At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of data and cloud architecture for crisis response platforms.
- Company: Join the Cabinet Office's COBR Directorate, protecting the UK from crises.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a chance to make a real impact.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities to mentor and collaborate across government.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of crisis management and contribute to national security.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in technical architecture and secure environments required.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 65000 £ per year.
Location: London
About the Job
The COBR Directorate protects the UK from crises. Our work is varied, fast paced and always interesting. We work across the emergency management cycle, including preparing for and resolving crises, learning lessons and making effective decisions. You will be part of COBR’s National Situation Centre team, working with colleagues across government to combine data and expertise to unlock timely insights for a safe, secure and prosperous UK.
We are looking for a Technical Architect to own the data and cloud architecture for The COBR’s National Situation Centre’s crisis response platform. You will lead the integration of bespoke software with COTS solutions across our AWS ecosystem. This is not a developmental role; we require a seasoned architect with strong, hands-on technical skills who can immediately uplift the team's capabilities. If you have a proven track record of designing scalable data architectures this platform will provide your next major challenge. This role supports the implementation of the National Situation Centre’s commitments under HMG’s Biological Security Strategy (BSS).
The BSS focuses on two flagship capabilities: the National Biosurveillance Network (NBN), which is being developed on the National Situation Centre’s interactive National Security Risk Assessment software RaIN; and the Biothreats Radar (BTR), which is being developed on the National Situation Centre’s x-HMG DASH.
Key Responsibilities
- Leading the technical design of systems and services, justifying and communicating design decisions.
- Assure other services and system quality, ensuring the technical work fits into the broader strategy for government.
- Regularly collaborate and find agreement with senior stakeholders, providing direction and challenge.
- Be proactive in identifying problems and translating these into non-technical descriptions that can be widely understood.
- Mentor and coach junior colleagues in the National Situation Centre’s technology team.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Technical Skills
- Lead technical architecture experience in secure, multi-supplier environments.
- Ability to produce clear, defensible architectural artefacts (HLDs, SoRs, strategies).
- Solution Shaping and Solution Architecture Experience.
- Understanding of Data Architecture and distributed models.
- Experience with API-led integration, event-driven architectures, and schema standardisation.
- Understanding and experience of designing solutions for cloud environments.
- Understanding of Containerisation Technologies.
Architect For The Whole Context
- Align your work with the work being done by other architects and technical professionals.
- Track emerging issues, strategies, roadmaps, patterns and technologies over time to assess opportunities and risks to your work.
- Identify how other teams contribute to delivering outcomes through change.
Architecture communication
- Listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders.
- Create and use different architecture representations to communicate effectively, achieving agreement with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Provide support in discussions about architectural topics within a multidisciplinary team.
Community communication
- Contribute to the work of others.
- Motivate and empower teams.
- Create the right environment for teams to work in, and can identify the best team makeup depending on the situation.
- Recognise and deal with issues.
Making architectural decisions
- Work with others to make architectural design decisions characterised by managed levels of risk and complexity.
- Identify and address architectural risks relevant to your team or domain, for example, business, data, or security.
- Engage with architectural governance and assurance to effectively manage decisions and risks, with support.
Strategy design
- Support the development of a strategy or vision that aligns with organisational objectives.
- Challenge requirements and assumptions, and identify opportunities to develop strategy.
- Support the implementation of a strategy or vision, for example, by using a roadmap or plan.
- Use architectural principles, patterns, and constraints when appropriate.
Technical design throughout the life cycle
- Create technical designs characterised by managed levels of risk, impact, and complexity.
- Provide guidance and support to teams using technical designs throughout the life cycle.
- Adapt a technical design if needed during delivery.
- Work with well-understood technology and identify appropriate patterns.
Additional Information
Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.
Technical Architect - Cabinet Office - G7 in Manchester employer: Manchester Digital
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