Defence Business Services (DBS) Enterprise Technology Architect - MoD - G7

Are you a dedicated person who is passionate about making a difference? 

Would you like to work for the Ministry of Defence?  

Defence Business Services (DBS) is one of the largest shared service organisations in Europe that provides a wide range of corporate services, to over 1.2 million end users, including serving and past military and families, as well as MoD civil servants and industry. DBS delivers large scale administration and smaller specialist services to enable the wider MOD to focus on its core aims, maintaining the UK’s Defence and Security. Services include Human Resources, Pay, Veterans, Finance and Procurement. 

• Our Vision - To support UK defence customers with outstanding service every time.
• Our Mission – Together we will proudly support Defence, continuously improving and delivering flexible, timely, sustainable and value for money services that underpin the whole force and enhance operational capability. 

DBS is committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues. We are building an inclusive culture and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society.  

We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us through opportunities to develop your skills and experience. We also offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career accessible to you and offer a Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Where your role permits, we support a blended working approach alternatively known as hybrid working. 

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments.  Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.  

Come and join the DBS community today! 

Job description

DBS Enterprise Architects support DBS with the design and transition of shared service capabilities to meet the needs of UK Defence and its stakeholders.  

DBS Enterprise Architects ensure that Defence procurement, financial and human resource capabilities are designed and delivered in line with effective standards and strategies to meet Defence shared service capability and technology modernisation goals. 

The roles work as an integral part of the DBS Architecture Profession team to ensure all delivered services integrate cleanly into DBS business, technology, application, and data architecture layers.  

DBS Enterprise Architects support the implementation of the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) strategy for DBS and the vision set by the Chief Technology Officer. 

The post holder will:  

• Collaborate with architects across the enterprise to assess change impacts and ensure a coherent delivery approach. Providing support and advice to other architects who are undertaking the design of new business solutions 
• Design solutions in line with MoD design and security policy and gain approvals through the DBS Technical Design Authority governance forum.
• Design models and reference artifacts enabling re-use of solution components supporting other architects to conform to required processes and standards.
• Ensure that new business capabilities are designed for clean integration with existing services. Considering service, applications, data and technology architectural layers and including through life compliance with business and technology policy and strategy
• Support development of governance, processes, and tooling to monitor and manage new business design, delivery and usage across the DBS enterprise Engage with MOD, industry, and government wide leaders and technical / service experts to identify and implement best architecture practice solutions to meet business needs.
• Support proofs of concept for technologies and services new to DBS. 
• Support, coach and mentor colleagues in adapting to new delivery approaches as a result of architectural design changes.
• Ensure architectures are compliant with DBS technical principles and contribute to achievement of the DBS Digital, Data and Technology Strategy aims

Person specification

In addition to essential Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) skills described below, all DBS architects will be expected to have, or develop, the following core technical skills for the effective delivery of DBS business. 

Communication skills. To listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders and interpret them. Manage stakeholder expectations and be flexible. Manage proactive and reactive communication. Facilitate difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders. Understand the appropriate mediums to communicate findings. Shape communications for the audience. 

Architectural governance. To support the evolution of architecture governance, and take responsibility for collaborating and supporting in wider CSM governance. Assure and integrate capabilities to meet the needs of multiple business services. Working proactively to ensure the organisation designs coherent infrastructure architecture.  

Technical innovation. To understand the impact of emerging technology trends on the organisation and adopt as appropriate.  

Architecture modelling. To understand the concepts and principles of architecture modelling and can produce relevant models to describe capability interrelationships. Know how to reverse-engineer models from a live system. Understand industry recognised modelling patterns and standards and know when to apply them. You can compare and align different architecture models.  

Architectural standards. To develop and set standards for new business implementation across DBS. Act as the escalation point for non-compliance with standards providing advice and guidance on roadmaps to resolution.  

Problem resolution. To ensure that the most appropriate actions are taken to resolve productivity problems as they occur. You coordinate teams to resolve problems and implement solutions and preventative measures.  

Strategic thinking. To work within a strategic context and communicate how activities meet strategic goals.  

DDaT Essential skills

• Commercial perspective. You can identify appropriate contractual frameworks and approaches. You can identify, evaluate and select appropriate suppliers. (Skill level: practitioner
• Communicating between the technical and non-technical. You can listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them. You can effectively manage stakeholder expectations. You can manage active and reactive communication. You can support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Community collaboration. You can work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others. You can adapt feedback to ensure it’s effective and lasting.You can use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them. You can identify issues through Agile ‘health checks’ with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses. (Skill level: practitioner)
• DDaT perspective. You can demonstrate an advanced understanding of design, technology and data principles. You can identify and implement solutions for assisted digital. You can apply knowledge to work with other digital, data and technology (DDaT) job families. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Enterprise and business architecture. You can support and advise on the development of a future state architecture aligned to strategy. You can lead on the translation of business drivers, goals and constraints into business objectives. You can define the capabilities required to create or develop operating models that meet business objectives. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Governance and assurance. You can evolve and define governance. You can take responsibility for working with and supporting other staff in wider governance. You can assure services across sets of services. You can use tools such as standards, guardrails and principles to effectively govern delivery. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Making and guiding decisions. You can make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity, and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase. You can build consensus between services or independent stakeholders. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Problem definition and shaping. You can define strategies and policies, providing guidance to others on working in the strategic context. You can evaluate current strategies to ensure business requirements are being met and exceeded where possible. (Skill level: practitioner)
• Strategic design and business change. You can demonstrate a good understanding of business issues, events and activities, and their short to long term impact. You can support defining principles, patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements. You can effectively focus on outcomes rather than solutions. You can help to develop, maintain or update strategy in response to feedback and findings. (Skill level: practitioner)

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• DDaT Communicating between the technical and non-technical
• DDaT Community collaboration
• DDaT Governance and assurance
• DDaT Problem definition and shaping