Lead Technical Architect

DSIT • Full-time • Newport, NP10 8QQ • £64.08k - £75.70k / year • 6d ago

Job summary

Please note: Applicants should review all aspects of this advert to ensure a thorough understanding. If reviewing via a screen reader, please note that the Job summary, Job description, Person specification, Benefits and Things you need to know sections have been emphasised

Lead Technical ArchitectThe IPO is a modern organization that relies heavily on its IT services to operate and innovate, providing up-to-date services to our customers, both nationally and internationally. Systems must be architected and maintained to meet their needs with the use of automation to drive the overall user experience

As part of our team, you will have the opportunity to apply your knowledge to solutions utilizing Azure cloud technologies, employ modern delivery processes, and work on innovative projects. Collaborating with experts in their fields, you will make valuable contributions and drive our technology and services forward. Your experience of developing API based solutions will be essential to improve our integration with both internal and external interfaces.

This role requires you to take ownership and have a strong appetite for learning and applying new technologies and methodologies to deliver high-quality IT services. You will lead on designs for solutions for the IPO platforms, considering industry best practices while adhering to IPO standards and policies.

You are expected to be proactive and take accountability for various architectural deliverables within IPO. Additionally, as a Lead Technical Architect, you will contribute to the technical strategy of the organization.

Working StyleThis role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 20% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in our Newport Office.

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

Job description

Main duties consist of but are not limited to:You will work with service squads, project and operational teams, leading and owning elements of the technology architecture with a focus on Microsoft Azure.
Provide technical leadership and expertise, identifying, selecting and creating appropriate technical solutions based on user needs and business requirements.
Build Cloud solution designs.
Where appropriate, act as a solutions architect to be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the solution.
Provide technical leadership to project delivery teams, identifying and selecting appropriate technical solutions based on user needs and business requirements.
Producing and assuring technical and solution designs based on business needs and providing justification for decision-making in chosen technical design.
Analyse the needs of large deliveries, breaking them down into smaller manageable components ensuring appropriate software, hardware and integration methods are employed.
Participate where required to support the building of requirements.
Design and build technical solution meeting requirements.
Provide technical governance, ensuring technical solutions and decisions adhere to quality, principles, policies and standards.
Create and present relevant and appropriate documentation at governance boards such as the Technical Design Authority and Solution Design Authority.
Own the technical roadmaps for allocated capabilities ensuring ongoing deliveries consider business needs, technology updates and changes and the wider impact on the technology estate.
Liaise with architects from other areas and disciplines to ensure alignment of architectures across your areas of responsibility.
Work with Strategic Delivery Partners to ensure the requirements of the IPO are met and delivered in line with statements of work, the organisations strategic direction, principles, policies and standards.
Act as a critical friend to stakeholders ensuring decisions are understood and consider risk, cost, time and quality.
Horizon scanning and continuous research on emerging technologies and services that would benefit IPO.

Behavioural

Understanding yourself to be a leader and the impact of your behaviour on others.
Continually develop expertise in architecture disciplines and technologies to ensure knowledge is kept relevant.
Coordinates activities to deliver solutions across multiple teams ensuring engagement of stakeholders.
Takes responsibility for architectural elements within their allocated area or areas.
Takes a ‘Security by Design’ approach for all considered options.
Coordinates and facilitates technical discussions that ensure solutions are appropriate and all required parties are engaged.
Recognises architectural skill and knowledge gaps and ensures appropriate resources are identified to fill them.
Shares knowledge and expertise with your wider team, becoming a role model within the organisation, champion our culture of learning, development, cross-company collaboration, and teamwork.
Able to communicate in a succinct, engaging manner.
Contribute to the creation and adoption of best practice across the architecture profession and promotes the capability across the IPO.
Support and promote the Architecture community across the IPO.
Coach and mentor colleagues.
Promote and display the IPO and Civil Service Values.

Person specification

Essential criteriaStrong and demonstrable technical architecture experience, turning business problems into technical designs.
Cloud platforms, specifically Microsoft Azure and related technologies.
Solution Design in an Azure Cloud environment
Strong understanding of relational database structures and data modelling generally.
In depth understanding of the Microsoft ecosystem.
Experience of API-driven architecture, extensible, loosely coupled systems
API Design using Swagger or Postman
Creating and applying technology strategies using technical standards, policies and patterns.
Experience of creating technology roadmaps.
Strong communication skills, especially clearly communicating technical material to non-technical audiences.
Knowledge of Software development life cycle and corresponding methodologies.
Experience supporting agile delivery working practices and working within agile teams for rapid delivery.

How to applyClick the 'Apply now' button and complete the application form by providing the following:

Upload an anonymised copy of your current CV. This will assess your suitability for the role therefore please evidence the essential requirements listed in the person specification above.

For further information on the sift and interview stages of this recruitment campaign, please head to our 'Things you need to know' section below.

Personal Statement

When structuring your 750 word personal statement, you should refer to the criteria listed below and demonstrate how you meet these requirements and why you are suitable for this role.

Strong and demonstrable technical architecture experience, producing problems into technical designs.
Experience of Azure Cloud architecture
Good knowledge of API-driven architecture, extensible, loosely coupled systems.
Experience of creating technology roadmaps.
Creating and applying technology strategies using technical standards, policies, and patterns
Knowledge of Software development life cycle and corresponding methodologies.

For further information on the sift and interview stages of this recruitment campaign, please head to our 'Things you need to know' section below.

Please visit our Civil Service Careers page - IPO – Recruitment Support , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)If you require job-specific information, please contact Dominic Read

E-mail: Dominic.Read@ipo.gov.uk

Telephone: 01633 433189

Behaviours

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

Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing
Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

At interview a presentation will be used to access this, Further details will be provided in your invite to interview.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,079, Intellectual Property Office contributes £18,563 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Unlimited Pluralsight video learning access
Access to Microsoft’s ESI training suite
Hybrid working with no core hours
Substantial support for career progression
25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments
You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave

For more information about what’s on offer at the Intellectual Property Office please review our IPO benefit pack attached to the bottom of this advert.

Please note that benefits may be subject to change.

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.

Additional details on security and vetting

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check and if successful you must also hold, or be willing to obtain, a higher Security Clearance.For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, depending on the level of clearance, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. For this role the successful individual will need to have consistently lived in the UK for a minimum 5 years in order to meet the relevant security clearance.

Further information on the vetting process can be found at National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

If you have questions regarding this or are unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria, please contact Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:Experience

Your Personal statement will be used to assess your suitability for the role.Stage 2 - Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours, Experience and Technical based questioning will be used. Please note candidates that proceed to the interview stage will be required to deliver a presentation. Details will be provided in the invite to interview information.

Specific information regarding the Success Profile elements that will be assessed at interview will be contained within the interview invitation.

Interviews for this role will be carried out Virtual via Microsoft Teams.

There may be important information contained within the job role profile candidates may also wish to refer to. We recommend candidates download and save a copy of the role profile for reference.

Applicants to note:

IMPORTANT: CVs sent direct to the IPO will not be accepted.There may be important information contained within the job role profile candidates may also wish to refer to. We recommend candidates download and save a copy of the role profile for reference.

This post is being advertised to Internal, across Government and external candidates at the same time.

Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be accepted or considered. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We do not routinely reimburse travel expenses for candidates, however if participating in the selection process would cause you undue financial hardship or if it restricts your ability to participate, please contact the recruitment team for more information.

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks. Information on this will be sent within the invite to interview text.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, then please let the recruitment team know via;recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

For more information on the IPO’s terms and conditions, please review the attached IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions document attached at the bottom of this advert.

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 security check (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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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 :
IPO Recruitment Team
Email :
Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

Further information

Commissioners statement

The Civil Service recruits by merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Complaints Procedure:

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please contact;

Penny Phillpotts

Intellectual Property Office,

Concept House,

Cardiff Road,

Newport,

NP10 8QQ.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/