Lead Enterprise Architect

Job summary

Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see 'Selection process details'.

As an Enterprise Architect at DWP you will be a technology strategist responsible for developing reference architectures and blueprints to enable digital transformation across a large and complex environment.

You will understand the DWP and Partner ecosystems and can work with executives to drive technology strategies that align with and underpin business transformation.

Our Enterprise Architects can contextualise the latest emerging thinking within DWP, Government and broader industry and translate that into opportunities and impacts then defining necessary technological changes to the estate.

You will be a recognised expert in Integration patterns and technologies including APIs, Eventing and File Transfer both internally and across organisational boundaries. You will provide integration-related consultancy and design assurance. Through this you will influence strategic architecture alignment, cost efficiency, reduction of technical debt and increased sustainability.

As experienced leaders DWP Enterprise Architects help to grow and inspire the next DWP technical leaders through mentoring, partnering and consultation. You will work with other practices to build synergy across product, engineering, data and more.

Job description

As an Enterprise Architect, you will be:

• A recognised expert and trusted advisor in driving technology strategy and working across portfolios and technology platforms to ensure work is aligned to our enterprise vision, business and technology strategy.
• A key player in the development, identification, and future planning of the enterprise architecture of the DWP.
• Part of a team that drives and builds our Architecture practice by providing leadership to a large multi-disciplinary organisation.

Responsibilities

Your roles and responsibilities for this role include, but are not restricted to the following:

• Develop and maintain the DWP Enterprise Architecture, Reference Architecture and the Digital Blueprint (DWP published patterns, policies, guidance, standards and approved technologies). Lead in communicating the architecture and its goals to the architecture community and wider audiences and build sufficient guidance to support devolved decision making where appropriate.
• Provide architectural consultancy and suggest courses of action in the creation and maintenance of business area product and technology roadmaps. Influence broader portfolio roadmaps to consider business and strategic architecture alignment, commercial landscapes, reduction of technical debt and sustainability. Provide analysis of the DWP Digital Portfolio, identifying priorities for change to enable delivery at pace. Contribute to digital demand triaging and impacting.
• Provide a trusted source of strategic architecture guidance to senior DWP stakeholders. Support senior stakeholders and executive level boards in understanding architectural concerns, available options, impacts and relate these to business alignment, costs, impacts and opportunities.
• Ensure alignment of the DWP Enterprise Architecture with the DWP Business Strategy, service design vision and target business architecture. Challenge the business strategy and architecture to innovate where new architectural approaches or technologies offer opportunities to improve efficiency or agility.
• Undertake horizon scanning and engage with market analysts, vendors and peers to identify emerging Architecture and IT Industry trends. Evaluate their potential for disruption and opportunity for DWP. Communicate the impacts and opportunities to senior stakeholders and the architecture community.
• Support the Digital Executive Team in maintaining the business case for the DWP Enterprise Architecture including developing budgetary cycle bids.

Person specification

See selection process for further details.

If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact Mark.Harbottle@dwp.gov.uk

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Architect for the whole context (Expert)
• Enterprise Architecture (Expert)
• Making architectural decisions (Expert)
• Strategy design (Practitioner)
• Problem definition and shaping (Expert)

We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:

• Enterprise Architecture (Expert)

Benefits

We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Hybrid Working

This role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work.

If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office.

If you have a disability, caring responsibilities, or other circumstances that may affect your ability to meet the minimum office attendance requirement, please discuss this with us using the contact details in this advert.

Salary Information

The role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession and utilises an enhanced Government Digital and Data Pay Framework linked to capability which provides access to a Government Digital and Data allowance.

Pay for this role is £75,026 to £80,267, subject to candidate type. In addition to this, the role can attract a Government Digital and Data allowance of up to £24,810. Please see additional info below regarding candidate type. The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills as demonstrated in the selection process. Government Digital and Data Allowance is a discretionary non-consolidated, non-pensionable allowance.

External applicants

Pay for this role is £75,026 plus a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £24,810, subject to our assessment of capability at interview.

Our offer to successful candidates will be based on our assessment of your capability based on the evidence you provide at interview against the listed Technical Skills for the role. There is no negotiation at offer stage.

Internal and OGD applicants

Pay for the role is from £75,026 to £80,267, you may also be eligible for a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £24,810, subject to our assessment of capability at interview.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current base salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion should either move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or receive a 10% increase to their base salary; whichever would be the greater.

In addition to your base salary a Government Digital and Data Allowance may be payable based on our assessment of your capability. Our offer to successful candidates will be based on the evidence you provide at interview against the listed Technical Skills for the role. There is no negotiation at offer stage.

Things you need to know

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application

Your application will consist of four parts:

1. A Personal Details application form.

2. Employment history - this should contain your work experience and any skills, qualifications and accomplishments relevant to the jobs you have completed.

3. Personal statement - up to 1250 words. This statement should be used to provide examples of how you meet the essential criteria below:

• Leading the enterprise scale architecture and design of business critical IT projects/services in a large, high volume and complex organisation. Includes evidence of responsibility for architecting 'eco-systems' of products as well as individual products. Advising on high impact technology choices and product selections.
• Presenting to large and varied technical and non-technical audiences both within the organisation, across government and externally.
• Leading on architectural governance activities to enable effective management and architectural decision making.
• Experience of developing reference architectures including architectural principals, patterns, standards and guidance and communicating this to an audience of peers.
• Knowledge of both modern architectural approaches (microservices, API and event based communications, public cloud) and legacy monolithic on-premise styles.

4. Technical statement (up to 250 words). The following statement is aligned to the required technical skill of Enterprise Architecture. This statement should be used to provide example(s) of how you meet the criterion below:

• Extensive experience with integration architecture patterns and best practice across of range of integration styles and technologies (FTP, API, Events, Messaging, Async API in Cloud and Hybrid)

Ensure that all examples provided in your statements are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. If you choose to use gen-AI to support your statements, you must follow the guidelines outlined in the Artificial intelligence and recruitment guide.

The sift panel will use the information in your employment history, personal statement, and technical statement to assess your experience, skills and knowledge.

An initial sift will be conducted using the technical statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift.

If you do progress to a full sift, you will be provided with one combined overall assessment score for both your employment history and Personal Statement.

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

Important Information

• You will be asked to complete your employment history. Any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history, personal statement or technical statement contain any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview 1

Candidates successful at sift will be invited to interview one and will be asked to deliver a presentation to further assess your experience.

The presentation exercise session is 30 minutes with the presentation element itself being 15 minutes and the remaining time for follow up questions.

You should present a scenario where you have architected and designed a solution requiring significant and challenging integration between services.

You should:

• Aim the presentation at fellow architects and those with a technical background.
• Highlight how the solution addresses the business need for context, but focus on the architecture of the solution.
• Highlight some key architectural decisions/choices or challenges.
• Expect to screen share and use architecture diagrams and any other visual aids to communicate the architectural concepts effectively.

Stage 3: Interview 2

If you are successful at Stage 2 you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours and Technical Skills:

Behaviours:

• Changing and improving.
• Leadership.

Technical Skills:

• Architect for the whole context (Expert)
• Enterprise Architecture (Expert)
• Making architectural decisions (Expert)
• Strategy design (Practitioner)
• Problem definition and shaping (Expert)

Interviews will take place from the end of April 2026. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Other information:

If high application volumes are received, the benchmark for candidates to proceed to the next stage may be raised. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to advance all candidates applying under the DCS who meet the minimum standard. However, we may only progress those candidates who best meet the required standards.

All successful candidates and those placed on reserve will be posted in merit list order by location.

For these vacancies, we strongly recommend that applicants consult with an immigration specialist or qualified advisor to assess their eligibility for Visa Sponsorship before deciding to apply. Please note that while we consider sponsorship requests in accordance with current DWP guidance and Home Office policy, sponsorship cannot be guaranteed.

Security Clearance Requirement

You must meet the security requirements before you can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

You must have resided continuously in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years, 2 of which must have been the immediately preceding years from the point of applying for this job.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Further Information

Find out more about Working for DWP

For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.

Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Reasonable Adjustment

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.

We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit, page

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Mark Harbottle
• Email : Mark.Harbottle@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : digitialrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you wish to make a complaint, please find further details here: https://careers.dwp.gov.uk/how-we-recruit/.

Attachments

DWP Terms and Conditions January 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 17kB)Success-Profiles-Candidate-Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 635kB)