Lead Service Architect (Ref: 22312) in Edinburgh

This position is based Nationally.

Job summary

We’re recruiting for a Lead Service Architect here at Justice Digital, Data and Science to be part of our warm and collaborative Technology Services Delivery (TSD) team. As Lead Service Architect, you will provide strategic leadership for Service Architecture across Technology Services. You will shape how services are defined, designed and continually improved, ensuring a consistent and effective approach across a complex technology landscape.

You will act as the professional lead for Service Architecture, setting the direction for the profession and promoting consistent standards, methods and ways of working across Technology Services. You will build professional capability through mentoring, coaching and communities of practice rather than through direct line management responsibility.

You will work across multiple services, programmes and delivery teams, providing leadership and assurance on complex or high-risk initiatives. You will influence strategic decisions, create frameworks and guidance, and ensure that services are designed with operational sustainability, user needs and organisational priorities in mind.

You will also lead and own the Technology Services service portfolio and service catalogue, helping establish a clear and consistent view of services, ownership, dependencies and service performance across the organisation.

You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:

• A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service, plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours.
• Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
• A £1,000 per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave.

Key Responsibilities

Professional Leadership

• Act as the professional lead for Service Architecture across Technology Services.
• Establish and maintain the Service Architecture community of practice.
• Define professional standards, expectations and good practice for Service Architects.
• Coach, mentor and support Service Architects across Technology Services.
• Promote the value and importance of Service Architecture with senior leaders, delivery teams and operational teams.
• Represent Technology Services in cross-government and cross-profession forums.

Strategy and Direction

• Define and maintain the Service Architecture strategy and roadmap for Technology Services.
• Shape how Service Architecture supports Technology Services strategic priorities and service outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to improve service design and operational readiness practices.
• Ensure service architecture approaches remain aligned with government and industry best practice.
• Contribute to wider technology, service management and operating model strategies.

Service Portfolio and Catalogue Management

• Lead the development, governance and continual improvement of the Technology Services service portfolio and service catalogue.
• Establish and maintain a consistent approach to service definition, service ownership and service structure across Technology Services.
• Develop standards and guidance to ensure service information remains accurate, accessible and aligned across the organisation.
• Establish and maintain the service architecture framework, service model and supporting artefacts used across Technology Services.
• Use service portfolio and catalogue information to support governance, investment decisions, demand management and strategic planning.
• Promote a service-based view of Technology Services, improving visibility of services, dependencies, service health and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure service architecture activities support the development of a coherent and sustainable Technology Services operating model.

Standards, Methods and Tooling

• Create, own and maintain Service Architecture standards, frameworks, templates, methods and guidance.
• Define and govern the approaches used to design and assess services into operation.
• Lead the development and adoption of tooling that supports Service Architecture practices.
• Ensure consistent application of standards across services, programmes and portfolios.
• Drive continual improvement of the Service Architecture capability across Technology Services.

Governance and Assurance

• Provide assurance and expert challenge for complex, high-risk or strategically important services.
• Oversee the quality and consistency of Service Architecture outputs across Technology Services.
• Lead governance activities relating to service architecture, service design and operational readiness.
• Ensure services are supportable, sustainable and capable of meeting operational requirements.
• Identify and manage strategic risks associated with service design and service operation.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Build strong relationships across architecture, engineering, product, delivery, service management and operational communities.
• Influence senior stakeholders on strategic service decisions and organisational priorities.
• Act as the senior point of expertise for Service Architecture matters across Technology Services.
• Support investment, procurement and transformation activity through expert service architecture leadership.
• Promote end-to-end service thinking across the full service lifecycle.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Person Specification

Essential

• Significant experience designing, assuring and improving complex technology services within large organisations.
• Demonstrable experience working with strategic suppliers and commercial partners to design, govern and improve complex technology services.
• Experience establishing and embedding standards, frameworks and governance processes.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive organisational change without direct management authority.
• Strong understanding of service design, service transition, service operations and continual improvement.
• Experience developing, governing or improving service portfolios, service catalogues or service taxonomies.
• Experience balancing user needs, organisational priorities and operational requirements.
• Ability to provide assurance, challenge and strategic direction across multiple services, programmes or portfolios.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills.
• Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC clearance.

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.