Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect
Permanent (Hybrid working)
£52,120 to £58,540 p/a (bonus up to £17,880 p/a)
UK based

*

Do you want to drive architecting innovative solutions and shaping the future of technology which delivers transformative change to citizens in key areas such as Sustainability, Farming and Key Environmental protection areas?

The Solution Architecture team within Digital, Data and Technology Services (DDTS) is currently recruiting four Solution Architects. Our team provides DEFRA with technical leadership and architectural design.

*

About DEFRA:

DEFRA is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to- day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Digital, Data and Technology Services (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire DEFRA Group. We have around 1,200 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with DEFRA.
If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.

*

Role Summary:

In DEFRA you will work across one or more large business or technology domains. You will work with business stakeholders to understand and help shape the business strategy within business domains, developing a vision and roadmap for the delivery of business and IT services into the future, identifying potential opportunities for how emerging technology innovations can help drive efficiency or more effective delivery within the domain.

Within a technology domain you would develop and maintain the vision and roadmap for a strategic capability which may consist of one or more enabling technology platforms, from identification of need, through justification of investment into delivery of capability.

It's work with real-world impact!

Working as an Enterprise Architect at Defra means supporting delivery of digital services that handle some of the most pressing issues our society faces, including climate change, sustainability, biodiversity and farming.

*

Responsibilities:

• Identify opportunities for the use of existing or new and innovative technology in delivering more effective business outcomes and services within a domain.
• Input into investment case development and Whole Life Costing for the delivery of business and IT services and change.
• Work with Innovation colleagues to identify need and opportunities for the exploitation of emerging technologies within domain(s) and assist in getting business sponsorship to try new technologies and prove value through the delivery of Proofs of Concept or Pilots.
• Develop and maintain appropriate standards and patterns for technology domains to guide their use and implementation.
• Ensure that the design of end-to-end business and IT services and changes are consistent and conformant with strategy, architectural principles and standards and are supportable, sustainable, appropriately governed and deliverable.
• Assure the work of other colleagues and suppliers, challenging and escalating when necessary. Provide mentoring within teams and provide leadership by exemplifying architectural best practice to other architects.
• Work with commercial colleagues to provide input to tender materials and conduct supplier and product evaluation.
• Actively support and contribute to the Enterprise Architecture Profession aspects of the team function by providing insight and hands-on experience into one or more enterprise or technology concerns.

*

Experience required:

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills & be a strong advocate of architecture practices and vision.
• Experience of working in a multi-supplier environment, both designing aspects of
• solutions and assuring the work of others to ensure coherent designs supporting an end-to-end service.
• Experience of mentoring and coaching more junior colleagues constructively and
• positively to encourage and foster architectural best-practice and enhance the team capability.
• Experience of estimating and contributing to project planning, dependency and risk maps from an Enterprise Architecture perspective.
• Ability to arbitrate in difficult situations and make decisions that may carry significant delivery and/or financial consequences.
• Ability to think pragmatically to balance architectural elegance, value for money and
• appropriate adoption of risk while delivering business and IT services and change.

*

Benefits

We can offer an array of benefits including (but not limited to):

• 25 days’ leave (rising to 30 days over 5 years) plus bank holidays
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27% (worth a minimum of £14,685 per year)
• Access to a range of retail discounts (including supermarkets, tech, gyms, holidays, phones and much more)
• Flexible working options such as condensed hours, part-time and flexi time
• 3 paid volunteering days per year
• Funding for professional membership of a recognised professional body
• Learning and development tailored to your role and budget for training or qualifications
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme 24/7