Deputy Director - Chief Architect

This job has now expired please search on the home page to find live IT Jobs.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Defra's Digital, Data and Technology Service's (DDTS) architecture team - leading architectural delivery for the newly-established Major Projects function. Established on 1st April 2021, this brand new department oversees projects that involve significant digital and IT delivery. These are high-risk and complex projects that are strategically important and often highly politically interesting.

Within this very visible environment, you'll support some of Defra's largest and most high-profile programmes of business change and technology delivery: namely the Europe and Trade Delivery Portfolio and Future Farming and Countryside Programme to start with.

From ensuring technical solutions meet business needs to overseeing architectural and technical standards, you'll make sure we continue to achieve excellent consistency and synergy across the technical governance and assurance landscape. Cyber-security, information management and open data principles will all be key words in your remit.

It's a role that will see you taking online management responsibilities for more than 25 people, liaising with suppliers and making essential decisions about architectural approaches and solutions. Your decisions will influence technology spend of over £150m through the SR20 and 21 periods - and have a lasting influence on our reputation and success.

To be successful, you'll need considerable experience at a strategic level and to be confident influencing a delivery portfolio of tens of millions of pounds worth of technology and digital investment. You'll have a working knowledge of agile delivery methods and modern digital services in cloud environments - and the ability to challenge the status quo and re-think processes and systems. Managing remote teams, maintaining visibility over a broad geography and setting a culture of measurement by delivery rather than presence, will all be familiar to you too. Ideally, you'll bring a relevant qualification (perhaps an MBA, technical degree, TOGOF or SaFE) and membership of a professional body, such as the British Computer Society or IEE.

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 1st August 2021.