Sonata SME

Role Purpose

The Sonata SME provides specialist knowledge and guidance across the Bravura Sonata platform, ensuring the platform is effectively designed, configured, enhanced, and operated in alignment with business and technology objectives.

The role acts as a key advisor and subject matter expert across product configuration, platform capability, solution design, business process alignment, change delivery, and continuous improvement. The Sonata SME works closely with technology teams, business stakeholders, delivery teams, and external vendors to ensure Sonata remains stable, scalable, and fit for purpose.

Key Responsibilities

1. Solution Design, Configuration & Change Delivery

Provide Sonata expertise across platform enhancements, projects, and strategic initiatives.

Translate business requirements into scalable Sonata solutions, covering configuration, workflows, rules, product setup, processes, and integration impacts.

Review proposed changes, identify risks and dependencies, and ensure alignment with platform standards and business objectives.

Provide design assurance and guidance to delivery teams throughout the change lifecycle.

2. Platform Governance & Business Alignment

Provide governance over Sonata configuration, usage, and platform practices.

Ensure solutions align with business needs, regulatory requirements, and Sonata platform strategy.

Partner with business and technology stakeholders to define improvements, challenge requirements where appropriate, and identify optimisation opportunities.

Support prioritisation of platform enhancements and continuous improvement initiatives.

3. Testing, Releases & Vendor Engagement

Provide Sonata expertise across testing, release, and implementation activities.

Support solution validation, release readiness, and post-release assurance.

Act as a key point of contact supporting product discussions, upgrades, roadmap alignment, and platform capability assessments.

Contribute to platform governance forums and strategic technology decisions.

4. Knowledge & Capability Development

Maintain Sonata standards, documentation, and knowledge assets.

Promote consistent platform practices and knowledge sharing across delivery, support, and delivery teams.

Coach teams on Sonata capabilities and support the reduction of platform knowledge dependency.

Technical Skills

Good understanding of how an Oracle DB operates

Awareness of OracleAQ and the creation of JMS messages

Knowledge of the Sonata data model would be desirable

A good understanding of the technology and software that underpins the Sonata application

Ability to write SQL queries (on an Oracle and/or SQL Server DB)

Detailed knowledge of the Sonata Application including

Configuration capabilitie

Sonata job setup

Use of transformation scripts

Flexibility of users/groups/permissions to allow targeted access to Sonata

Single Sign On setup using Azure Entra

A good understanding of the Sonata installer process

Awareness of how a Source of Truth is structured

Using testing tools such as SOAPUI or ReadyAPI be able to construct SBS requests

Ability to diagnose performance issues

Experience with successful implementation of return to trunk upgrades

Good knowledge of Operational Data Store (ODS) and Wherescape Red application

Nice to have

Knowledge of monitoring tools (e.g App Dynamics, Logic Monitor)

Sonata Workflow knowledge

Experience in managing multiple Sources of Truth

Service Now experience

Awareness of agile methodology

Other Skills

A wide knowledge of UK Pensions

Ability to problem solve and troubleshoot

Ability to multi task effectively

Able to remain calm under pressure

Good attention to detail

Can-do attitude

Always striving for continuous improvement