Lead Solution Architect

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

We are looking for technical leaders who can engage colleagues at all levels to influence better business outcomes, who have the right skills, behaviours and mindset.

You will:

• Have a fascination in how tech is evolving and can use that to solve real world problems.

• Influence our most senior stakeholders across HMRC to deliver transformational change, through creating IT solution architecture, articulating those designs to the business, and driving delivery with our teams.

• Enjoy being a part of building out technology projects that deliver results, recognising technology supports the necessary business and culture change.

• Support and influence transformational change through designing and delivering solutions.

• Be able to work collaboratively as part of a larger team to drive change across the organisation.

• Be Innovative – creating options and demonstrating how technology could lead to better business outcomes.

• Own a technology or business domain.

• Understand and present the design of the domain and articulate the changes and impact on the domain and the wider business.

If you can see yourself within this job description these roles may be just what you are looking for.

Job description

Lead Solution Architects in HMRC take an agile approach to solving problems from problem-shaping through design to delivery, creating Proof of Concepts, prototypes and technical or functional spikes to bring ideas to life, and de-risk delivery.

We are looking for someone who can show that they can grow into:

• Understanding business strategies and operations and have a track record of developing close trusted relationships based on your delivery record.

• Deliver Solutions at a fast pace to meet ministerial imperative deadlines.

• Collaboratively solve business problems – working with colleagues to identify root causes and create pragmatic IT solutions.

• Pick up new technologies quickly - you’re able to understand their strengths and weaknesses, where necessary testing their potential to solve the problem in hand.

• Use your domain knowledge to accelerate delivery and ensure best practice.

• Drive change at pace because it is important to you, but you also excel in recognising and managing risks.

Person specification

Your responsibilities in this role will include.

• Leading a team of architects and setting direction for the team.

• Part of the Solution, Design and Architecture Senior Leadership team.

• Challenging the status quo, and delivering value through improved, coherent, architecture.

• Accountable for working with Enterprise Architecture and colleagues and creating solutions that align to HMRC’s IT Strategy and deliver business outcomes.

• Work with Delivery Teams and partners to ensure the Solution Design is delivered and implemented.

• Managing major programme Architecture in terms of both size and complexity, keeping programmes aligned with the business and technical strategies.

This role will require travel and overnight stays.

Essential Criteria:

• Work in an area that must develop solutions at pace for legislative changes working on multiple projects.

• Provide high level impacts for Invest to Raise Measures as well as Spending Review Portfolio level designs.

• You can bridge the gap to business strategy for non-technical senior stakeholders, handling diverse stakeholders across all levels within the organisation.

• Strong inter-personal skills with an ability to translate between business and technology.

• You are a collaborative problem solver – working with colleagues to identify root causes allowing you to create and deliver pragmatic IT solutions.

• You have designed customer facing and/or internal IT solution designs that link to and deliver tangible benefits.

• Facilitating the relationships with indirect stakeholders.

• You can pick up new technologies and architecture concepts and styles quickly, understand their strengths and weaknesses and apply that learning.

• You can work at pace, but you also excel in managing architectural risk.

Desirable Criteria:

• Possess or working toward TOGAF, BCS or CITP qualifications.

Capability Allowance

The advertised role is part of the Government Digital and Data Profession and has access to a Capability-Based Allowance. Any allowance awarded will be based on an assessment, at interview, of your capability against the skills advertised for this role. Please see the attached candidate pack for more information.

The allowance values are set by HMRC, subject to remaining in a qualifying role, and are non-pensionable. This allowance is non-contractual, subject to an annual review and could be withdrawn at any time.

For both new entrants and existing civil servants, the total reward compensation offer is a combination of base salary and, if applicable, a capability-based allowance. New entrants to the Civil Service will start on the pay range minimum. For existing civil servants, our policies on level transfer and promotion will apply.

For more information please visit the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (opens in a new window).

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.

Office closures

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.

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.

These sites are:

• Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
• Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford

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

Leeds Locations

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.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £71,725, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £20,778 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil S