Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Lead Solution Architect
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford
Job Summary
ICS
The Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) is a shared corporate service. It provides corporate services (HR, Finance, Digital, Commercial, Security and Estates) across the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT).
Our team of over 400 professionals will be leading the way in how these functions will be delivered in the future. Our ambition is to be the leading provider of integrated corporate services for government and set the standard for quality, efficiency, and innovation in our field.
We offer great working benefits including a world-class pension, flexible working options and a career where your learning and development is taken seriously. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
Find Out More
You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/desnz-careers/
Job Description
Join ICS Digital, where innovation meets expertise to create digital solutions. We are a cohesive digital community who work in the open, solving problems together and fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration. Our commitment to user-focused design and data-driven decision-making ensures that we deliver accessible services tailored to the needs of our customers.
The Architecture team comprises of three architects. We are actively working to streamline our digital assets, support DESNZ and DSIT through new initiatives, and provide architectural oversight.
As a Lead Solution Architect, you will support architectural governance, working with Business Partners and policy teams to shape new initiatives and guide decisions on new or enhanced systems. You will design technical solutions, support implementation teams, and provide oversight of third-party proposals, ensuring they align with departmental standards and progress through the appropriate governance processes.
Visit our blog to learn more about us and our work: [Click here](Click here)
To find out more about the Government Digital & Data profession visit: [Click here](Click here)
This vacancy is being offered on the Government Digital and Data Pay Framework and can include an allowance of up to £10,000 depending on skills, qualifications, and experience. Further details on the framework can be found on [This link](This link)
Person specification
Key Responsibilities
As a Lead Solution Architect, you will be part of a community responsible for the Architectural Governance Board. You will work closely with our Business Partners in supporting new initiatives set out by policy teams, supporting and guiding decisions when developing or upgrading new systems.
You will be responsible for designing solutions and supporting technical teams with the implementation of these solutions, you will be supporting 3rd parties with any proposed solutions being placed upon our technical estate by ensuring that that they adhere to the standards set out by the department and ensure they are taking the correct path through our governance processes.
You’ll Also Be Responsible For The Following
- Understanding the problem and shaping the solution
- Tailoring the systems engineering and architecture processes to address product risks.
- Developing, maintaining, and communicating the vision, architecture, and technology roadmap for the product
- Developing high-level designs, solution outlines, and key design decisions
- Managing the technology risk and design as the product evolves
- Supporting integration with other products and release to service.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
The above responsibilities are not exhaustive, and the post holders may be required to undertake some additional tasks not listed above, within the remit of their grade, to support the team.
As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.
Essential Criteria
- Experience in managing critical aspects of product development and system changes.
- Experience as a Solution Architect for complex applications, experience in designing and delivering public facing applications
- Application of enterprise and domain architecture, understanding how systems fit into the organisational context.
- Knowledge of multiple architecture and delivery frameworks
- Experience in delivering technical information to a non-technical audience
When completing your CV as part of the application please ensure to include the time you have worked for your organisations/ employers, and your key objectives in each role
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Competency: Technical Design throughout the life cycle (Level: Expert)
- Competency: Architecture Communication (Level: Expert)
Alongside your salary of £56,900, Department for Energy Security & Net Zero contributes £16,483 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to describe how your past experience relate to the essential criteria outlined in this job description, focusing on your most recent career history.
Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement only.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour, technical and strength-based questions.
Link to the technical/professional competency framework that candidates will be assessed against, for their reference: [Click here](Click here)
Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time. The presentation will assess the two technical skills stated in the advert.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DESNZ Candidate Guidance. A DESNZ Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
DESNZ does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).
DESNZ cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DESNZ holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location