DDaT - Lead Technical Architect

DSIT • Full-time • MOD Abbeywood, BS34 8JH • £59.69k - £65.61k / year • 2w ago

Job summary

Defence Digital ensures our Armed Forces remain among the most technologically advanced in the world. We do this by putting innovative and effective technology into the hands of over 200,000 users, from the boardroom to the front line.

We lead on cutting-edge data science, automation, and cyber security at scale. Our mission goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving digital innovation that impacts lives across the globe.

Defence Digital forms part of Strategic Command which manages the MOD’s joint capabilities for the Army, RAF, and Royal Navy.

Working at Defence Digital

Passionate about using your skills to make a critical difference? Your next career move could be here!

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

As a Lead Technical Architect within the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Cloud and Hosting domain, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring technical strategies and architectures are developed, agreed, and followed. Working alongside business, technical, and other specialists, you will lead the ongoing development of technical standards, reference architectures, patterns and guidance used to ensure our solutions and services fit into the broader strategy for Defence and wider government. An Architect with proven skills in either Enterprise Cloud, Edge and Internet of things (IoT), or End User Devices, you will bring your experience to help develop secure, resilient, and cutting edge technical architectures that support our critical Defence activities.

Responsibilities

As Lead Technical Architect you will be responsible for building an understanding of Defence’s diverse and complex technology estate, including:

Developing and delivering a range of technical architecture outputs, and act as architecture subject matter expert and key point of contact.
Contributing to Defence’s overall Enterprise Architecture, by developing technical strategies, policies, and roadmaps, from a business, technology, and data perspective, including ‘as-is’, ‘to-be’ and transitional states.
Presenting architectural and technical recommendations to senior management and other key decision makers, providing expert guidance on key technologies, enterprise solutions, and digital transformation initiatives, to influence enterprise-level technical direction and digital technology decisions.
Promoting pan-Defence reuse, operational sustainability, and scalability, to achieve value for money, drive integration by default, and reduce duplicative technology across the enterprise and delivery portfolio.
Developing, leading, and participating in architecture communities as required, to collaborate and advise partners across Defence, Government, Industry, and our NATO Allies and to ensure business, technology, and data decisions are aligned with current Defence strategy. National and International travel will occasionally be required to support these engagements
Carrying out horizon scanning across industry, identifying emerging trends and their potential impact and opportunity, updating technical strategies and roadmaps, as appropriate.

For more information on Technical Architects please see the Government Digital and Data Framework;

Lead Technical Architect

Person specification

As a successful Lead Technical Architect you will bring experience of the following;

Proven ability to design, implement, and evaluate secure, scalable, and reliable technical architectures that meet business needs.
Ability to work independently on your own initiative, and under minimal supervision within a complex technology environment.
Expertise in communicating the business value of technical architectures to stakeholders at all levels, including the most senior leadership.
Demonstrable aptitude to lead, influence, and guide architects, engineers, developers, and other technical team members in accordance with approved architectures and patterns.
Proficiency with Enterprise Cloud, Edge and Internet of Things, or End Use Devices and related technologies.
Familiarity with governance and compliance requirements, ideally from a Defence, Intelligence, or similar, setting.

Essential Criteria

Has demonstrated experience of working at the enterprise level, producing strategic, architectural, and design materials, in a role with pan-organisational responsibilities.
Has demonstrated excellent formal and informal communication skills, and the ability to effectively influence and lead in a complex organisation.
Has experience of working within a large and strictly governed Enterprise environment, for instance, from a Financial, Government, Defence, or National Security setting.
Has relevant experience with complex or novel Enterprise technologies, Business or Collaborative Applications, AI, Cloud, Edge, IoT, or End User devices.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Architect for the whole context
Architecture communication
Strategy Design
Technical design throughout the life cycle

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £59,690, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,292 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
Ability to roll over up to 10 days annual leave per year
In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King's birthday
Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to for volunteer military or emergency service reserve commitments
Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year
Enhanced parental and adoption leave
Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing
Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club and Gyms
Pension contribution: 28.97%.

Discover my benefits for more information

This post is eligible for a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £15,300 per annum. Eligibility for this allowance will be assessed at interview against 4 core technical skills only and reviewed annually in line with MOD policy.

Learning & Development

In Defence Digital we have a strong learning and development ethos, supporting you to fulfil your potential by providing:

Learning and development tailored to your role
Professional and Personal Development of skills
Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD
Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by MOD

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

At Sift, you will be assessed against the following:

Experience based questions

Please provide responses to the following experience-based questions. Answers must not exceed 400 words per question and should be entered into the “personal statement” section of the application. Responses longer than 400 words will result in the candidate being sifted out:

Describe some practical examples of where you have needed to take the lead on making critical decisions due to conflicting technical priorities or time pressures, without direction or support from management, and explain the results of your decisions, successful or otherwise?
Provide some examples of how you successfully communicated complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, particularly when discussing technical transformation, migration, or similar implementation strategies?
Explain how you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, and provide some examples of how you have applied a new technology, paradigm, or architectural approach to solve a business problem?

Also, please submit your CV, using the template on CSjobs ensuring it highlights your relevance to the essential criteria listed below. Your CV will be scored against these Essential Criteria.

Your CV and experience-based questions will be assessed to determine your suitability to be invited to interview.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

Behaviours

Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

Architect for the whole context
Architecture communication
Strategy Design
Technical design throughout the life cycle

Please refer to the Technical Skills - Framework: Lead Technical Architect

Equality and Diversity

Our people are at the heart of everything we do at Defence Digital. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer and we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process if this is something you want to explore.

AI Usage in Job Applications

We encourage the use of technology to streamline the job application process. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be helpful in generating ideas, improving writing style, and increasing efficiency. However, it is essential that any content submitted as part of a job application is truthful, accurate, and a genuine reflection of the applicant’s qualifications and experiences. Any use of AI should be supplementary to your own knowledge and abilities. Ultimately, the application should demonstrate your unique skills and suitability for the role.

Professional Framework Statement

Defence Digital operates an organisation model in which every individual belongs to a Government Profession. The successful applicant will be posted into one of the defined Government Professions on Standard Terms of Reference for the grade. Defence Digital reserves the right to move individuals between roles, within their allocated profession, to meet the needs of the business and in support of agile resourcing. Within Defence Digital each profession is led by a Professional Head of Community who will lead professional development and support the Continuous Professional Development path for their group.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Strategic Command is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to improve the way the Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, all posts within Strategic Command Headquarters and in time the wider organisation, are/will be subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name :
Defence Digital Talent Acquisition Team
Email :
ukstratcomdd-hr-talentacqdel@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: , Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email:

info@csc.gov.uk.