Principal Technical Architect - MoD - G6

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

We're seeking a Principal Technical Architect to lead at the highest level and be responsible for making sure strategy is agreed and followed. If you're passionate about building innovative solutions at scale and influencing technical direction, this is your chance to make a significant impact.

Responsibilities

As Principal Architect for you will

• Lead a team of technical architects to deliver outputs as agreed with Architecture Leadership, and act as architecture subject matter expert and primary point of contact.
• Own the pan-Defence domain level digital technology architecture vision, strategy, taxonomy, standards, patterns, and roadmaps, including ‘as is’, ‘to be’ and transitional states across both logical and physical layers, as well as any other key artefacts at the direction of Architecture Leadership.
• Have responsibility for setting technical direction and making enterprise-level digital technology decisions and product choices that drive integration aligned to architectural vision and requirements.                   
• Plan, gain agreement for, lead and deliver agreed schedule of prioritised work and ensure that Technical Architecture artefacts are incorporated into relevant architecture repositories.
• Promote 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.
• Become a Service Assessor, responsible for assessing both internal and cross-government services to ensure alignment to the Service standard.

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

Principal Technical Architect

Person specification

Tb be successful in the role of principal technical architect you will bring experience of the following; 

• You have a passion for shaping the future through innovative and robust solutions.
• You will have cultivated thriving, collaborative technical teams, as well as having a deep technical understanding of architecture.
• You'll be empowered to leverage cutting-edge architectural tools and methodologies, and your exceptional communication skills will enable you to inspire stakeholders at all levels, forging strong partnerships and driving consensus.
• You enjoy remaining ahead of the technology curve, horizon scanning and understanding how technology landscape is changing and how we should keep up and accelerate our exploitation of new technologies.

If you're a natural influencer who thrives in dynamic environments and is ready to lead impactful change, we want to hear from you!

Application

When submitting your CV, please highlight your career history and experience relevant to this role.  Additionally, refer to the "Things You Need to Know" section of the advert and provide a personal statement (max.1250 words) demonstrating the Essential Criteria listed below:   

Essential Criteria

• Proven track record of leading and delivering large-scale end-to-end architectural projects, including the development and implementation of enterprise-wise strategies.                           
• Experience leading a team of Architects, with an understanding of how to create a collaborative and innovative culture that drives high performance and continuous improvement.
• Proficiency in tools, methodologies, and frameworks to support complex architectural design, governance, strategic development and stakeholder communication, for example the use of design patterns, modelling languages and component building blocks.
• A great listener with excellent communication skills (written, verbal and presentational), including the ability to articulate complex architectural concepts clearly to technical and non-technical users, adapting communication style, language, and format to fit the needs of the audience.
• Experience building positive relationships across diverse stakeholder groups; able to understand and manage multiple perspectives, build consensus, and influence stakeholders at all levels, encouraging them to make decisions that align with the strategy, policies, principles and best interests of the enterprise.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• Architecture Communication
• Community Collaboration
• Making architectural decisions
• Strategy Design