Senior Data Architects - FCDO - G7

Location

London, Milton Keynes, East Kilbride – You will be required to work from this location in line with FCDO policies on Hybrid Working (minimum 60% in the office.)

About the job

Job summary

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UK’s role in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK’s security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. We employ more than 17,000 staff in 179 countries and territories, across our diplomatic and development offices worldwide, which consists of 282 officially designated Posts. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street, London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.

Information and Digital Directorate (IDD) is responsible for delivering the Foreign Secretary’s ambition to make the FCDO the most technologically integrated and innovative foreign ministry globally. This means harnessing digital, data, technology, IT security and information management to support the FCDO and UK Government partners on our platform to deliver our diplomatic, development and consular aims. All while keeping our people and information safe, especially from hostile actors.

The work we do is varied – from historical analysis and library services to cyber protection, from information rights to global network management, from supporting staff in using the latest Microsoft toolsets, to creating corporate applications, harnessing AI and much more in line with the FCDO Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Strategy.

Job description

All staff across the FCDO expect modern tools and systems to help them deliver impact globally. The FCDO’s Information & Digital Directorate (IDD) provides digital, data and technology services.  

Our Enterprise Data Service (EDS) Department provides specialist data services to support users across the organisation in the delivery of consistent and trusted data, using a range of tools, to inform better decisions and outcomes. The EDS consists of data architects, engineers and governance specialists who support data architecture and governance activities, and data strategy across the FCDO.

The Data Architecture Function is a key pillar of the EDS and is led directly by the Chief Data Architect. The function defines the processes, standards, rules and tools which govern what data is collected, how it is categorised, classified and organised, stored, accessed and integrated, and how it is presented to the organisation for analysis and reporting. This defines the FCDO Data Architecture Blueprint which helps the FCDO deliver organisational strategic priorities defined in the Data Strategy, through robust data management principals and design, and our data architecture consultancy services.

Roles and responsibilities 

The successful candidate will:

• Become an expert in one or more core FCDO data domains. You will understand, catalogue and model data, data flows, metadata and data interactions.  This is a diverse role, hands on and consultative as required, driving towards automation and data community democratisation, with the Data Architecture Function delivering the standards, practices and tools.
• Work with product delivery teams and technical architects to ensure that systems, solutions, reporting and data are designed in accordance with the Data Architecture Blueprint and deliver assured data patterns that can be reused across FCDO.
• Support the Chief Data Architect in delivering optimal data architecture design, principles, processes, standards and tools to the FCDO. Tools will encompass data cataloguing, master data management, data quality, data marketplace and data modelling etc. Initially using the MS Azure stack, but more widely Oracle and AWS estates. You will gain experience of data and technologies across our multi-cloud infrastructure as your experience grows and you will be encouraged and supported in your development.
• Drive FCDO data product teams, through suitable tooling, guardrails, policy and standards, to define and manage the FCDO “single source of the truth”. You will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience across all these areas initially using the Azure stack, with MS Purview, but also across FCDO’s multi-cloud platforms.
• Proactively collaborate with professional data communities across FCDO on data architecture and data standards. Collaborate with colleagues across UK government to help FCDO become a visible and positive contributor to data architecture. 
• Have a Practitioner level understanding of the data infrastructure, architecture, definitions and models which underpin a broad range of business domains, including finance, people, diplomacy, programme, commercial and delivery / performance. 
• Provide the organisation with the tools and techniques to support Data Governance and Data Stewardship, and the well-designed data infrastructure which defines our “single source of the truth”. 

Candidates who secure a role that is considered specialist or technical, may be required to affiliate to the relevant specialist network, if not already a member.

Candidate Engagement Calls 

We will be running two Candidate Engagement Calls on Tuesday 2nd September and Monday 15th September. During the calls, you will have the opportunity to ask any further questions about these roles. Please do come along if of interest, both sessions will cover the same areas so you will only need to join one.   

You can join the call on Tuesday 2nd September at 15:00pm BST HERE

You can join the call on Monday 15th September at 15:00pm BST HERE

Person specification

You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport/Driving Licence etc.) with you.

This role requires you to attain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance.

For more information about this process, click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majesty’s Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents’ or partner’s Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.

It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria, the Behaviours and the Technical question as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.

Minimum Criteria

• Excellent communication skills and ability to clearly convey complex data concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. You confidently consult, advise and influence to ensure data products meet project objectives, align with standards and strategy, and are adaptable to future needs.
• Strong technical understanding of data with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders using clear, tailored communication to ensure alignment across teams.
• Ability to define, develop, and promote data standards, ensuring they are embedded in data product delivery. You advocate for consistent design, engage stakeholders to support adoption, and work with delivery teams to ensure standards are applied effectively. You also define and support assurance processes, combining manual and automated approaches for robust outcomes.
• Knowledge and understanding of data governance, integrating principles into architecture and delivery, and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration for effective governance practices.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Communicating Between the Technical and Non-Technical – Practitioner
• Data Modelling – Practitioner
• Data Standards – Practitioner
• Data Governance (data architect) - Practitioner
• 'Communicating Between the Technical and Non-Technical’, ‘Data Modelling’ and ‘Data Standards'.

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Communicating Between the Technical and Non-Technical – Practitioner
• Data Modelling – Practitioner