Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and governance of transformative digital services for millions across the UK.
- Company: Join DVSA, a mission-driven agency shaping national digital services.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, excellent pension contributions, and flexible hybrid working.
- Other info: Shape the future of digital services with excellent career progression opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on digital transformation while influencing senior stakeholders.
- Qualifications: Proven enterprise architecture leadership and experience in large-scale technology transformation.
The predicted salary is between 69001 - 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. This role requires a minimum continuous UK residency of 10/10 years for DV vetting.
Shape the Future of Digital Services at DVSA:
- 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.
- Aware of ITIL, ISO9001 and ISO27001 frameworks.
Desirable skills for the Chief Architect include:
- Degree in a Digital, Technology or related discipline (or equivalent experience).
- TOGAF, Zachman or equivalent enterprise architecture certification.
- 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) £20,134 employer pension contribution per annum.
- Excellent Civil Service benefits.
- Hybrid working with flexible arrangements.
- Access to learning, development and career progression opportunities.
- The opportunity to shape national digital services at scale.
Why Join DVSA?
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 employer: Inspire People
Contact Detail:
Inspire People Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Chief Architect
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in a role you’re aiming for. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or a personal website that highlights your projects and achievements. This is your chance to showcase your expertise in enterprise architecture and digital transformation, making it easier for potential employers to see what you bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to the Chief Architect role. Think about how you can demonstrate your leadership and strategic thinking skills. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to get comfortable.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged. So, hit that apply button and let’s get you on the path to shaping the future of digital services!
We think you need these skills to ace Chief Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in enterprise architecture and digital transformation. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Chief Architect, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a Chief Architect, you'll be leading teams and influencing stakeholders. Use your application to demonstrate your leadership experience and how you've successfully managed complex projects in the past. We love seeing examples of how you've driven change!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured documents that are easy to read. Make sure to highlight key points about your experience and skills without unnecessary fluff!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensure you’re considered for the role. Plus, it makes the whole process smoother for everyone involved.
How to prepare for a job interview at Inspire People
✨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, cloud solutions, and the software delivery lifecycle. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these in past roles, especially in complex environments.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Strong stakeholder engagement is key for this role. Prepare examples of how you've influenced senior leaders and navigated matrix organisations. Think about specific situations where your negotiation skills made a difference and be ready to share those stories.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
This position requires leading high-performing teams. Reflect on your leadership experiences and be prepared to discuss how you build capability and promote best practices. Highlight any successful transformations you've led and the impact they had on the organisation.
✨Understand the Governance Frameworks
Familiarise yourself with ITIL, ISO9001, and ISO27001 frameworks as they are essential for this role. Be ready to explain how you've established and governed architecture frameworks in previous positions, ensuring compliance and quality across projects.