Lead Data Architect - Planning Inspectorate - G7

Would you love the opportunity to develop and embed Data Architectural best practices throughout The Planning Inspectorate? Do you want to see the impact of your work embedded in applications that support the UK’s planning system, helping to tackle real-world challenges like the housing market? 

Do you have a passion for data design and quality? Would you thrive in a multidisciplinary team where creativity and a commitment to great solutions shape the way we work? 

If so, click the apply button now and join us as a Lead Data Architect. 

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of The Planning Inspectorate during a period of growth. As we drive a wholesale digital transformation of the planning system, our work will be instrumental in creating radically new digital services that enable better-quality homes and critical national infrastructure such as roads, wind farms, and solar energy projects.

The role of Lead Data Architect is essential to addressing long-standing data debt and unlocking the true value of our data assets. 

The Planning Inspectorate is expanding its Digital and Data unit to meet increasing demands from colleagues, government, and customers, and we are looking for a skilled Data Architect to join our growing team. 

In this role, you will develop the organisation’s data model, standards, and principles, while designing tools that integrate disparate data sources into our central Operational Data Warehouse (ODW). You may be embedded within a service team, leading a talented group of Data & Digital professionals to ensure that the tools and processes built align seamlessly with the underlying data architecture.

Job description

We are seeking passionate, driven individuals who thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. If you have a keen eye for detail, a proactive mindset, and a genuine enthusiasm for delivering excellence, we want to hear from you! Whether you’re an experienced professional or someone eager to grow and develop new skills, we value creativity, dedication, and a collaborative spirit. Join our team and be part of something truly exciting! 

In a typical week, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping The Planning Inspectorate’s data landscape. You’ll collaborate closely with information owners and experts to refine data models, establish reusable patterns, and uphold data standards. Your work will intersect with key teams driving planning reform, ensuring that changes are seamlessly integrated into operational data warehouses and analytical outputs. As an active member of the Architectural Communities of Practice, you’ll contribute to the development of architectural artefacts and champion best practices across the organization. Leading a multi-disciplinary team, you’ll guide the creation of innovative data and digital products, embedding strong data architecture principles at every stage. Additionally, you’ll keep stakeholders and governance boards informed, making strategic recommendations and providing updates on workstream progress. 

Role types and Salary details 

These roles attract a DDaT allowance, for details please see the section marked “Salary”. 

Salary

This role is being advertised at Grade 7. 

Salary range for the Grade role is £59,644 - £66,120 plus a DDAT allowance of up to £20,756 based on Capability and base salary. 

Working hours: 

Standard working week is 37 hours, flexible working hours policy available.

Part time at 22 hours and 20 minutes or above, flexible working hours policy available. 

The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy.

We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services. 

For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers

Person specification

We will assess your application against the Essential Criteria and Success Profile elements listed:

Essential Criteria

• Understand the concepts and principles of data modelling and experience of applying these in practice. This should include models that cross organisational boundaries, identifying opportunities for re-use and greater alignment. 
• Taking data modelling and architectural approaches through peer reviews, such as an Architectural Review Board or other gateway challenges. 
• Have participated in the development of a data strategy within an organisation, engaging with stakeholders and overseeing change. 
• The ability to communicate complex concepts in a straightforward way to influence senior stakeholders and customers. 
• Be able to communicate business stakeholder and user needs to a technical audience and ensure that the architecture delivers against those needs. 
• Experience of using architectural repository tools for the documentation of data architecture and the integration of data architecture within the enterprise architecture. 
• Good knowledge of data governance and data security and privacy, including familiarity with the legal and regulatory requirements around data, especially GDPR. 

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of cloud technologies, enterprise integration tools and extract, transformation and load (ETL) tools. 
• Experience of collaboration with architects of other disciplines in the successful delivery of a solution or enterprise architecture. 

Experience

• See Essential Criteria

For guidance on how to structure your application please visit:  About the application process , Civil Service Careers

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Strategic thinking (data architecture)
• Turning business problems into data design.
• Metadata management.
• Data innovation.