About the job

Summary

We welcome applications from all communities and we don’t discriminate against any identity. We’re interested to hear from you, regardless of your background.

Do you have experience of leading teams in the definition and design of new solutions?

Are you able to bridge the gap between business requirements and technologies?

Would you like to make a real difference in a role that contributes to saving lives through it’s ‘blue light’ architecture strategy?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government's maritime safety policy in the United Kingdom and works to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea.

Safer lives, Safer ships, Cleaner seas.

Our vision is to be the best maritime safety organisation in the world.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

Job description

The MCA IT Architecture & Design function is responsible for the development and realisation enterprise and solution architectures, the design of digital services, and the evolution of architecture strategy that meet the business requirements of both the UK Maritime agency and Her Majesty’s Coastguard.

Reporting directly to the Head of Architecture & Design, the Enterprise Architect will be responsible for the development and promotion of the strategic, business-aligned, architecture. The role holder will effectively engage with key IT leadership and Business leadership stakeholders across UK Maritime agency and Her Majesty’s Coastguard to understand pivotal business initiatives in order to guide the business to a commonly agreed architecture.

The Enterprise Architect will lead the technical design of systems and services, rationalising and communicating design decisions. Providing leadership to other architects and mentoring within teams the successful applicant will explore and promote the benefits of cross-government alignment and will assure other services and system quality, making sure the technical work fits into the broader strategy for government.

This role will be based in Southampton HQ. There will be a business requirement for post holder to be based in the office for a set number of days per week. At present we are operating a hybrid working approach due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. Details of this arrangement will be discussed further with your line manager.

This role offers the opportunity for travel across the UK business to visits regional coastguard stations.
 

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Populating and managing the MCA Architecture Repository.
• Management of the MCA architecture application and technology portfolios.
• Implementing and guiding architecture decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommending decisions as risk and complexity increase.
• Planning and definition of MCA application and technology strategies.

For an in-depth insight into the role, please refer to the Role Profile attached to this advert.

About You

This role requires a resilient individual with robust technical skills and experience of leading teams in the definition and design of new solutions. You will have an analytical mind with excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to develop recommendations and make decisions to reach a solution. We require someone who is familiar with business information generation and analysis methods and who has experience in strategic technology planning and execution, and policy development and maintenance. You will be articulate in the use of architecture methodology and best practice and have experience in architecture modelling using the ArchiMate notation and modelling tools.

You will be a passionate change agent who can drive and promote continuous improvement. Your first class communication skills and superb interpersonal skills mean you are able to communicate ideas in a persuasive and compelling manner, bridging the gap between technical and non-technical.

You will be a holistic thinker who is able to build rapport quickly and enjoys collaborating across business areas, ensuring solid working relationships at all levels.

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• Lead Technical Architect

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.