Technical Architect

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented, enthusiastic Technical Architect within the Insolvency Service Digital Services team working on a programme of work to maintain, improve and modernise our line-of-business applications.

The Insolvency Service is a leading government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 9 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability network group, Employee Assistance, Representatives, FACES Network Group, LGBT+, Mind Matters, Part Time Workers, The Shed - Men’s Network Group and Women’s Network Group.

We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, through our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

If you would like to find out more about the role, the team and what it's like to work at the Insolvency Service, we are holding a Hiring Manager Q&A session for this role where you can virtually meet the team on 5th October at 10:30 - 11:30. Please click here to reserve your place.

The successful candidate will be working on the Digital Service team (part of the Change Technology Services within the Insolvency Service) responsible for Digital applications used by internal and external organisations as well as the general public.

The role ensures that solutions are aligned to business objectives, user needs, government standards and long-term strategic goals. They provide architectural expertise across products, platforms and delivery teams, balancing immediate delivery needs with the sustainable evolution of the estate.

Working with the Principal Technical Architect across Digital Services and the wider Insolvency Service, the Technical Architect establishes technical standards, architectural principles and governance processes that enable teams to deliver secure, scalable, maintainable and resilient services.

Responsibilities

Architecture:

• define target architectures and future technology direction
• develop and maintain architectural roadmaps
• produce and maintain reference architectures and design patterns
• participate in architecture reviews and governance activities
• support delivery teams in applying architecture principles
• provide guidance on complex technical decisions

Technical Governance:

• support technical assurance forums
• review significant technical decisions
• ensure solutions comply with security, accessibility and operational standards
• assess architectural impacts of proposed change
• identify and manage technical and architectural risks
• maintain architecture decision records and governance artefacts

Platform and Strategic Direction:

• drive adoption of shared platforms, reusable services and common capabilities
• help the evolution of Digital Services platforms
• support service consolidation and technology rationalisation initiatives

Engineering and Delivery Support:

• work closely with Lead Developers to maintain engineering standards
• support teams facing complex technical challenges
• review solution designs and implementation approaches
• ensure delivery teams understand architectural expectations
• help balance technical quality, delivery speed and operational sustainability

Stakeholder Engagement:

• engage with senior business and technical stakeholders on strategic technology matters
• translate complex technical concepts into language understood by business audiences
• represent Digital Services in cross-government, assurance and governance forums
• influence organisational decision-making through evidence-based technical advice

Capability Development:

• develop architectural capability across Digital Services
• promote Communities of Practice and knowledge sharing
• establish standards, guidance and architectural artefacts

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)

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

As part of the sift process, you will be asked to complete:

CV

Multi-Stage Screening Process

As part of the application process, candidates will be asked to upload a CV outlining their experience, skills and suitability for the role, and complete a multi-stage screening process. Candidates who are longlisted will be invited to complete a 5 minute, pre-recorded video screening interview. Alternatively, a 750 word written response may be provided in place of the video interview. Our recruitment partner (Inspire People) will assess applications against the essential criteria to produce a shortlist, which will then be reviewed by Insolvency Service hiring managers. Successful candidates will be invited to interview.

If successful at the sift stage, at interview, you will be assessed on the following:

Behavioural Competencies - assessed through:

• Behaviour 1 - Seeing the Big Picture
• Behaviour 2 - Communicating and Influencing

Technical Skills

• During the interview the candidate will be given a hypothetical scenario that will assess their technical knowledge and approach. The candidates are not required to create a presentation.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Sift – w/c TBC

Interview – w/c TBC

Location - MS Teams

Your interview will be conducted by video. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Visa Applicants

To sponsor a candidate under the Skilled Worker visa, a sponsorship licence is required. The Insolvency Service does not currently hold this licence and therefore, cannot legally sponsor Skilled Worker visa applicants.

Queries and Support

When contacting us or the Government Recruitment Service (GRS) using the contact details at the bottom of this advert, please include the 6-digit Vacancy ID, job title, your full name and, where applicable, your 8-digit Applicant ID in the email subject line. This will help us process your enquiry more efficiently.

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