Job summary
Job title - Lead Solutions Architect
Profession- Data & Analytics
Directorate - Data Operations
Full Time equivalent - 37.5 hours
No of Roles - 1
Contract Type - Permanent
Location - Home Working
UKHSA offers hybrid working or home working for its employees - this means that whilst the role will be based in one of our UKHSA offices, there will be opportunities for an element of working from home. The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business need and in line with departmental policy. Some business travel will be required to other UKHSA offices.Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available
Working Pattern - Full Time/Flexible Working / Hybrid Working/ Home Working/ Part Time/ Job Share
Grade & Salary - Grade 6 National banding - £65,302- £75,129 per annum. Inner London - £69,275- £78,805 per annum. Outer London - £67,288- £76,967 per annum
This role comes with a Market Pay Supplement of up to £10,000 for 12 months form effective start date.
Main duties of the job
As part of our key leadership team within the organisation, you'll work closely with stakeholders and technology leaders to ensure that DD&A solutions meet the business and technology objectives of the organisation.
You will develop solution designs and blueprints across AWS, Azure, and on-premises infrastructure, ensuring the most effective use of components which also meet current and future requirements. You will be responsible for ensuring that solutions are properly elaborated and documented, reporting to the Head of Enterprise Data on progress, and leading the delivery of architecture on daily stand-ups. You will also present these solutions for review to the appropriate governance bodies for approval.
When required, you will also support implementation of architecture, lending expertise to ensure any implementation challenges are overcome while aligning to the approved architecture.
About us
The UKHSA Data Design & Architecture (DD&A) team is responsible for supporting data architecture and data solutions across the organisation. We are a small team of solution architects, data architects, and data modellers. We also work closely with other parts of the organisation who also are involved in development and maintenance of infrastructure and software, including Programme Teams, Engineering & Enablement, Surveillance Systems, Data Services & Quality, Genomics, Enterprise Architecture and the Development and Operations team.
The DD&A team supervises and actively develops solutions and data architecture which meet both our own and wider strategies and design principles/blueprints. We also work on solution migration, consolidation, transformation, improvement, stabilisation, and decommissioning. We are seeking solution architects with AWS/Azure experience.
This role will be a lead solution architect managing up to 3 other solution architects directly.
This role can be home working or office based in London.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Your role as Lead Solution Architect will include:
G6 Specific Criteria
- Responsible and accountable for guiding a team of solution architects to translate the UKHSA Data Ecosystem Framework into reusable design patterns which will guide approval for all data solutions within the organisation
- Responsible for influencing other parts of the organisation to adopt the UKHSA Data Ecosystem Framework
- Responsible for delivery of design patterns for key enterprise data tooling including but not limited to the UKHSA enterprise data catalogue, master data management, reference data management, and data quality management
- Accountable for ensuring alignment with requirements as set by the Head of Enterprise Data for data platform consolidation and improvement through data solution architecture management
Line Management Criteria
- Supervision for and hands-on creation of
- Design patterns and blueprints for solution architecture across cloud and on-premises infrastructure
- Alignment of solutions to business and technology strategies
- Implementation of best practice using TOGAF and Government Digital Services frameworks
- Enterprise architecture, data architecture, and stakeholder requirement specifications
- A unified data ecosystem across UKHSA through reusable and consolidated solutions
- Documentation for solution artefacts in Confluence and LeanIX
- Opportunities for improvement in current solution architecture
- Tactical requirements where applicable backed by strategic thinking
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Essential Criteria:
- Understanding of TOGAF and other major data and solution related architecture frameworks (DMBOK)
- Cloud architecture expertise, AWS or Azure
- Strong communication skills and ability to translate complex topics into simple language
- Development of architectural principles and blueprints
- Integration experience
- Broad IT infrastructure components and applications, security, networking, etc
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience with healthcare based applications and data
- Experience of leading solution architect teams, preferably within government organisations
- Experience with major architectural design tools, e.g., LeanIX, DrawIO
Selection Process
You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed and sifted in line with the essential criteria.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours& Experience
This part of the selection process should outline how you consider your skills, experience and achievements, and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria outlined.
You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history. This will be used in sifting process and will be scored.
Stage 1: Application & SiftAs part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability in no more than 1500 words providing examples of how you meet the essential criteria. It should also detail what you and your experience can bring to the role. We suggest using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to demonstrate real-life examples for the specified essential criteria. Please note, only information provided within the stated word count will be considered.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview
Stage 2: Panel Interview
All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours / experience / technical ability through Success Profiles.
You will be required to prepare a presentation for the interview, which will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Making effective decisions
- Developing Self and Others
- Changing and Improving
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £65,302, UK Health Security Agency contributes £17,631 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- Range of health and wellbeing support
Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
Reserve List:
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.
If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.
DBS
People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.
This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Its important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:
- life sentences
- arson
- sexual offences
- hate and terror offences
Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role
Contact Details Sophie.Rigney@reed.com
Job description
Job responsibilities
Your role as Lead Solution Architect will include:
G6 Specific Criteria
- Responsible and accountable for guiding a team of solution architects to translate the UKHSA Data Ecosystem Framework into reusable design patterns which will guide approval for all data solutions within the organisation
- Responsible for influencing other parts of the organisation to adopt the UKHSA Data Ecosystem Framework
- Responsible for delivery of design patterns for key enterprise data tooling including but not limited to the UKHSA enterprise data catalogue, master data management, reference data management, and data quality management
- Accountable for ensuring alignment with requirements as set by the Head of Enterprise Data for data platform consolidation and improvement through data solution architecture management
Line Management Criteria
- Supervision for and hands-on creation of
- Design patterns and blueprints for solution architecture across cloud and on-premises infrastructure
- Alignment of solutions to business and technology strategies
- Implementation of best practice using TOGAF and Government Digital Services frameworks
- Enterprise architecture, data architecture, and stakeholder requirement specifications
- A unified data ecosystem across UKHSA through reusable and consolidated solutions
- Documentation for solution artefacts in Confluence and LeanIX
- Opportunities for improvement in current solution architecture
- Tactical requirements where applicable backed by strategic thinking
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Essential Criteria:
- Understanding of TOGAF and other major data and solution related architecture frameworks (DMBOK)
- Cloud architecture expertise, AWS or Azure
- Strong communication skills and ability to translate complex topics into simple language
- Development of architectural principles and blueprints
- Integration experience
- Broad IT infrastructure components and applications, security, networking, etc
Desirable Criteria:
- Experience with healthcare based applications and data
- Experience of leading solution architect teams, preferably within government organisations
- Experience with major architectural design tools, e.g., LeanIX, DrawIO
Selection Process
You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed and sifted in line with the essential criteria.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours& Experience
This part of the selection process should outline how you consider your skills, experience and achievements, and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria outlined.
You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history. This will be used in sifting process and will be scored.
Stage 1: Application & SiftAs part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability in no more than 1500 words providing examples of how you meet the essential criteria. It should also detail what you and your experience can bring to the role. We suggest using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to demonstrate real-life examples for the specified essential criteria. Please note, only information provided within the stated word count will be considered.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview
Stage 2: Panel Interview
All applicants that progress to interview will be assessed on behaviours / experience / technical ability through Success Profiles.
You will be required to prepare a presentation for the interview, which will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Making effective decisions
- Developing Self and Others
- Changing and Improving
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £65,302, UK Health Security Agency contributes £17,631 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- Range of health and wellbeing support
Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare.
Reserve List:
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.
If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.
DBS
People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.
This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Its important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:
- life sentences
- arson
- sexual offences
- hate and terror offences
Some departments will also consider the specific offence against the nature of the business, i.e., a conviction for fraud may rule you out for a finance role
Contact Details Sophie.Rigney@reed.com
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Understanding of TOGAF and other major data and solution related architecture frameworks (DMBOK)
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Understanding of TOGAF and other major data and solution related architecture frameworks (DMBOK)
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
