Details
Reference number
418796
Salary
£57,500
London based – The total package for this role at Grade 7 is £62,500 per annum (non-negotiable). This figure includes a non-pensionable, non-consolidated Location Allowance of £5,000. Upon appointment, a non-pensionable, non-consolidated specialist allowance of up to £11,200 may be offered depending on demonstration of skills, competence, experience, and location.
Milton Keynes based – The total package for this role at Grade 7 is £59,250 per annum (non-negotiable). This figure includes a non-pensionable, non-consolidated Location Allowance of £1,750. Upon appointment, a non-pensionable, non-consolidated specialist allowance of up to £11,200 may be offered depending on demonstration of skills, competence, experience, and location.
East Kilbride based – The total package for this role at Grade 7 is £57,500 per annum (non-negotiable). Upon appointment, a non-pensionable, non-consolidated specialist allowance of up to £11,200 may be offered depending on demonstration of skills, competence, experience, and location.
Future pay awards will be performance related, linked to the annual appraisal process and may also include a non-consolidated Performance Related Payment (PRP), dependent on the level of performance. All future awards are subject to guidance issued annually by HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Grade 7
Contract type
Permanent
Type of role
Information Technology
Working pattern
Full-time
Number of jobs available
3
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
East Kilbride, London, Milton Keynes
About the job
Job summary
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office pursues our national interests and projects the UK's role in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK's security, defend our values, reduce poverty and tackle global challenges with our international partners. We employ more than 17,000 staff in 179 countries and territories, across our diplomatic and development offices worldwide, which consists of 282 officially designated Posts. Our UK-based staff work in King Charles Street, London, Abercrombie House in East Kilbride and in Milton Keynes.
Job description
These positions provide an exceptional opportunity to make a difference in one of the most exciting parts of Government. As a Senior Technical Architect, you will assure other services and system quality, making sure the technical work fits into the broader strategy for the FCDO. You will be responsible for leading the technical design of systems and services, including detailed plans for integration. You will also explore the benefits of cross-government alignment of systems and services. You will work on multiple projects or teams on problems that require broad architectural thinking.
As a Senior Technical Architect, you will:
* be responsible for managing the technical design of systems and services, justifying and communicating design decisions
* assure other services and system quality, ensuring the technical work fits into the broader strategy for government
* explore the benefits of cross-government alignment
* provide mentoring within teams
* provide guidance and work with other architects
You will have many opportunities to learn, deepening your technical expertise, understanding how an international organisation works and building your own personal leadership. You will have access to a great online learning platform, attend industry events and network with technology leaders in other government departments.
Roles and responsibilities
* Architect for the whole context. Align your work with the work being done by other architects and technical professionals, track emerging issues, strategies, roadmaps, patterns and technologies over time to assess opportunities and risks to your work, identify how other teams contribute to delivering outcomes through change. (Skill level: Working)
* Architecture Communication. Lead the communication of complicated, complex or risky architecture topics with technical and non-technical stakeholders, communicate with senior stakeholders across your organisation, adapt your message and communication techniques to your audience, advocate on behalf of a team to other stakeholders, manage stakeholder expectations effectively. (Skill level: Practitioner)
* Community Collaboration. Work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others, adapt feedback to ensure it is effective and lasting, use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them, identify issues through Agile 'health checks' with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses. (Skill level: Practitioner)
* Making architectural decisions. Work with others to make architectural design decisions characterised by managed levels of risk and complexity, identify and address architectural risks relevant to your team or domain, for example, business, data, or security, engage with architectural governance and assurance to effectively manage decisions and risks, with support. (Skill level: Working)
* Strategy Design. Support the development of a strategy or vision that aligns with organisational objectives, challenge requirements and assumptions, and identify opportunities to develop strategy, support the implementation of a strategy or vision, for example, by using a roadmap or plan, use architectural principles, patterns, and constraints when appropriate. (Skill level: Working)
* Technical design throughout the life cycle. Create technical designs characterised by medium risk, impact, and complexity, maintain appropriate quality and architectural coherence of a technical design in response to change, use feedback to optimise and refine technical designs throughout the life cycle. (Skill level: Practitioner)
Candidate Engagement Call
We will be running a Candidate Engagement Call on Tuesday 23rd September. During this call, you will have the opportunity to ask any further questions about these roles. Please do come along if of interest.
You can join the call on Tuesday 23rd September at pm BST HERE.
Person specification
You must be a British Citizen at the time of application and, if invited to interview, you will need to bring proof of identity (British Passport/Driving Licence etc.) with you.
This role requires you to attainDeveloped Vetting (DV) security clearance.
For more information about this process, click here. Attaining DV will require you to have been resident in the UK for five of the last ten years. At least one year of this must have been a consecutive twelve-month period. Serving overseas with HM Forces, in some other official capacity as a representative of His Majesty's Government or having lived overseas as a result of your parents' or partner's Government employment counts as UK residency for the purposes of security clearances.
It is essential in your application that you provide evidence and proven examples in each of the following Minimum Criteria, the Behaviours and the Technical question as far as you are able to do so. These responses will be further developed and discussed with those candidates invited for interview.
Minimum Criteria
* Ability to work with the design and review processes for new solution and services, evidencing the inclusion of 'Secure by Design" in the technical designs you produce, oversee and approve.
* Experience of presenting recommendations for technologies or improvements to enhance systems to support project goals clearly to senior management, based on knowledge of IT and analysis of systems' needs.
* Ability to champion development of architectural practice, ensuring a coherent and consistent strategy across cyber, cloud, data centre, storage, network, mobile and the user experience of infrastructure. contributing to the overall technical strategy and road map for the department in your area of expertise.
* Experience of coaching and mentoring the architectural community and engaging with development opportunities across government.
* Technical expertise in a range of technical backgrounds ranging from Cloud, M365, Azure, AWS, Networks, Telephony or Digital systems.
* Experience working with scaled agile frameworks and implementations.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Changing and Improving
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
* Making architectural decisions – Working (2nd Framework)Technical Design throughout the life cycle – Practitioner
* Making architectural decisions – Working
* Technical Design throughout the life cycle - Practitioner
We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:
* Making architectural decisions – Working (2nd Framework)Technical Design throughout the life cycle – Practitioner
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £57,500, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contributes £16,657 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
* A Civil Service Pension.
* 25 days Annual Leave per annum.
* 9 days Public and Privilege holidays per annum.
* Learning and Development tailored to your role.
See the attached candidate pack.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
This vacancy uses the Success Profiles Framework to assess your Behaviours. We will use theGovernment Dital and Data Capability Framework to assess your Technical skills.
Please see the 'Hints and Tips' that are provided for your information about how to prepare Behaviour examples at the Application and/or Interview stage.
Application Stage
You will be required to complete an online application form and submit a CV and Personal Statement of 1,250 words. Your Personal Statement should explain how your skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with specific reference to the Minimum Criteria. It is essential that you provide clear evidence and proven examples addressing each of the Minimum Criteria. These responses will be explored further during the interview process for shortlisted candidates.
Your application will also be assessed on the following Technical skills:
Making architectural decisions – Working (2nd Framework)Technical Design throughout the life cycle – Practitioner
https://ddat-capability-
IMPORTANT: If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme and require Reasonable Adjustments in order to complete your application, please ensure Government Recruitment Service (GRS) are aware of this on the date of application and certainly by the closing date.
Interview Stage
You will be assessed on the following Behaviours at Interview:
Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
You will be assessed on the following Technical skills at Interview:
Making architectural decisions – Working
Technical Design throughout the life cycle - Practitioner
You will also be asked a Motivation question at the interview and this will be assessed.
Please note that the FCDO carries out name-blind (anonymised) recruitment to help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce. The personal information on your Application form and/or CV will be concealed during the sifting phase, and only the names of those who are being invited for Interviews will be made known to the Panel.
The FCDO has appointed the Government Recruitment Service to manage the process.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the 'Assistance required' section in the 'Additional requirements' page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to FCDO 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. Determine your eligibility at
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems reading the Candidate Pack, such as through screen reader software, please contact our Team via and we will share a Word version of this.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Applications must be factually accurate and should be your own work. If there is any evidence of plagiarism, including presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own, your application will be withdrawn. The candidate's guide to artificial intelligence in recruitment provides guidance on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in the application process.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting .
See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
Open to UK nationals only.
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
* Name : FCDO Recruitment Team
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
The FCDO's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should, in the first instance, contact If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the FCDO, you can contact the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners.