Solution Architect

Introduction
A career in IBM Consulting embraces long-term relationships and close collaboration with clients across the globe. In this role, you will work for IBM BPO, part of Consulting that, accelerates digital transformation using agile methodologies, process mining, and AI-powered workflows.

You’ll work with visionaries across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Your ability to accelerate impact and make meaningful change for your clients is enabled by our strategic partner ecosystem and our robust technology platforms across the IBM portfolio, including IBM Software and Red Hat.

Curiosity and a constant quest for knowledge serve as the foundation to success in IBM Consulting. In your role, you’ll be supported by mentors and coaches who will encourage you to challenge the norm, investigate ideas outside of your role, and come up with creative solutions resulting in groundbreaking impact for a wide network of clients. Our culture of evolution and empathy centers on long-term career growth and learning opportunities in an environment that embraces your unique skills and experience.

Your Role and Responsibilities
We are seeking an experienced Solution Architect to lead the implementation, optimization, and management of Blackline’s Journal Entry and Automated Journal Definition functionalities for our client. As a Solution Architect, you will work closely with cross-functional teams, including Finance, IT, and business stakeholders, to design, integrate, and optimize Blackline solutions that support efficient, accurate, and automated journal entry processes within our financial system.

Your primary responsibilities include:

• Lead the design and implementation of Journal Entry and Automated Journal Definition solutions using Blackline software.
• Ensure that solution designs align with business requirements, industry best practices, and IT standards.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define technical and functional requirements for automated journal entries and supporting processes.
• Work closely with project managers and technical teams to deliver Blackline implementations on time and within scope.
• Provide technical leadership during the integration of Blackline with existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and other financial software.
• Ensure seamless data flow and accurate reconciliation across all integrated systems.
• Customize and configure Blackline’s Journal Entry features to meet business needs, including automated journal definitions, approval workflows, and posting processes.
• Implement custom validation rules, templates, and automated journal entry generation based on defined business logic.
• Lead initiatives to automate journal entries based on predefined criteria and business rules, reducing manual intervention and improving efficiency.
• Ensure that automated journal definitions are scalable and can handle large volumes of data while maintaining high levels of accuracy.
• Engage with Finance, Accounting, and other relevant business units to understand and map out their requirements for journal entry processes.
• Act as the liaison between the technical team and business stakeholders, translating technical concepts into actionable business requirements.
• Oversee system testing, including unit tests, integration tests, and user acceptance tests (UAT), to ensure the solution meets functional and non-functional requirements.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues identified during testing and post-implementation.
• Provide training to end users and business stakeholders on Blackline Journal Entry functionality, including best practices for creating and managing journal entries.
• Provide ongoing support and maintenance for the Blackline solution, ensuring it remains up-to-date and continues to meet the evolving needs of the business.
• Stay up to date with new features and releases in Blackline and identify opportunities to improve existing processes.
• Recommend enhancements to improve system performance, scalability, and user experience.

Required Technical and Professional Expertise

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Must have – Experience – 15-20 years for Record to report domain, worked and deployed platform like Blackline ,Trintech cadency etc.
• Have lead the deployment of balkline JE and other modules for at least 4 – 5 client organization as technical solution architect.
• Minimum 12+ years of experience in a solution architect or technical role, with a focus on financial systems and accounting software
• Must be Certified on Blackline
• Proven experience with Blackline Financial Journal Entry and Automated Journal Definition features.
• Solid understanding of general ledger (GL) accounting processes, journal entry workflows, and financial close management.
• Experience in integrating Blackline with other ERP and financial systems (e.g., SAP ECC and S4JANA and JDE).
• Experience with automation of accounting and journal entry processes. How RPA and blackline can be amalgamated
• Expertise in system integrations, including APIs, middleware, and data transformation tools.
• Strong knowledge of financial data models, relational databases, and SQL is must.
• Familiarity with data mapping, ETL processes, and business rule automation.
• Experience with cloud-based systems and enterprise software architecture.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills to interact with technical teams, business users, and leadership.
• Experience in working with cross-functional teams and leading technical discussions.

Preferred Technical and Professional Expertise

• Blackline Certified Consultant.
• ITIL or other relevant certifications.