Lead Service Architect

Lead Service Architect
Location: National*
Closing Date: 30^th September
Interviews: W/C 12^th October (subject to change)
Grade: G6
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary: London - £75,674 to £85,257. National - £71,381 to £80,419.
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working, Job share
Contract Type: Permanent
Number of vacancies: 1
Vacancy number: 21220
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. Please click on the link for details.

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. Designed to support a positive work–life balance.

You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, Data and Science please take a look at our blog.

Key Responsibilities

Profession 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.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Salary Information**

Base salary for this role is from London - £75,674 to £85,257. National - £71,381 to £80,419.

• New entrants to the Civil Service joining the MoJ are expected to start at the minimum of the pay band.
• Existing Civil Servants moving on a level transfer will retain their current base salary or move to the minimum of the pay band for the role, whichever is higher.
• Existing Civil Servants who are promoted will either move to the bottom of the new grade’s pay band or receive a 10% uplift, whichever provides the greater increase.

How to Apply

In Justice Digital, Data and Science, we recruit using theSuccess Profiles Framework. We shall assess a combination of your Experience and Behaviours during the assessment process.

Stage 1 - Application and sift:

• A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Person Specification of this advert.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 750 words) which should outline your experience and skills, giving clear examples of work undertaken. It should specifically address the following criteria listed below which are being assessed at the sift stage, using a separate paragraph for each.
• 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.

A diverse sift panel will review the information in your CV and Personal Statement to assess the sift criteria specified above. We operate an anonymous shortlisting process. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement do not include your name or any other identifying details.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on the following criteria will be conducted before the sift -

• 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.

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply - Application Guidance

Stage 2 - Interviews:

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a panel interview held via Microsoft Teams. At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements - Experience, and the following Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a presentation that assesses your experience. Further details will be provided if successful at sift.

Appointments are made strictly in merit order. In the event that two or more candidates receive identical interview scores, the ‘Significant experience designing, assuring and improving complex technology services within large organisations’ criterion will be applied as the primary lead criterion to determine the final merit order.

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Terms and Conditions

Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk