DDaT – Head of Enterprise Data Architecture

Defence Digital are part of the Ministry of Defence, come join us at the cutting edge of advancing digital technology for national security.

We provide digital and technology services to our Armed Forces, ensuring they can operate securely via radio, satellite, and the internet. Operating at scale, with an annual budget in excess of £2Bn and a diverse team of 2,500 colleagues, we're aiming to make our Armed Forces some of the most technologically advanced in the world. To do that we're growing our capabilities in disciplines like data science, automation and cyber security.

Working at Defence Digital

Job description

The Enterprise Data Architecture Team has primary responsibility for ensuring the best use of data across the Department, supporting and overseeing the work of data architects across the Ministry of Defence’s complex business landscape. We champion the development of coherent data architecture strategies across the nineteen different Defence organisations to ensure that Defence’s data landscape is more than just the sum of its parts, minimising the time-to-data-value for data users and reducing the burden on data producers.

Reporting to the Chief Data Architect, the Head of MOD’s Data Architecture Practice will be critical in building our data architecture capability. You will be Deputy Head of Profession for Data Architecture and work with data architects across Defence to develop common data architecture processes, standards and outputs, to drive coherence and establish a community of practice. You will promote the career paths for data architects and build the data architecture network by ensuring we rapidly recruit both permanent and contract data architects. You will develop and support individual data architects in the immediate team and beyond.

Key Responsibilities:

1.Building up data architecture capability across the Ministry of Defence:

• Liaising with business areas and understanding their data architect gaps & needs
• Supporting recruitment of skilled and experienced data architects across MoD
• Developing a data architect career framework and development plan
• Working with data architects to continually refine data architecture activities and processes

2.Acting as a key data architecture governance stakeholder

• Reviewing data architecture strategies and acting as critical friend to lead data architects of different business functions

3. Working alongside Head of Enterprise Data Architecture (peer) to review data architecture strategies

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Person specification

As a core member of the data architectural leadership team, you will be key to our data architectural governance, reviewing and refining data architectural outputs from individual Defence organisations, and acting as formal reviewer through your role as  member of the Data Architectural Reference Authority.

You will support lead data architects in different parts of Defence to develop data architectural plans for their area and champion the importance of data architecture to programme senior leaders to ensure the continual improvement of Defence’s data landscape.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others

Technical skills

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

• Data governance
• Data standards
• Strategic thinking
• Turning business problems into data design

Benefits

• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Ability to roll over up to 10 days annual leave per year
• In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King's birthday
• Minimum of 15 Days Special Leave in a rolling 12-month period to for volunteer military or emergency service reserve commitments
• Special Paid Leave for volunteering up to 6 days a year
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing
• Most sites have good travel links with free car parking; many also have other facilities such as a Sports & Social Club and Gyms
• A highly competitive pension scheme.

Discover my benefits for more information

This post is eligible for a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £18,000 per annum. Eligibility for this allowance will be assessed at interview and reviewed annually in line with departmental policy.

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