Lead Technical Architect (Solutions Architect)

Job content

Location

Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Summary

About the job

This is a Lead Integration Architecture role, you will be responsible for the technical design of the DWP API, Events and File Transfer Services, and using your technical specialty in this area to make it a reality. You will lead on the assurance of integration solutions, and work with Integration Team leads, service owners and domain architects on strategic enablement of DWP digital objectives.

DWP Digital are delivering transformed integration solutions to enable and drive an enterprise strategy based on reuse of common IT capabilities, central to which is an API and event driven architecture.

The Digital Integration team have a huge portfolio of systems, and are in the midst of replacing most of these legacy integration systems with new, modern, in-house services.

There is barely a project in DWP that does not need integration services so the team are involved in almost everything that Digital does. We also provide integration to numerous other government projects.

Job Description

Lead Integration Architects are responsible for supporting a team, blending leadership, architecture, development and communication skills. Lead Architects are responsible for bringing a breadth of understanding across a range of technical domains and a depth of knowledge and/or experience in at least one, in this case API, Event-based and File Transfer architectures and patterns.

As a Lead Integration Architect you will, working with engineering teams, be responsible for supporting the design, development, delivery and maintenance of IT products and services. This will typically be as the lead architect on a large project or programme. You will work with other Integration Team leads and product owners to set and align strategies and roadmaps, as well as with the Lead Integration Domain Architect to create new and maintain existing integration patterns and influence enterprise digital strategies. You will manage and lead a team of Integration Technical Architects to deliver the required architectural outcomes in support of Integration and DWP digital objectives.

As a Lead Integration Architect you are an expert in your field and a role model across the technical architecture community, helping to lead and support the community to build high quality products and services. You will be required to lead on or arbitrate detailed technical discussions with other lead architects, service owners and senior management.

ResponsibilitiesYour responsibilities will include but are not restricted to, the following:

• Own the product architecture, develop product roadmaps and represent product designs at the Digital Design Authority, providing clear communication of architecture design and decision making.
• Provide leadership, and expert advice, to deliver and support technical design of a large scale product to meet user needs and business objectives.
• Lead on the development of the Architecture Practice and community within the department and across wider government. Represent DWP Digital at events, sharing best practice and reference architectures to drive government wide best practice.
• Drive resolution of technical debt, to reduce the ongoing cost of DWP IT services.
• Identify, capture, share, implement and iterate architecture patterns to ensure consistent and coherent architecture design, contributing to the Enterprise Architecture.
• Manage a small team of Solution/ Integration Architects and the associated architecture design backlog.
  

Essential Criteria

The ideal candidate for this role will be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• API and event-based architecture design, patterns (including pub-sub and data streaming), modelling techniques, tools and standards. You should have knowledge of file transfer integration patterns and solutions.
• Architecting integration solutions in support of the Department’s multi-cloud / hybrid cloud strategy.
• API gateway and micro-gateway patterns and capabilities such as traffic control, security, logging, monitoring and authentication e.g. Kong API Gateway.
• Agile / DevOps delivery methodologies and best practice.
• Microservice and API-led architecture and integration design tools, techniques and best practice.
• Public cloud technologies, cloud hosting, container, and networking design patterns, tools and best practice.
  

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
  

Technical Skills

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

• Technical Breadth
• Turning business problems into technical designs
  

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• An employer pension contribution of up to 27%
• A generous annual leave allowance
  

Salary Information

Salary for this role is from £60,740 (Band min) to £72,933 (Band max).

Where the maximum salary of £72,933 is offered, a Digital Allowance of up to £7,067 per annum is available for exceptional candidates, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.

Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

This role can be based out of either Newcastle or Manchester corporate hub locations.

The Department is committed to promoting flexible ways of working, whilst enabling the business to operate at maximum efficiency and will expect colleagues to work from a blend of locations, including some time working at home, as required. The corporate hub location will be the designated place of work and any remote or home working arrangement does not constitute a change to your designated place of work or contractual Terms and Conditions. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.

Things you need to know

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV & personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed in the advert.

All applications will be assessed and sifted based on the essential criteria in the advert, using the information you provide in your completed application form.

The sift panel will use the information relating to your employment history (your CV) and your personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria.

When giving details of your employment history, you should therefore include details of the work and projects that you have been involved in.

Applications Must Include

• A completed Personal Details application form.
• A curriculum vitae* including education, professional qualifications and full employment history, giving details of key achievements relevant to the skills and experience outlined in this job description.
• A personal statement outlining, how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job advert in no more than 1000 words.
  

A NOTE ON ANONYMISATION

• Due to DWP’s use of anonymised recruitment practices it is not possible for applicants to upload/attach a CV; any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form. Please ensure you provide sufficient information to enable the sift panel to make an informed judgement about your suitability for this role.
  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Please include all other information that you would customarily provide when presenting a CV/Personal statement, as the sift panel use this information to assess your application.

DWP operates an anonymised recruitment process. When entering information relating to your employment history you will be asked to remove any personal details that could be used to identify you. This relates to name and contact details which might usually appear on your CV/Personal statement. Failure to do so will result in your application being withdrawn.

Stage 2 – Video Interview

Unless you are otherwise informed, the final stage of the process will be a video interview via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the Behaviour and Technical Skills detailed in the advert.

Candidates will be asked to do short (5-10 minutes) presentation on an integration architecture design they have personally led, and to explain the key architecture decisions they made. Further details to be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Throughout the whole recruitment process – application, presentation and interview – the accuracy and clarity of your communication will be assessed.

Sift and Interview Information

Applications will be sifted at regular intervals from the date the posts are advertised, so please apply as soon as you can, do not wait until the end of the campaign.

Interviews will take place in August 2021, dates to be confirmed.

Other Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Reasonable adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via digitalrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstance some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Any move to DWP 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ’Contact point for applicants’ section.

Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP’s terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality Requirements

This 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 the European 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

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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.