Information Architect

Job summary

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The Data and Information Governance (DIG) team within the Office of the Data Protection Office is an independent office within HMRC, and has a role set out in policies to ensure HMRC processes its data in accordance with data protection law and regulations. It advocates for data subjects' rights, and is a conduit to the regulator, the Information Commissioner. The Software Development team is there to design, build and implement innovative IT solutions, to support DIG and related partners in the business. Not quite a standard IT team, it is embedded within the DIG team and requires the developers balance their technical skills with knowledge of the policy areas the teams are working on.

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for a motivated and detail focused Information Architect (IA) to join the team. This role sits within the Government Knowledge & Information Management (GKIM) profession and plays a critical part in ensuring HMRC information is well structured, findable, secure and compliant with legislation and departmental policy. Alongside core information architecture responsibilities, the successful candidate will also use Power Platform low code tools (Power Apps, Power BI, OneTrust and Dataverse) to prototype and demonstrate Information Architecture requirements. This is not a coding or software engineering role.

Service Support & Supplier Liaison

The Information Architect will provide first line functional support to end users on issues related to information structure, metadata, templates, classification rules, and completion of Information Asset Registers (IAR), Record Of Processing Activity (ROPA) and Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) records. The postholder will triage reported system issues to determine whether they relate to information design or system behaviour, resolving those within GKIM remit and escalating technical faults to the external supplier where required. The Information Architect will act as the business owner contact point, logging issues, providing clear information governance context, and monitoring supplier response and resolution times. While the Information Architect will ensure that system fixes remain compliant with information governance and GKIM policy, all technical errors, defects, and system engineering changes will be resolved by the supplier, not the Information Architect. This maintains appropriate professional boundaries between GKIM (information design and governance) and technical delivery roles.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

Information Architecture & Standards

• Develop and maintain metadata models, taxonomies, controlled vocabularies and classification schemes aligned to GKIM standards.
• Produce Information Handling Models (IHMs), information flows and information lifecycle requirements.
• Shape structured information environments such as file plans, folder structures, catalogues and knowledge bases.

Governance, Assurance & Compliance

• Ensure information structures meet policy, legal, security and retention requirements.
• Contribute to information related assurance activities and reviews.
• Provide clear guidance, documentation and interpretation to digital delivery teams and stakeholders.

Power Platform Low Code Configuration (Explicit Requirement)

• Build and configure Power Apps (Canvas or Model Driven) and Power BI to prototype metadata structures, classification rules and information processes.
• Configure Dataverse tables, fields, relationships, business rules, forms and views aligned to artefacts.
• Use Power Fx for basic logic and validation (no coding required).
• Produce low code prototypes and proofs of concept that demonstrate IA standards and support user understanding.
• Identify where requirements move beyond low code capability and transition them to Government Digital and Data (GDAD) engineers appropriately.

Collaboration with Technical Teams

• Work alongside developers, architects and delivery teams to ensure KIM best practice is embedded in technical solutions.
• Translate artefacts into clear, actionable requirements for engineering teams.
• Maintain clear boundaries: the Information Architect own the information design; GDAD owns technical build.

Information Quality, Findability & Usability

• Review and improve existing information structures for consistency, clarity and usability.
• Help teams implement metadata and classification effectively to support search and retrieval.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Engage users and business teams to understand information needs and structure requirements.
• Communicate concepts and decisions in accessible, non-technical language.
• Promote good information management behaviours across HMRC.

What We Offer

• A supportive GKIM professional community.
• Opportunities to influence information standards.
• Flexible working arrangements.

Essential Criteria

• Experience or strong understanding of metadata, taxonomies, classification and information lifecycle.
• Ability to configure and use low code tools such as Power Apps, Power Query, Power BI, OneTrust and Dataverse.
• Ability to ensure low code solutions meet accessibility standards.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience with Power Fx.
• Experience working with digital delivery teams.

Office Closures

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it’s important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window)

These sites are:

• Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford
• Trinity Bridge House, Salford - moving to an alternative office in Manchester/ Salford

You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Leeds Location

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC’s Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.

Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a ‘Further Location Preferences (optional)’ field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

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