JOB SUMMARY

Defence Digital ensures our Armed Forces remain among the most technologically advanced in the world. We do this by putting innovative and effective technology into the hands of over 200,000 users, from the boardroom to the front line.
We lead on cutting-edge data science, automation, and cyber security at scale. Our mission goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving digital innovation that impacts lives across the globe.
Defence Digital forms part of Strategic Command which manages the MOD’s joint capabilities for the Army, RAF, and Royal Navy.
Working at Defence Digital
Passionate about using your skills to make a critical difference? Your next career move could be here!
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We’re seeking a Principal Technical Architect to lead at the highest level and be responsible for making sure strategy is agreed and followed. If you’re passionate about building innovative solutions at scale and influencing technical direction, this is your chance to make a significant impact.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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

• Architecture Communication
• Community Collaboration
• Making architectural decisions
• Strategy Design

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

In Defence Digital we have a strong learning and development ethos, supporting you to fulfil your potential by providing:

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and Personal Development of skills
• Access to thousands of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD
• Ability to obtain industry recognised qualifications supported by MOD

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD 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/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

TYPE OF ROLE

Architecture and Data
Digital
Information Technology

RESPONSIBILITIES

As Principal Architect for you will

• Lead a team of technical architects to deliver outputs as agreed with Architecture Leadership, and act as architecture subject matter expert and primary point of contact.
• Own the pan-Defence domain level digital technology architecture vision, strategy, taxonomy, standards, patterns, and roadmaps, including ‘as is’, ‘to be’ and transitional states across both logical and physical layers, as well as any other key artefacts at the direction of Architecture Leadership.
• Have responsibility for setting technical direction and making enterprise-level digital technology decisions and product choices that drive integration aligned to architectural vision and requirements.
• Plan, gain agreement for, lead and deliver agreed schedule of prioritised work and ensure that Technical Architecture artefacts are incorporated into relevant architecture repositories.
• Promote pan-Defence reuse, operational sustainability, and scalability, to achieve value for money, drive integration by default, and reduce duplicative technology across the enterprise and delivery portfolio.
• Become a Service Assessor, responsible for assessing both internal and cross-government services to ensure alignment to the Service standard.

For more information on the Technical Architects profession please see the Government Digital and Data Framework;
Principal Technical Architect

Tb be successful in the role of principal technical architect you will bring experience of the following;

• You have a passion for shaping the future through innovative and robust solutions.
• You will have cultivated thriving, collaborative technical teams, as well as having a deep technical understanding of architecture.
• You’ll be empowered to leverage cutting-edge architectural tools and methodologies, and your exceptional communication skills will enable you to inspire stakeholders at all levels, forging strong partnerships and driving consensus.
• You enjoy remaining ahead of the technology curve, horizon scanning and understanding how technology landscape is changing and how we should keep up and accelerate our exploitation of new technologies