Head of Technical Architecture - DVSA - G7

Location

Birmingham, Bristol, Hayes, Leeds, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Oldham, Swansea

About the job

Job summary

The Head of Technical Architecture will work within a team of Lead Enterprise Architects and Lead Solution Architects; you will report directly into the Chief Architect and play a vital role within the Architecture Management Office.

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 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!

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Job description

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

• Lead a team who architect cloud based digital services and who are responsible for the creation and maintenance of solution architectures that are coherent, solve complex and high-risk challenges.
• Responsible for the team that creates and maintains as-is, transition and to-be Solutions Architectures which meet the needs of DVSA, whilst delivering value for money for their designated business capabilities.
• Be responsible for the solution architect team that lead technical designs of systems and services, and who articulate key design decisions effectively.
• Provide mentoring within teams and provide leadership to architects within DVSA architecture community. 

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public. 

For further information on the role, please read the attached 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

Essential qualifications:

• Qualified to a degree level in a Digital Development and Technology discipline (e.g. Computing Engineering, Computer Science, Software Development, Business Analysis, etc.) or demonstrate experience at an equivalent level.
• To have a formal architectural qualification in either BCS, The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF), Zachman, or demonstrate experience at an equivalent level. 
• To have a formal cloud architecture qualification either Microsoft Azure Solution Architect Expert and/or AWS Solution Architect Associate or demonstrate experience at an equivalent level.
• To have a formal architecture modelling qualification in either Archimate, UML (Unified Modelling Language) or BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) or demonstrate experience at an equivalent level.

Required experience: 

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

• Demonstrable experience in leading a team of solution architects with strong collaboration skills and understanding of complex technological landscapes.
• Demonstrate experience liaising with stakeholders and translating business requirements into relevant solution design artefacts that align with an organisations Enterprise Architecture.
• Extensive track record in strategizing and executing transformation initiatives, with hands-on involvement in business change efforts leveraging AWS and/or Microsoft Azure cloud ecosystems. Proficient in integrating various products and cloud services within these dynamic environments.” 
• Practical exposure to implementing Solution Architecture frameworks in the context of real-world business transformation scenarios. Proficient with well-known frameworks including TOGAF and/or Zachman, as well as familiar with ITIL practices and modelling notations such as Archimate, UML, and BPMN.”
• You possess the ability to forge connections with stakeholders both within the organization and externally, including suppliers, partners, and customers. Additionally, you excel at facilitating discussions on challenging and intricate subjects, even when faced with tight deadlines, all while effectively managing stakeholder expectations.
• Proven expertise in guiding discussions around complex and high-stakes subjects. Capable of manoeuvring within tight time constraints, all while ensuring alignment with project objectives.
• Possess robust analytical abilities, encompassing the capacity to gather, analyse, and interpret data to inform evidence-driven decision-making.
• Demonstrate dynamic leadership, motivational prowess, and strong interpersonal skills that enable seamless collaboration with diverse stakeholders. Additionally, adept at communicating, presenting, and negotiating effectively, driving impactful change among senior decision-makers.

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 £25,543.

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.