At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of telephony and unified communications systems for a major transformation programme.
- Company: Join DVLA, a mission-driven agency impacting millions across the UK.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, generous pension contributions, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Flexible working culture with opportunities for professional development and career growth.
- Why this job: Shape national digital services while modernising critical infrastructure at DVLA.
- Qualifications: Strong background in telephony and unified communications with excellent stakeholder management skills.
The predicted salary is between 82430 - 82430 £ 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 Licensing Agency (DVLA), in partnership with Inspire People, is seeking a Lead Unified Communications Architect with strong experience across telephony, unified communications and contact centre platforms, alongside additional capability across networking or broader infrastructure domains (e.g. cloud, identity, Active Directory). You will act as the Lead Architect for a new 6,000-seat, multi-million-pound telephony programme, while also contributing to other key infrastructure initiatives. Based in Swansea on a permanent appointment, this role offers a salary of up to £82,430 plus 29% employer pension contribution and excellent Civil Service benefits, with hybrid working (minimum 60% in Swansea).
DVLA delivers national-scale digital services that support the safe and lawful use of vehicles across the UK, reaching millions of citizens and businesses every year. As DVLA continues to modernise its technology landscape, the organisation is investing in strong technical architecture capability to ensure services are secure, well-governed, scalable and aligned to wider government strategy.
As a Lead Technical Architect, you will work across DVLA's IT Services Directorate and business teams, collaborating closely with engineering squads to design, assure and deliver modern digital solutions. You will play a key role in shaping architectural patterns, influencing technical decisions and mentoring other architects.
As the Lead Unified Communications Architect you will:
- Lead the technical design of telephony, unified communications and contact centre systems
- Define and assure solution architectures, ensuring alignment with enterprise and government architecture strategy
- Work collaboratively with engineering teams to deliver new solutions and transition them into live service
- Establish and apply architectural governance, ensuring consistency, quality and security by design
- Assure service and system quality, identifying risks, dependencies and cross-domain impacts
- Explore opportunities for cross-government alignment and reuse
- Provide leadership and mentoring to other architects and technical colleagues
- Engage with senior stakeholders, communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
Essential skills for the Lead Unified Communications Architect include:
- A strong architectural background delivering enterprise-scale solutions
- Proven experience in telephony, unified communications or contact centre platforms
- The ability to design and assure solutions across complex, multi-domain environments, understanding how networking, telephony and wider infrastructure integrate
- Experience working beyond a single specialism, with exposure to broader infrastructure such as servers, Active Directory or cloud platforms.
- Strong experience of architectural governance and assurance
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
Desirable skills for the Lead Unified Communications Architect include:
- Experience with enterprise platforms such as Cisco UCC, Microsoft Teams Voice, Webex or similar
- Experience with omni-channel or cloud contact centre platforms (e.g. Content Guru Storm or equivalent)
- Experience supporting or leading large-scale telephony or UC transformation programmes
- Proven experience in either enterprise networking (LAN/WAN/WLAN) or broader infrastructure domains (e.g. cloud, identity, Active Directory)
- Experience working in government or other regulated environments
- Exposure to large-scale digital transformation programmes
- Experience mentoring architects or senior engineers
- Familiarity with Agile delivery and modern CI/CD practices
In return, you can expect a flexible working culture, including:
- Hybrid working with a minimum 60% office-based in Swansea
- Flexible working patterns to support work-life balance
- A Civil Service pension with employer contributions of circa 29%
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and a privilege day
- Access to learning, development and digital career frameworks
Why Join DVLA? This is a unique opportunity to lead the network architecture for a major, multi-million-pound telephony transformation programme while shaping the wider infrastructure landscape at DVLA. You will work at national scale, ensuring secure, resilient connectivity for services used by millions across the UK, and play a key role in modernising critical platforms that underpin DVLA's digital services.
If you want to help shape nationally significant digital services at DVLA, apply via the link and one of the Inspire People team will be in touch.
Locations
Lead Unified Communications Architect in Gorseinon, Swansea employer: Inspire People
Contact Detail:
Inspire People Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Unified Communications Architect in Gorseinon, Swansea
✨Tip Number 1
Network with industry professionals! Attend events, webinars, or meetups related to unified communications and telephony. This way, we can make connections that might lead to job opportunities and get insider info on the latest trends.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your expertise! Create a portfolio or a LinkedIn profile that highlights your experience in telephony and unified communications. We want to demonstrate our skills and projects to potential employers, making it easier for them to see what we bring to the table.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions related to architecture and stakeholder management. We should be ready to discuss our past experiences and how they align with the role of Lead Unified Communications Architect at DVLA.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we can tailor our applications to highlight how our skills match the specific needs of the DVLA and their mission-driven digital team.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Unified Communications Architect in Gorseinon, Swansea
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with telephony and unified communications. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant projects!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a Lead Architect, you’ll be guiding teams and influencing decisions. Use your application to demonstrate your leadership experience and how you've mentored others in the past. We love seeing examples of collaboration and guidance!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to explain your technical expertise and how it relates to the job. We appreciate a well-structured application that’s easy to read and understand.
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 ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Inspire People
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of telephony, unified communications, and contact centre platforms. Be ready to discuss specific technologies like Cisco UCC or Microsoft Teams Voice, and how they integrate with broader infrastructure like cloud and Active Directory.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Lead Architect, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to lead and mentor others. Prepare examples of how you've influenced technical decisions or guided teams in previous roles, especially in complex, multi-domain environments.
✨Communicate Clearly with Stakeholders
Practice explaining technical concepts in simple terms. You'll be engaging with both technical and non-technical audiences, so think about how you can convey your ideas clearly and effectively, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
✨Prepare for Governance Discussions
Understand architectural governance and assurance processes. Be ready to discuss how you've established quality and security by design in past projects, and how you would apply these principles to DVLA's initiatives.