DDAT – Lead Technical Architect

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

The Defence Digital Enterprise Architects are leaders working across different levels within an organisation to translate the business strategy into business change and Digital and IT technical delivery.

A Lead Technical Architect plays a high-level role in ensuring technical strategies are developed, agreed, and followed, and works across the business with multiple teams on problems that require broad architectural thinking.

As a Lead Technical Architect, for the Digital Workplace Core Applications, you will proactively and holistically lead and support activities that develop and maintain Technical Reference Architectures and patterns used to ensure solutions and services fit into the broader strategy for Defence and wider government. Working alongside other technical specialists, you will lead activities supporting the technical direction, target architectures, road-maps, policies and standards which drive coherence and align with Defence’s evolving strategies.

You will be responsible for building a technical understanding of Defence’s diverse Core Applications systems delivering Digital Workplace capabilities, which includes Microsoft M365 cloud services, messaging services, in particular Email and Unified Communications, Productivity tools, Document and Records Management technologies. You will also explore the benefits of NATO federation and cross-government alignment of these systems and services.

Responsibilities

• Iteratively create optimal technical reference architecture and patterns, aligning key factors such as user need, system requirements, security, and organisational objectives, to support Defence’s Digital strategy and Common Technology Architecture (CTA).
• Contribute to the overall Technical Architecture (TA) vision, strategy and roadmap for core applications, including ‘as-is’ and ‘to-be’ and transitional states, by developing architectural principles, policies, patterns, and standards forming the Technical Reference Architecture for Digital Workplace.
• Present to senior management and wider stakeholders architectural and technical recommendations which improve or enhance Defence’s Digital Workplace core applications, and which support strategic goals.
• Contribute to the development of architectural practice, ensuring coherent and consistent strategies are developed across business, cyber, cloud, data, networking, and digital workplace architecture.
• Collaborate and advise partners across Defence, Government, NATO Allies, and Industry to ensure business, technology and data decisions are aligned with current Defence strategy.
• Develop, lead, and participate in architecture communities as required, including the Architecture Reference Authority (ARA) for Digital Workplace and various NATO working groups. National and International travel will occasionally be required to support these engagements.
• Carry out horizon scanning across industry, identifying emerging trends and their potential impact and opportunity, updating technical strategies and roadmaps, as appropriate.
• Manage, coach and mentor more junior Technical Architects within the Digital Workplace core applications team.

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

Lead Technical Architect

Person specification

A successful Technical Architect would have experience of the following;

• Strong technical experience of Digital Workplace core applications services.
• Proven ability of delivering Core Application architecture outputs.
• Knowledge of related protocols which support the delivery of these services e.g. (XMPP, HTTP, TLS, DNS, etc.) and industry standards.
• Experience of TOGAF, ITIL, , and ArchiMate frameworks.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and troubleshooting skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Architect for the whole context
• Architecture communication.
• Community collaboration.
• Making architectural decisions.
• Strategy design.
• Technical design throughout the life cycle

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 Gym
• A highly competitive pension scheme.