Lead Technical Architect
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 15th December 2024
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About the job
Job summary
As a Lead Technical (Solutions) Architect for DWP’s Specialist Devices team, you will be a member of a highly motivated team that strives for excellence, delivering world class specialist devices and services for DWP colleagues.
Specialist Devices have responsibility for macOS and the physical and virtual environments/solutions for our 3,000 Engineering users, and 8,500 customer computers. We also have a remit to look at emerging alternative device solutions for particular use cases which provides the team with a varied and interesting workload, often at the forefront of new technology.
We are a multi-disciplinary team, who work closely together to identify and assess options; make recommendations regarding solutions; then design and implement solutions, all based on our users’ requirements. You will also be part of the product leadership team.
Our end-to-end product ownership, with direct responsibility for designing, building, and running our service, means we value our users and continually assess the service, looking for improvements we can put in place for them to improve their experience of the product.
There are ambitious plans for changing and improving the basic technology underpinning customer computers, for radically changing the platform and improving the experience of our internal user base, and for creating a data centred capability to support Digital Workspaces service improvement. As Lead Architect you will be pivotal in shaping that activity and the outcomes from it.
You will be skilled practitioner and an expert in providing architecture and technical direction for the Specialist Devices team. You will be responsible for the product team’s technical strategy and direction which includes end user computing and virtual desktop technologies.
Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see 'Selection process details'.
Job description
Following the expansion of the Specialist Devices team, we now have a position for a Technical (Solution) Architect, who will design and provide a consistent view of products for the portfolio. Our responsibilities include:
- The Engineering Platform which supports c.3,000 users who develop and test solutions for DWP.
- Creative Devices which enable media and video experts to design campaigns.
- Providing data insights into the Department’s digital experience.
We also have responsibility for the computers used by citizens in Jobcentres nationwide and are looking at options for these devices as they reach the end of their economic life. The Technical (Solution) Architect will be responsible for designing the replacement of c. 8,500 devices over 800 sites nationwide. This offers a unique opportunity to directly improve the digital offering to citizens.
Our architect will work with a variety of stakeholders and team members to understand requirements, articulate the art of the possible and design solutions that align to our Strategic Reference Architecture.
Person specification
When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:
- Lead criterion - Architecture design and modelling techniques, patterns, tools and standards.
- Experience in End User devices, including back-end management and support infrastructure e.g. AD, ADFS, ADCS, DNS, DHCP, CMS5, PKI and SSO.
- Experience of operating systems in Windows, macOS, and Linux desktop.
- Experience of virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions such as VMware Horizon, Citrix, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (RDS), and Azure Virtual Desktop.
- Technical authoring skills, particularly for the production of technical design and specification documents.
- Experience with presenting to senior stakeholders.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Isaac.morrison@dwp.gov.uk.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Technical Breadth
- Turning Business Problems into Technical Designs
Benefits
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is from £72,664 to £77,740.
The maximum salary for the grade is £77,740, however a Digital Allowance of up to £12,255 per annum is available for exceptional candidates. Digital Allowance is non-salary, and non-pensionable, and is classed as a temporary allowance. It is reviewed annually where it could be retained, amended, or removed.
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 grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete the following three parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.
3. Personal statement up to 750 words.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.
An initial sift may be conducted using the lead criterion stated above. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift.
The sift panel will use the information in your employment history and personal statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge against the essential criteria above.
You will be provided with one combined overall assessment score for both your CV and Personal Statement.
Important Information
- You will be asked to complete your employment history any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
- Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
- If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours and Technical Skills:
- Working Together
- Communicating and Influencing
- Technical Breadth
- Turning Business Problems into Technical Design
You will be asked to do a (5 minutes) presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Interviews will take place from early-January 2025.
Further Information
Find out more about Working for DWP
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
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 “Reasonable Adjustments” 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.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit, page
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Security Clearance Requirement
You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Isaac Morrison
- Email : Isaac.morrison@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : digitialrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk