Principal Technical Architect

On behalf of FCDO, we are looking for a Lead Technical Architect (Inside IR35) for a 6 month contract based REMOTELY with occasional visits to London.

Note: DV clearance would be preferential, but SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position, (and speed at which we require a postholder in situ), preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance

The Principal Digital Technical Architect is a senior technical leadership role initially reporting directly into the CTO and supporting them in developing and establishing architectural patterns and assurance.

This post provides an exceptional opportunity to make a difference in one of the most exciting parts of Government. You will assure other services and system quality, making sure the technical work fits into the broader strategy for the FCDO. You will be responsible for leading the technical design of systems and services, including detailed plans for integration. You will also explore the benefits of cross-government alignment of systems and services.

You will work with multiple projects or teams on problems that require broad architectural thinking.

. Working across our Information Digital Directorate and beyond to develop broad technical strategies aligned to the business. This role will manage work across all domains (Data, Digital, Security & Technical)

. Be responsible for leading the technical design of systems and services, justifying and communicating design decisions

. Assure other services and system quality, ensuring the technical work fits into the broader strategy for government

. Explore the benefits of cross-government alignment

. provide leadership to other architects

We all have a responsibility to embrace the changes of the FCDO as it transforms, building the culture we want to see and delivering our cultural statement in how we lead and behave towards others; how we make decisions and how we get the job done is everyone's responsibility.

Your main day to day activities will be:

. leading optimal technical designs through an iterative process, aligning such factors as the user need within the system requirements, security and organisational objectives

. leading the design and review processes for new solution and services, evidencing the inclusion of 'Secure by Design" in the technical designs you produce, oversee and approve

. developing and documenting the proposed technical design for the integration and implementation of any solution, working with and across other areas of DDaT and the business

. presenting recommendations for technologies or improvements to enhance systems to support project goals clearly to senior management, based on knowledge of IT and analysis of systems' needs

. setting direction for development of architectural practice, ensuring a coherent and consistent strategy across cyber, cloud, data centre, storage, network, mobile and the user experience of infrastructure. contributing to the overall technical strategy and road map for the department in your area of expertise

. coaching and mentoring the architectural community and engaging with development opportunities across government

We are looking for someone with:

. deep technical expertise in a range of technical backgrounds ranging from Cloud, M365, Azure, AWS, Networks, Telephony or Digital systems.

. experience working with scaled agile frameworks and implementations

. a strong preference for the leverage of community integrated market products wherever technical and security considerations allow.

And demonstrate

. Communicating between the technical and non-technical (technical architect). You can mediate between people and mend relationships, communicating with stakeholders at all levels; communicating clearly in a language which meets the needs of different users, with a good understanding of different channels and formats for different audiences and can adapt to stakeholders' reactions with flexibility

. Governance and assurance. You can evolve and define governance. You can take responsibility for working with and supporting other staff in wider governance. You can assure services across sets of services. You can use tools such as standards, guardrails, and principles to effectively govern delivery. Demonstrable experience of monitoring, alerting, and reporting solutions. Experience of baking security decisions into recommended approaches

. Making and guiding decisions. You can make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase. You can build consensus between services or independent stakeholders. Evidencing strong technical leadership qualities, with a passion for delivering leading edge designs and inspiring a culture of technical excellence and innovative solutions.

. Strategy. You can define and challenge strategies, patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements. You can provide proactive advice and guidance for their definition across the organisation. Defining, owning and contributing to the technical roadmap and strategy

. Turning business problems into technical design. You can design systems characterised by high levels of risk, impact, and business or technical complexity. Navigating the complex landscapes of technologies, 3rd party suppliers, internal and cross-government teams across multiple projects. Ability to design HLD for complex solutions

. Understanding the whole context. You can understand trends and practices within the broader organisation and how these will impact your work. You can look for deeper underlying problems and opportunities. You can anticipate problems before they occur. You can identify the impact of changes to policy. Anticipating and advising on future technology that present opportunities for the product or programme

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.