Head of Technical Architecture

Head of Technical Architecture
Salary: £54,857 plus an additional allowance up to £25,543 (£80,400)
Multiple locations - Newcastle, Leeds, Oldham, Bristol, Swansea, Nottingham or Birmingham
Hybrid working - 60% attendance in the office per week
Permanent

Job summary

The Head of Technical Architecture will work within a team of Lead Enterprise Architects and Lead Solution Architects; you will report directly into the Chief Architect and play a vital role within the Architecture Management Office.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King's birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DVSA: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

• Lead a team who architect cloud based digital services and who are responsible for the creation and maintenance of solution architectures that are coherent, solve complex and high-risk challenges.
• Responsible for the team that creates and maintains as-is, transition and to-be Solutions Architectures which meet the needs of DVSA, whilst delivering value for money for their designated business capabilities.
• Be responsible for the solution architect team that lead technical designs of systems and services, and who articulate key design decisions effectively.
• Provide mentoring within teams and provide leadership to architects within DVSA architecture community.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Essential qualifications:

• Qualified to degree level in a digital or technology discipline.
• Hold formal architectural qualification in either BCS, TOGAF, Zachman or demonstrable experience at a similar level.
• Architecture modelling qualification in either UML, Archimate, BPMN or demonstrable experience at a similar level.

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Understanding of complex technological landscapes.
• Experience liaising with stakeholders and translating business requirements into relevant solution design artefacts.
• A track record in contributing to strategy and executing transformation initiatives, with hands-on involvement in business change efforts leveraging AWS and/or Microsoft Azure cloud ecosystems.
• Proficient in integrating various products and cloud services within these dynamic environments.
• Dynamic leadership, motivational prowess, and strong interpersonal skills that enables seamless collaboration with diverse stakeholders. Additionally, adept at communicating, presenting, and negotiating effectively, driving impactful change among senior decision-makers.

Additional Information

This role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession and utilises an enhanced Capability Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.

The base pay is £54,857. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £25,543.

The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process.

Here are more details on the pay framework. 

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week. Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements. For more information on how this works for this role, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see below for contact details).

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your principal workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, visiting stakeholders and colleagues, or carrying out detached duty in another DfT or agency workplace. The chosen principal workplace will be the designated place of work and any remote or home working arrangement does not constitute a change to the designated place of work or contractual terms and conditions. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation. Applicants can request further information on how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see below for contact details).

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

If you have questions regarding how hybrid working is practiced within the business area, or any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may currently have or need in place if successful in your application, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates should ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Qualifications

• Qualified to degree level in a digital or technology discipline.
  * Hold formal architectural qualification in either BCS, TOGAF, Zachman or demonstrable experience at a similar level.
  * Architecture modelling qualification in either UML, Archimate, BPMN or demonstrable experience at a similar level.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Architecture Communication - Level expert
• Making architectural decisions - Level practitioner
• Technical design throughout the life cycle - Level expert

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,857, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £15,892 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King's birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window)

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.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview & Presentation

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience - you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1250-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Demonstrable experience in leading a team of solution architects with strong collaboration skills and understanding of complex technological landscapes.
• Demonstrate experience liaising with stakeholders and translating business requirements into relevant solution design artefacts that align with an organisations Enterprise Architecture.
• Extensive track record in strategising and executing transformation initiatives, with hands-on involvement in business change efforts leveraging AWS and/or Microsoft Azure cloud ecosystems. Proficient in integrating various products and cloud services within these dynamic environments.
• Practical exposure to implementing Solution Architecture frameworks in the context of real-world business transformation scenarios. Proficient with well-known frameworks including TOGAF and/or Zachman, as well as familiar with ITIL practices and modelling notations such as Archimate, UML, and BPMN.

The sift will take place from Thursday 7th August 2025.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Behaviours

• Leadership
• Working Together

Technical skills

• Architecture Communication - Level expert
• Making architectural decisions - Level practitioner
• Technical design throughout the life cycle - Level expert

You will also be required to complete a Presentation to assess the following Success Profile elements:

• Experience

Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place week commencing from 18th August 2025.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Please apply at advertisers site - Lead Technical Architect , Sellick Partnership

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Further information on the selection process

As part of the technical element for this role you will be assessed against the Technical architect - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

Feedback on your application can only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We may also hold a 12 month reserve list for this role. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Should we receive a large number of applications, we may invite a shortlist of the highest performing candidates to interview. This means that some applications that meet the required standard could be placed 'on hold' after the sift and invited to interview if the vacant position(s) remain unfilled. You will be notified if your application is being put 'on hold' once the sift has been completed.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.

AI Tools and Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) tools and platforms to support them in writing their Behaviours, CVs and Personal Statements. However, you must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview is truthful and factually accurate. Applications may be rejected if plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or concepts generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. You can read more here.

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name: Adam Burgess
• Email: dvsa@sellickpartnership.co.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/) to visit Civil Service Commission

For the full advert, please see this link https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?vxsys=4&vxvac=417527 

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.