The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba (WCB) invites firms to submit a Proposal for the following: The supply of one (1) full-time resource to act as the Information and Data Enterprise Architect for an initial period of twelve (12) months, with an irrevocable option to extend for two (2) additional periods of six (6) months each, to support information management and assist in developing essential artifacts to enhance information and data capabilities. This resource will also contribute to the WCB's strategic project initiatives, specifically within the IT risk mitigation portfolio and data management efforts.
Description of Services
The WCB requires the Contractor to supply the Information and Data Enterprise Architect on a full-time basis [thirty-six and a quarter (36.25) hours per week] to provide their leadership, expertise, and support of the WCB's information and data risk mitigation and transition to the target state digital ecosystem.
The Information and Data Enterprise Architect, who will be a core member of the EAO, will assesses and identify risks associated with IT-managed operational data, prioritizing high-risk areas by collaborating with IT teams, risk managers, and stakeholders to define actionable architectural solutions that address vulnerabilities effectively.
The Information and Data Enterprise Architect, in line with the EAO's operating model, strategic objectives, and governance, will present any architecture changes in data domain to the WCB's Architecture Review Board for approval and cross alignment with other architecture domains and IT operations.
In the event of an incident or breach, the Information and Data Enterprise Architect will work with the WCB's Cybersecurity and other architects to provide architectural guidance to address the root causes of security incidents involving operational data and propose measures to prevent recurrence.
The scope of responsibilities for the Information and Data Enterprise Architect will include, but not be limited to, the following:
a) Develop a comprehensive data classification framework in collaboration with the database administrator (DBA) team, governance stakeholders, and project managers, ensuring IT-managed data is categorized based on sensitivity and risk levels and aligned with organizational governance policies and security requirements.
b) Design architectural solutions for encryption protocols to secure sensitive operational data at rest in database repositories, working closely with security and IT implementation teams for successful deployment.
c) Ensure all data architecture initiatives align with organizational data governance standards and compliance requirements by coordinating with governance leads, reviewing standards, and designing solutions to close gaps. This will be accomplished in the context of the WCB's evolving data governance framework, which is currently in the process of being established.
d) Develop strategies to safeguard operational data at every stage of its lifecycle by planning secure storage, encrypted transmission, and controlled processing solutions that meet risk mitigation and compliance goals, working collaboratively with the Cloud Architect, Integration Architect, Security Architect, and other Technology Architects.
e) Recommend best practices for data encryption and classification based on industry trends, architecting solutions that enhance security and compliance while being practical for implementation.
f) Support data governance initiatives by providing architectural expertise and working with key stakeholders to help in the creation of a data governance organization, ensuring that operational data standards and compliance requirements are addressed effectively.
g) Create processes to manage the lifecycle of operational data, architecting retention, archival, and secure deletion solutions while collaborating with DBA and IT teams for implementation.
h) Collaborate with IT risk management teams to plan and design data architecture solutions that align with mitigation objectives and are adaptable to evolving organizational needs.
i) Evaluate existing tools and systems for managing operational data, proposing architectural improvements or replacements that enhance the security and governance of IT-managed data.
j) Lead efforts to document data classification and encryption architectures, ensuring these documents are comprehensive and accessible to stakeholders while assisting in planning their implementation.
k) Provide technical leadership for IT projects involving operational data, ensuring that proposed solutions align with the organization's risk mitigation strategies and are properly documented and planned for execution by project teams.
l) Provide input and architectural guidance on disaster recovery requirements for IT-managed operational data, ensuring alignment with overall organizational goals while leaving implementation and testing to the IT teams responsible for business continuity.
m) Develop and maintain detailed documentation of all architected risk mitigation solutions, ensuring clarity and accessibility for stakeholders involved in implementing and maintaining these solutions.
n) Act as a liaison to keep the business intelligence (BI) team informed of any governance-related initiatives impacting operational data, ensuring transparency and alignment without direct involvement in BI systems.
o) Define architectural requirements for audit processes to ensure compliance with data security and governance policies and work with audit teams to integrate these requirements into actionable plans.
p) Collaborate with IT operations teams to architect governance measures that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, automating compliance checks where feasible and ensuring adherence to governance practices.
q) Align all data architecture initiatives with the WCB's strategic data roadmap, ensuring that solutions prioritize long-term organizational goals and deliver measurable value.
r) Identify capacity constraints affecting data security and governance initiatives and architect solutions to ensure these initiatives are effectively implemented while adhering to organizational standards.
s) Provide mentorship and guidance to IT staff on architectural best practices for data security, classification, and governance, fostering a deeper understanding of the organization's data risk management strategies.
t) Support the enterprise architecture (EA) team by providing guidance and producing essential domain artefacts.
The Services shall normally be performed during Business Hours. However, the WCB may request some of the Services to be performed outside Business Hours from time to time, as deemed necessary, in the unfettered discretion of the WCB. The Contractor shall not be entitled to charge overtime rates unless specified in the Fee Schedule.
The Information and Data Enterprise Architect must have experience and knowledge with the following:
a) Minimum of seven (7) years' experience in data architecture disciplines;
b) Experience designing conceptual, logical, and physical data architectures;
c) Knowledge of various conversion mechanisms and data modelling tools; and
d) Proficiency with on premises and cloud-based data storage services and capabilities.
The Information and Data Enterprise Architect is expected to possess the following skills, competencies, and characteristics:
a) Skills:
- Ability to apply knowledge of systems, data, and customer requirements to uncover problems and recommends solutions;
- Ability to design efficient and scalable database schemas to meet business requirements;
- Proficiency in relational (SQL) and non-relational (NoSQL) databases, ensuring optimal performance and reliability;
- Expertise in Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) workflows for seamless data integration;
- Familiarity with tools like Hadoop, Spark, or similar platforms for handling large datasets;
- Knowledge of cloud-based data solutions especially Azure;
- Knowledge of data integrity, compliance, and protection against breaches;
- Ability to interpret complex data and translate business needs into technical solutions;
- Familiarity with workers compensation insurance software packages;
- Comprehensive understanding of workers compensation insurance business processes, including claims processing, policy management, and billing systems;
- A thorough understanding of the applicable legislation and how it impacts data;
- Knowledge of data integration tools;
- Thorough understanding of project management and SDLC (software development life cycle) methodologies;
- Ability to determine long term directions, industry trends, and how they relate to the organizational needs; and
- Ability to initiate change and to communicate effectively.
b) Competencies:
- Organizationally savvy, with situational and contextual intelligence of the political climate of the enterprise and how to navigate obstacles and politics;
- Balance the long-term (big picture) and short-term implications of individual decisions and organization goals;
- Estimate the financial impact of EA alternatives and apply multiple solutions to business problems;
- Rapidly comprehend the functions and capabilities of new technologies;
- Ready to think, behave, and act in an innovative consulting manner to drive the WCB's digital business strategies; and
- Understand and speak the language of the business.
c) Characteristics:
- Trusted and respected as a thought leader who can influence and persuade business and IT leaders;
- Comfortable, experienced, and accomplished at working with business executives, and able to push back in a professional and diplomatic way;
- Highly collaborative and supportive of business and of its ideals and strategies;
- Highly innovative with aptitude for foresight, systems thinking, and design thinking;
- Vendor and technology neutral; more interested in achieving targeted business outcomes than in personal preferences, or in vested personal preferences of other business and IT leaders;
- Composed in the face of opposition to architectural principles, governance, and standards; and
- Practical in approach to problem solving and decision-making.
The Proposal should include an overview of the proposed resource(s) being offered, including profiles of work, which highlight their experience performing similar projects. Vendors are also expected to provide the following information for each proposed resource (in additional to the information requested in Schedule "A" section 8.2):
a) Resource's name and identify any subcontractor relationship (i.e. if individual resource is not an employee of the Vendor);
b) Completed skills matrix identifying resource's skills and knowledge;
c) Ability to start on WCB's preferred start date or later date of availability; and
d) Resume of resource.
Final selection of a resource may be subject to an in-person, telephone, or video conference interview by the WCB.
The Contractor will not be required to have and maintain workers compensation coverage for its workers who will be providing the Services, unless required pursuant to The Workers Compensation Act.
The Services can be provided remotely with a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) up to fifty percent (50%) of the time required onsite at the WCB's facilities located at 333/363 Broadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
It is expected the Services will be required for an initial period of twelve (12) months with a preferred start date of June 2, 2025. The WCB shall have an irrevocable option to further extend the Services on the same terms and conditions and fees for an additional two (2) periods of six (6) months each.
Vendors are strongly encouraged to provide a skills matrix for each resource that is being offered for the Information and Data Enterprise Architect position. The WCB may use the skills matrix, in addition to the Vendor's general information, and resume of the proposed resource(s), as an additional tool to evaluate the suitability of a resource for the Information and Data Enterprise Architect position.
Vendors are not permitted to contact any employees, officers, or agents of the WCB for matters regarding this RFP, except in writing to the Agreement Administrator. Failure to adhere to this rule may result in the disqualification of a Vendor and rejection of its Proposal.
