2003 Product suite.

Preferred-
* Experience with Web Services, NTier design, and Code Generation.
* Experience with SQL, PL/SQL, TSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and Smarteam
* Experience with Visual Basic for Applications.
* Experience with .Net and COM Interop.
* Experience with Source Code Control (CVS, Subversion, VSS)
* Experience with Unit Testing Frameworks
* Experience with Visual Studio 2008
* Experience with Object Oriented Design


Goodyear offers a comprehensive benefit program along with a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience.

Applicants must be lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.

Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer