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- Tasks: Lead the design and governance of transformative digital services impacting millions.
- Company: Join DVSA, a mission-driven agency shaping the future of digital services in the UK.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £98,061, hybrid working, and excellent career development opportunities.
- Other info: Flexible working culture with opportunities for learning and growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on national digital services while influencing key stakeholders.
- Qualifications: Proven enterprise architecture leadership and experience in large-scale technology transformation.
The predicted salary is between 98061 - 98061 £ per year.
Become part of a mission-driven digital team helping to build secure, resilient services used by millions across the UK. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working with Inspire People to recruit a Chief Architect with strong enterprise architecture leadership, target architecture design, governance and large-scale digital transformation expertise. Hybrid working with minimum 60% office-based in your designated office in either Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Oldham, Newcastle, Swansea or Yeading. Salary up to £98,061 (base pay of £69,501 plus an additional Digital and Data Profession allowance up to £28,560) plus £20,134 employer pension contribution per annum plus excellent Civil Service benefits.
As a Chief Architect you will:
- Provide technical leadership in the development, operation and continuous improvement of complex, transformational digital services serving millions of users
- Direct the development of long-term enterprise-wide business design, information architecture and processes
- Own and promote enterprise architecture strategy, governance, principles, standards and tools
- Lead target architecture design aligned to organisational strategy
- Chair and support enterprise architecture governance ensuring compliance and quality
- Oversee architectural design across complex systems, ensuring documentation is timely and accurate
- Provide specialist architectural advice influencing senior stakeholders across the organisation
- Evaluate supplier proposals and make recommendations to senior leadership
- Oversee budgets and delivery from external partners ensuring scalable, secure and reusable solutions
- Lead the evolution of enterprise architecture across the organisation and wider government landscape
- Build capability, develop teams and promote best practice across the architecture community
- Drive continuous improvement across systems, technology and service delivery
Essential skills for the Chief Architect include:
- Strong track record of hands‑on enterprise architecture leadership in complex, multi‑service environments
- Significant experience defining and delivering strategic target architecture and business design
- Strong stakeholder engagement, influencing and negotiation skills at senior level
- Experience working in matrix organisations aligning technology with business strategy
- Proven experience delivering large-scale technology transformation
- Deep knowledge of modern architectures including cloud, infrastructure, data and software delivery lifecycle
- Experience establishing and governing architecture frameworks, standards and controls
- Strong understanding of commercial, procurement and supplier delivery environments
- Experience developing high-performing technical teams and capability
- Awareness of ITIL, ISO9001 and ISO27001 frameworks
Desirable skills for the Chief Architect include:
- Degree in a Digital, Technology or related discipline (or equivalent experience)
- Azure or AWS cloud architecture certification
- Architecture modelling experience (Archimate, UML, BPMN)
In return, you can expect a flexible working culture, including:
- Salary up to £98,061 (base pay of £69,501 plus an additional Digital and Data Profession allowance up to £28,560)
- Hybrid working with flexible arrangements
- Access to learning, development and career progression opportunities
- The opportunity to shape national digital services at scale
This is a critical leadership role where you will shape enterprise-wide architecture, guide strategic technology decisions and reduce technical debt across services used by millions, while influencing senior stakeholders and driving digital transformation across the organisation.
Apply now through Inspire People to lead enterprise architecture at DVSA and play a defining role in its digital future.
Chief Architect in Leeds employer: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Contact Detail:
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Chief Architect in Leeds
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✨Show Off Your Skills
Don’t just talk about your experience; demonstrate it! Create a portfolio or a personal website showcasing your projects and achievements. This is your chance to shine and show potential employers what you can bring to the table.
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We think you need these skills to ace Chief Architect in Leeds
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Chief Architect role. Highlight your enterprise architecture leadership and any large-scale digital transformation projects you've led. We want to see how you can shape our future!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about this role and how your background fits with our mission at DVSA. Be sure to mention specific examples of your work that demonstrate your expertise.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t forget to highlight your technical skills, especially in modern architectures like cloud and infrastructure. We’re looking for someone who can lead and innovate, so make sure we see your hands-on experience in your application.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re serious about joining our mission-driven team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out
As a Chief Architect, you’ll need to demonstrate your deep understanding of enterprise architecture. Brush up on modern architectures, especially cloud solutions like Azure or AWS, and be ready to discuss how you've applied these in past roles. Prepare examples that showcase your hands-on experience in complex environments.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Strong stakeholder engagement is key for this role. Think about how you’ve influenced senior leaders in previous positions. Be prepared to share specific instances where your negotiation skills made a difference. This will show that you can effectively communicate and align technology with business strategy.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
You’ll be leading teams and driving digital transformation, so it’s important to convey your leadership style. Reflect on how you’ve built high-performing technical teams and promoted best practices. Share stories that highlight your ability to inspire and develop others in the architecture community.
✨Prepare for Governance Discussions
Since governance is a big part of the Chief Architect role, be ready to discuss your experience with establishing and governing architecture frameworks. Familiarise yourself with ITIL, ISO9001, and ISO27001 standards, and think about how you’ve ensured compliance and quality in your previous projects.