About the job

Job summary

Looking to design IT solutions that will support millions of customers and improve the experience of government services for UK citizens?

DWP Digital have a Lead Solution Architect vacancy in the Cross Boundary Team, responsible for high level solution design and supplier delivery management, where DWP needs to interact with an Other Government Department (OGD) or Arm’s Length Bodies (ALB). 

Core projects include Scottish Devolution, and a host of medium size initiatives.

This role will involve leading and collaborating extensively with colleagues and stakeholders across DWP Digital to support and facilitate the delivery of solutions, creating options and recommendations, and providing expert advice to drive technology choice decisions.

The successful candidate will lead on the technical feasibility and design of a range of innovative solutions, working across teams delivering services to:

• Multiple Lines of Business across DWP.
• Major DWP change programmes.
• UK Devolved Administrations.
• Other Government Departments (OGDs), Third sector organisations and the commercial sector.

This is an exciting and diverse role, where you will be collaborating on end-to-end solution architecture design with devolved administrations, and multiple technical teams from OGDs. It demands experience in successful engagement, communication with, and influencing of, a diverse range of stakeholders.

Job description

• Lead on the design of the product technical solution to meet user needs and align with DWP technical strategy and standards.
• Provide a consistent set of solution views, that communicate and describe the construction of the solution to all stakeholders.
• Support the delivery team, blending technical (development and architecture) and behavioural (leadership and communication) skills.
• Champion solution communication, making the complex simple to understand.
• Work with engineering teams, and other Digital colleagues, to create value for money solution designs.
• Co-own the solution architecture, in partnership with the teams we collaborate with, presenting solution designs at governance forums, providing clear communication of architecture design and decision making, to gain approval to proceed with designs.
• Lead discussions with senior stakeholders to create solution options and recommendations - during project discovery and inception phases.
• Provide expert advice to other Solution Architects to drive technology choice decisions.
• Contribute to, and build capability in, the DWP Architecture community.

Person specification

When giving details in your CV and Personal Statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:

• Leading architecture design of business-critical IT projects/services in a large, complex UK government or private sector organisation.
• Co-designing architecture and resolving design conflicts with partner teams.
• Micro-service and event-based architecture design and patterns.
• Presenting architecture design to both technical governance and business stakeholder forums.
• Building strong stakeholder relationships and collaboration at all levels, both internally and with external organisations.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact isaac.morrison@dwp.gov.uk.

Benefits

• An employer pension contribution of up to 28.97% For further information please click here.
• Annual leave rising up to 30 days, (based on your working pattern).
• Family friendly flexible working arrangements, such as hybrid working, job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Learning and development tailored to your role this could include industry recognised qualifications, coaching and mentoring. 
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join staff 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 £69,869 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, based on our assessment of your skills and experience.

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 next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application

Applications must include:

1. A completed Personal Details application form.

2. An uploaded curriculum vitae including education, professional qualifications and full employment history, giving details of key achievements in line with essential criteria listed in the Person Specification. 

When uploading your CV, do not include personal information or links to any webpages or profiles that identifies you. This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity. Take out references to your name/title, age, sex, email address, postal address, telephone number or nationality/immigration status.

When giving details of your redacted CV, you should therefore include details of the work and projects that you have been involved in, and your role therein.

3. Personal statement up to 750 words. You need to ensure you Personal Statement highlights your experience in line with the Essential Criteria.

You will receive one combined score for both your CV and Personal Statement, which will be provided in your Personal Statement score. You must ensure you Uploaded CV and Written Personal Statement meets the Essential Criteria. Your Personal Statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria, to add more context and detail to the uploaded CV.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Important information

• Please attach your redacted CV as a separate additional document in either PDF or word format.
• If your CV contains any personal details your application may be withdrawn.

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 Behaviours and Technical Skills listed in the advert.

You will be asked to do a a short presentation (5 mins, 2-3 slides) on an architecture design you have led, explaining the key architecture designs made, and their rationale

Interviews will take place from Late-August onwards. 

Further information

Find out more about Working for DWP

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list 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. 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.