Defence Intelligence - Senior Cloud Enterprise Architect

The Senior Cloud Enterprise Architect will provide enterprise architectural leadership for cloud services across Defence Intelligence and, where directed, the Military Intelligence Service, spanning Official, Secret and Top Secret environments.

The post holder will translate strategic objectives, operational requirements and technology opportunities into coherent cloud architecture principles, target states and transition roadmaps. They will define architectural standards and reusable patterns, guide workload placement and technology investment decisions, and assure cloud proposals against Defence architecture, cyber-security, interoperability, resilience and value-for-money requirements.

Working with Defence Digital & Data colleagues, cyber and security specialists, data and solution architects, service owners, delivery teams, industry and wider government partners, the role will build agreement around architectural decisions and ensure cloud adoption remains coherent across organisational and security boundaries.

This is a senior architecture role requiring strong enterprise architecture capability, practical cloud knowledge, sound judgement and the ability to communicate complex decisions to technical and non-technical audiences. Travel to DI and other HMG sites within the UK will be required. A small amount of international travel may be required.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

In Defence Intelligence (DI) our people solve problems, create understanding and give perspective to the diverse and complex Defence threats and challenges in a rapidly changing world. Together our civilians and military personnel inform decision making in Defence, manage complex finance programmes and develop new technology.

In DI we believe your unique experiences, view and understanding of the world could provide a vital perspective and contribution to our work. We recognise that great minds do not think alike and are striving to increase our diversity representation at all levels. As an equal opportunities employer we hire, train and promote people based on merit and aspire to create an inclusive workplace free of discrimination. We also offer flexible working arrangements such as flexi-time, job share and compressed hours.

Defence Intelligence relies on secure, resilient and interoperable digital services to support intelligence assessment and operations. Cloud technologies are central to modernising these services, enabling better access to data and capabilities while reducing fragmented delivery, duplication and technical debt.

As the Senior Cloud Enterprise Architect, you will be the principal architectural authority for cloud within Defence Intelligence and, where directed, across the Military Intelligence Service. You will define how cloud should be used across the enterprise and ensure that investment and delivery decisions align with agreed architecture strategy, principles, standards and roadmaps.

You will translate business strategy and operational needs into current-state, target-state and transition architectures across Official, Secret and Above Secret environments. You will work across business, data, application, technology, service and security architecture domains to ensure that cloud-enabled change is coherent, deliverable and aligned with wider Defence direction.

You will provide authoritative advice to senior leaders, governance bodies, service owners and delivery teams. You will lead architectural option analysis, make or recommend architecture decisions, assure proposed designs, identify opportunities for reuse and standardisation, and manage architectural risks, exceptions and technical debt. This role is one requiring broad architectural judgement, practical knowledge of cloud technologies and operating models, and the ability to influence outcomes across organisational boundaries without relying on formal authority.

The role offers the opportunity to shape the future of secure cloud across Defence Intelligence, ensuring that cloud capabilities support operational advantage, interoperability, resilience, sustainability and value for money.

Main Responsibilities:

• Own and maintain the Defence Intelligence enterprise cloud architecture vision, strategy, principles and roadmap, aligned with Defence and Government direction.
• Develop and maintain business cases, current-state, target-state and transition architectures for cloud capabilities across relevant security classifications.
• Lead problem definition, architecture option analysis and trade-off assessments, balancing operational outcomes, security, interoperability, resilience, scalability, sustainability, affordability and value for money.
• Assure designs and investment proposals against enterprise architecture, cyber-security, data, service and technology requirements.
• Represent Defence Intelligence at architecture boards, design authorities and cross-Defence governance forums, escalating material risks and resolving architectural conflicts.
• Promote reuse, interoperability and standardisation while identifying opportunities to simplify the estate, retire duplication and reduce technical debt.
• Undertake horizon scanning and assess emerging cloud technologies, supplier developments and architectural patterns for their relevance to Defence Intelligence.
• Communicate complex architectural issues and recommendations clearly to senior technical and non-technical stakeholders.

All jobs advertised in DI are subject to fair and open competition.

DI operates as part of Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) which is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to design the way in which the new Military Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, posts within CSOC are/or may become subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

Open to UK nationals only.

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

At sift, applicants will be assessed on experience in the essential and desirable criteria through a personal statement and CV

Personal Statement

All applicants will need to provide a personal statement, of no more than 750 words, including evidence of the essential and desirable criteria requested within the job advert.

When completing your personal statement, please read and understand the requirements described in the Person Specification section thoroughly, as this is what your written evidence will be assessed against.

Your layout is entirely your preference; you may choose narrative, bullets, etc. You may choose to address each criteria separately or have examples that cover and evidence several criteria. Please ensure you evidence the requirements and what you have done that relates to the requirements. You don’t have to explain the whole process, focus on what you have done and the skills and experience you have used. Share with us what makes you suited to this role and why, what you can do and the technical and behavioural skills you have that correspond to the requirements, and life experience or passion you have that are linked to this role.

CV

A CV will be required for this position; this cannot be uploaded to the advert. You will submit using the CV template provided on the CS Jobs dashboard in part two of your application, detailing job history, previous experience, and skills.

At interview, applicants will be sifted against the following Civil Service Behaviours and Technical skills.

Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills:

Government Digital and Data Profession skills expected

• Architect for the whole context: practitioner level.
• Strategy design: practitioner level.
• Enterprise architecture: practitioner level.
• Problem definition and shaping: practitioner level.

Should there be a large number of applicants the sift will be based on CV only.

We would generally expect Behaviour examples to follow the STAR structure and encourage candidates to use this throughout their application.

Application/Interview Scoring System

We adopt a scoring system of 1-7 for Behaviours, Technical skills, and Experience.

7- The evidence provided wholly exceeds expectation at this level

6 – Substantial positive evidence; includes some evidence of exceeding expectations at this level

5 – Substantial positive evidence of the competency or behaviour

4 – Adequate positive evidence and any negative evidence would not cause concern

3 – Moderate positive evidence but some negative evidence demonstrated

2 – Limited positive evidence and/or mainly negative evidence demonstrated

1 – No positive evidence and/or substantial negative evidence demonstrated

The sift should take place within two weeks of the job closing and candidates will be informed of the results, at all stages, via the website. Interview dates are to be confirmed.

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

If the successful candidate does not hold the necessary clearances, they will be made a provisional job offer and asked to undergo our vetting procedures. Once the relevant clearances have been obtained a formal job offer will be made and start dates can be discussed. Should the candidate fail to obtain the relevant clearances the provisional job offer will be rescinded. It should be noted that this process can take several months.

Further information:

Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) generates and operates specialist capabilities, ready to fight across all domains to make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

Always on, we are across every UK operation, delivering the capabilities you don’t usually see - or those you can’t.

From cyber warriors and medics to intelligence analysts, special forces, educators, and Defence attachés, our collective expertise delivers the warfighting edge Defence needs to deter threats and secure the nation today and prepare for tomorrow.

CSOC unites Defence’s cyber and specialist capabilities under a single, military command alongside the Royal Navy, British Army, and the Royal Air Force - acting as the UK’s fourth Military Command. For more information, please see here.’

Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to design the way in which the new Military Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, posts within CSOC are/or may become subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

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.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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