Vacancy -- Principal Technical Architect
Working for the Civil Service
The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
Vacancy Details
Purpose of Post:
The Welsh Government has made significant improvements to its IT technology portfolio over the last few years and is considered to be one of the leading UK public sector organisations in terms of Digital and IT capability. WG has recently completed a number of IT projects such as transitioning away from the Government Secure Intranet (GSI) email to Office 365 and Teams-based telephony, rolling out new laptops and home-working equipment to all WG staff, refitting meeting rooms and collaboration suites to support hybrid working and completing a significant set of application migrations to Microsoft Azure.
The IT Services Division is a cornerstone of Welsh Government’s functions and the work that its staff have delivered during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic was recognised with a special Permanent Secretary’s Award in the 2021 Welsh Government Awards.
The Principal Technical Architect reports directly to the Chief Technology Officer, provides high level leadership with IT Services and is responsible for making sure the IT strategy is agreed and followed. They are accountable for WG’s Technical Architecture and portfolio of solutions, and provide strategic guidance to all technology initiatives. The Principal Technical Architect is accountable for defining the overall architecture and design of IT solutions, and working within technical teams in the elaboration of solutions within the defined architecture.
Key tasks:
At a high level, they:
- Act as the lead technical architecture Subject Matter Expert for WG, providing specialist advice to a diverse set of stakeholders and solving complex and high-risk issues.
- Network, communicate with, and influence senior stakeholders (G6 and SCS) across Welsh Government and other organisations, and proactively seek out opportunities for digital transformation.
- Lead and facilitate the architecture governance process, ensuring architectural requirements align with the IT strategy.
- Establish, implement and ensure best practice is followed as well as lead and evaluate emerging technology, industry and market trends.
- Build and develop high performing teams by leading and inspiring other architects and technical resource, and build cooperation between teams to successfully deliver organisational goals.
Detailed activities include:
- Defining the standards and policies for the overall structure of IT programmes or systems across Welsh Government.
- Supporting and mentoring multiple teams, establishing and ensuring adherence to best practice and keeping abreast of emerging technologies.
- Promoting and supporting diversity within the team and creating an inclusive working environment where everyone feels able to participate and achieve their potential.
- Solving complex and high risk issues or delivering architecture design.
- Researching and recommending emerging technologies, toolsets, applications, and systems, considering factors such as cost savings, user adoption, standardization/simplification, flexibility and reuse.
- Ensuring that new systems and application development conform to the current IT Security and Cyber standards.
- Act as the IT subject matter expert to support the business, CTO, architects and the wider IT function as required, attending to complex inquiries and problems; respond to escalated issues and negotiate solutions based on customer needs and organisational policies.
- Reviewing application/product changes and providing feedback to improve the overall product development.
- Conducting cost-benefit analysis to determine the viability of IT projects, taking into account business need, timescales and availability of resources.
- Recommending solutions and vendors to utilize in executing a project to ensure strategic fit and value for money.
- Identifying technical issues and effect changes to avert future problems and security implications to ensure system availability and cyber assurance.
Development opportunities:
Your role will form part of Welsh Government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) profession. This is a developing profession and you will have the opportunity to be part of shaping and growing it.
We are committed to developing the skills and capability of our staff and encouraging them to use five days of learning a year. To support this we offer a range of opportunities which could include:
- Shadowing
- Mentoring
- Work based learning
- Qualifications
- Coaching
- Short Term Experience Programme (STEP)
This post also offers significant opportunities to work with senior managers, stakeholders and technical experts within and outside of WG.
Closing Date:
Eligibility
Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:
Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.
Equality and Diversity
The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.
We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.
We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.
We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.
Disability Confident
A Great Place to Work for Veterans
Welsh Language Requirements
The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace.
The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.
Social Partnership
In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.
Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
• PCS
• Prospect
• FDA
This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
• pay
• terms and conditions
• policies and procedures
• organisational change.
Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.
The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.
Competencies / Job Specific Criteria
Keeping in mind the requirements of the role above, please attach a Personal Statement, using 2500 words or fewer, evidencing the following 5 Behaviours:
Leadership
- You inspire and motivate teams to be fully engaged in their work and dedicated to their role.
Delivering at Pace
- You ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success.
Managing a Quality Service
- You can deliver a high quality, efficient and cost effective service by considering a broad range of methods for delivery.
Maintaining Delivery Momentum
- You actively address the most complicated risks, issues and dependencies including where ownership exists outside the team or no clear ownership exists.
Developing Self and Others
- You encourage discussions within and between teams to learn from each other’s experiences and change organisational plans and processes accordingly.
Job Specific Skills
The following job specific skills are ESSENTIAL for this role. Please ensure you attach a CV, no longer than two sides of A4, which demonstrates your ability in relation to these skills.
- Degree qualified in a relevant area of technology such as Computer Science, Software Engineering or can demonstrate equivalent experience.
- Proven experience as a Principal or Chief Technical Architect in a large, complex organisation.
- Excellent IT technical knowledge of common technologies and approaches used in traditional and cloud-based deployments, including in-depth knowledge of IT systems, architecture, networks, security, corporate tools and applications.
- The ability to lead and provide challenge to design discussions involving both internal teams and suppliers in the areas of IT systems, architecture, networks, security, end user computing and applications.
Assessment Process
Throughout the entire assessment process, candidates will be assessed against Behaviours from the Civil Service Success Profile and the Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) capability framework. Please ignore any references you might see relating to competencies within our application system. You can find out more about Success Profiles and the DDaT Capability Framework here: Success Profiles, DDaT Capability Framework.
Your application will be assessed in two stages:
1. Sift Stage
As part of your application you will be asked to upload a copy of your CV and a Personal Statement. Your CV must be no more than two sides of A4 and your Personal Statement must be no more than 2500 words. Anything above this will be discounted and will not be considered. Please remove your name and address from your CV and Personal Statement to support us in undertaking a “name free” sift.
- An initial sift will be carried out against your CV and the essential job specific skills.
- If you pass the initial sift, your Personal Statement will be evaluated against the 5 competencies detailed above: Leadership, Delivering at Pace, Managing a Quality Service, Maintaining Delivery Momentum and Developing Self and Others.
2. Assessment and Interview Stage
If you pass the sift stage, you will be invited to attend an assessment and interview (these will be conducted via two separate remote video sessions).
Further information about the assessment and interview stage will be provided following the sift stage.
Other Information
- Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
- Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
- For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
- Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.
Final Outcome
Following the assessment and interview stage, outcomes are expected to be issued on TBC.
Reserve List
Unsuccessful candidates who have achieved the minimum score across all required behaviours will have the opportunity to be held on a reserve list for 12 months from the date of the outcomes being issued. If additional roles become available or existing roles become vacant during this time, the Welsh Government may offer the role to the highest scoring candidate on the reserve list. If they decline, the Welsh Government may offer the role to the next highest scoring candidate and so on.
Other Information
Benefits
- Starting salary of £64,520
- 31 days holiday (plus 10 public and privilege holidays)
- Permanent contract
- Green Car Scheme
- Flexible / SmartWorking
- The latest IT kit
- Contributory pension scheme
- Death in service cover
- Flexible working hours
- Cycle to Work Scheme – support to purchase a brand new bike up to £1000, saving at least 32%
- Childcare Vouchers Scheme, saving up to £933/year
Our Commitment to Equality
Due to current under-representation in the organisation, candidates who declare that they are disabled or from a black or minority ethnic (BAME) background will automatically be put forward to the Assessment Stage if their application meets the minimum criteria. We can only do this if candidates provide this information in their application. Information on BAME candidates will be taken from the equality monitoring form and it is important that you complete this as part of your application.
By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential.
Welsh Government accepts the social definition of disability, in which it is recognised that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new staff) can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”). We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. If you have an impairment, a health condition, or you use British Sign Language, and wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have.
We can also make adjustments to any part of the recruitment process (the application as well as the assessment centre) and we will ensure that disabled candidates are matched to roles which are compatible with workplace adjustments. We can provide advice to staff who think they do or might need reasonable adjustments but who need to know more about the assessment process and what sort of adjustments we could make to ensure fair assessment.
If you know you need (or think you might need) any type of reasonable adjustment in order to make an application, please contact the recruiting team via ddat@gov.wales as soon as possible to discuss any required adjustments.
Following the closing date for applications we will contact all candidates with details of how disabled candidates can request and have agreed any adjustments that they may need for the assessment event. This will include the opportunity for 1-1 advice sessions for candidates who are unsure whether or what reasonable adjustments they could or should ask for in order to ensure that they can perform to their best.
In the meantime, disabled candidates may wish to refer to Annex A of the Candidate Guidance (link) for our new Recruitment Adjustments Form which we are piloting.
Contact point for further information: ddat@gov.wales
How to apply
All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system. If you have an impairment which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to an impairment in order to submit your application.
To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system. Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account. Registration takes just a few minutes to complete. You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register. Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.
If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.
For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).
When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)
Grievance and Complaints
This vacancy is closed to applications.