DE&S IT Senior Solutions Architect

Ministry of Defence

Apply before 11:35 pm on Monday 7th October 2024

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Details

Reference number

370159

Salary

£62,800 - £81,500

per annum (pro rata), plus generous benefits and an average 27% employer pension contribution. Existing civil servants should refer to the Further Information document for salary details.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Other

Professional I

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

MOD - Defence Equipment & Support - Information Management and IT

Type of role

Architecture and Data
Information Technology

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Location

MOD Abbey Wood, Filton, Bristol, Avon BS34 8JH

About the job

Job summary

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help make work work for you.

Nationality, visas, and vetting: For security reasons this role is open to sole UK nationals only. A ‘sole UK national’ refers to an individual who holds citizenship solely in the UK, without dual citizenship or nationality from another country.

We’re unable to offer visa sponsorship.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you’ve been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description

You will lead the development and maintenance of Architecture vision and roadmaps for digital infrastructure requirements such as cloud and on-premise hosting for Defence capabilities. Additionally, you will lead on technical design of specific solutions to meet business requirements ensuring they meet agreed architectural principles, standards, and policies to ensure that information and IT is secure, reliable, available, and managed in line with departmental and legal requirements.

We are recruiting into a very dynamic team which operates across multiple areas. You will be responsible for delivery at various levels, following a structured approach to enterprise/solutions architecture and design, to deliver projects and solutions in line with the strategic intent.

You will require pre-existing strong leadership skills to develop and maintain relationships and reputation with Defence business and technical stakeholder communities. As such, the post of Senior Solutions Architect is one of considerable influence and requires an individual with the appetite for significant intellectual challenge who is prepared to deliver leading edge technical solutions at pace. You will also benefit from being part of a large community of IT Architects and IT professionals, where best practice and ideas are shared.

For example, we are working to reduce the time it takes to design and deliver equipment to the armed forces through the adoption of digital techniques, to ensure the equipment we buy works as part of a coherent system with existing platforms within the UK Armed Forces, across NATO and with allies and industry.

To spearhead our strategic approach, we’ve established three Capability Centres. Each Capability Centre has a unique focus, playing a crucial role in developing our future transformative digital capabilities. Through collaboration and innovation, this exceptional team will help us maintain our strategic edge over adversaries, both now and in the future.

The Capability Centres offer excellent opportunities to work with and influence senior management within DE&S and the broader Defence Enterprise, fostering new ways of working and embracing cutting-edge technologies.

We hope you will join us, to help develop these approaches and to utilise new technologies, modelling, and analysis techniques, to equip the UK armed forces with the edge to protect our nation.

At DE&S, we champion flexible ways of working. 3 days attendance per week is required on site, to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance.

What you’ll be doing

Developing and maintaining an Architecture Vision and Roadmap for DE&S Digital Infrastructure in collaboration with stakeholders and the wider Architecture Team.
Developing architecture models of the Digital Infrastructure for inclusion in the Enterprise Architecture, using the ArchiMate modelling standard.
Defining multiple viable systems solutions options with recommendations for delivering customer requirements in the most efficient and cost-effective way, delivering optimum performance within budgetary limits.
Developing Solution Designs for new requirements, ensuring adherence to the Architecture Principles, Standards and Policies innovating where appropriate to deliver DE&S business needs, whilst integrating with the wider IT Estate.
Ensuring compliance between business strategies, enterprise transformation activities and technical directions, to ensure business needs are met and benefits are realised.
Conducting periodic reviews of DE&S implemented solutions and recommend changes and improvements.
Providing expert advice and guidance in the delivery of the Digital Plan and ensuring alignment with Business Strategies.
Maintaining technical knowledge to ensure IT solutions exploit the full advantages of new and innovative technologies.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

Significant experience in leading the design and implementation of IT Solutions, Architecture and Design.
An established Subject Matter Expert (SME) as a Solutions Architect.
Hold TOGAF Practitioner and or BCS Architecture Qualifications or demonstrate evidence of working towards them.
Formal qualification in the design of cloud computing solutions (or equivalent experience).

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

Strategy, Architecture and Solution Design - Expert
Change and Transformation - Practitioner
Seeing the big picture - CSBC 4
Making effective Decisions - CSBC4

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,800, Ministry of Defence contributes £18,193 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
Flexible and hybrid working options
Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 27%
Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
Support for progression
Huge range of discounts
Volunteering days
Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So, whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of - and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

#LI-Hybrid.

Further Information

Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/DES-Candidate-Information-Pack
Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-SDA-Terms-and-Conditions

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Selection Process Details
Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

Pre-sift - We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills

Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

Interview - If you're invited to interview, you'll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Offering at a lower level
If you’re not successful at interview, we may offer you a role at a lower level if this is a match for your skills and experience. If this applies to your application, you’ll be scored against criteria for the lower-level role and offers will be made in merit order. If you accept this position, you’ll be able to take advantage of opportunities to develop your career as part of our team.

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).

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 also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.