Lead Technical Architect - Command and Control

DSIT • Full-time • Fareham, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom • from £57.52k / year • 2d ago

Job summary

Are you ready to lead the architecture of a mission‑critical Command and Control platform (C2P) project that directly supports HM Coastguard’s lifesaving work?

Can you turn complex business problems into innovative, high‑impact technical designs that shape the MCA’s digital future?

Do you want to influence senior stakeholders, set architectural standards, and drive technology strategy across a national organisation?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking a Lead Technical Architect to join the Digital and Technology Function which enables the organisation to deliver world class services. It is a centre of excellence that is responsible for the technology strategy, delivering a broad portfolio of change to transform the Agency’s legacy technologies, and deliver innovative new solutions designed around our customers’ needs.

The Digital and AI team is responsible for the definition of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency digital strategy, the development of the solutions architectures required to realise this strategy and ensuring that architecture and technology principles are met and maintained.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As the Lead Technical Architect you will be instrumental in the definition of technology roadmaps that are aligned to business and IT strategy that support business change as well as the definition of architecture solutions to resolve specific business and technology issues. You will be required to provide technical leadership to design and development partners, making the necessary design decisions when required to ensure the MCA digital strategy is realised, that business and IT requirements are met, and MCA architecture principles are adhered to.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

Defining current and future solution requirements for coastguard command, control and coordination;
Working closely with senior stakeholders across the enterprise to understand goals, constraints and values, and define opportunities for improvement;
Horizon scanning for influences or risks to identify impacts and dependencies on the solution, ensuring alignment to broader government strategies and frameworks;
Investigating and recommending appropriate use of emerging technologies to support the solutions;
Defining solution principles, patterns, standards and best practices;
Ensuring solution design is aligned to current business processes or their definition, proposing necessary changes to realise the solution;
Ensuring solution design is interoperable with applications and infrastructure, proposing the necessary changes required;
Accountability for the assurance of partners’ solution designs through the Architecture Review Board;
Communicating the technology roadmap for Command and Control with both technical and non-technical stakeholders;
Ensuring the knowledge of the MCA architecture is maintained in the architecture repository as well as compliant with the architecture strategy and principles.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

A functional appreciation of the data, application and technology architecture domains;
A strong understanding of multi-vendor deployment models, including; Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Serverless computing, and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS);
Strong experience of architecture methodology and tools, design and modelling techniques, and best practice;
An expert in turning business problems into technical design and can design systems characterised by high levels of risk, impact and business or technical complexity;
Proficiency in evolving and defining governance and take responsibility for collaborating and supporting services in wider governance;
Proficiency in defining and challenging strategies, patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements.

Additional Information

The role is part of the Government Digital and Data (or Government Security Profession Career Framework) profession and utilises an enhanced Capability–Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.

The base pay is £57,515. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £25, 915.

The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process. Here are more details on the pay framework.

Fixed Term Appointment

This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) basis to complete a finite piece of work. There could be the potential of extension up to 2 years or permanency, subject to the role being available (and for those coming across on loan, your home departments agreement)].

For permanent Civil Servants, this role is only available on loan, so you must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. There is no opportunity for a permanent Civil Servant to take on this role as a fixed term appointment. OGD applicants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance.

If you're employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week. This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.