Job title – Head of Data Architecture

Profession- Data & Analytics

Directorate â€“ Data Operations

Full Time equivalent - 37.5 hours

No of Roles â€“ 1

Contract Type â€“ Permanent

Location â€“ Home Working

UKHSA offers hybrid working or home working for its employees – this means that whilst the role will be based in one of our UKHSA offices, there will be opportunities for an element of working from home. The balance between home and workplace working is to be agreed with the line manager, determined primarily by business need and in line with departmental policy. Some business travel will be required to other UKHSA offices. Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available

Working Pattern â€“ Full Time/Flexible Working / Hybrid Working

Grade & Salary – Grade 6 National banding - £62,489 - £71,893 per annum. Inner London -£66,291 –£ 75, 411 per annum. Outer London - £64,390 - £73,652

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Closing Date – 10/02/2023. 23:55pm. Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered

Interview Date – 15/02/2023 Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Occupational Health Requirements - No special OH requirements

Pre-application Question - Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department. Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Job Overview

The Data Design & Architecture (DD&A) team is a UKHSA wide function which provides expertise in solution architecture, data architecture, data modelling, data flow design and analysis, and data tooling and platform architecture. DD&A support the organisation across UKHSA activities including healthcare surveillance, data science, and genomics. DD&A are using best-in-class cloud and on-prem solutions to deliver key insights to protect the health of the 4 nations and prevent future pandemics. DD&A are currently recruiting permanent staff to replace contingent and consultant labour and need experts who can hit the ground running to pick up active programmes of data design.

Job description

As the Head of Data Architecture, you will be leading our data architects working closely with solution architects, data modellers, and data analysts to analyse, plan, design and steer implementation of our evolving data and analytics estate. This is also a hand-on role, and you will be expected to be able to contribute solution design and improvement plans for existing solutions.

To ensure success as a lead data architect you should have substantial knowledge of how to optimise data architecture in terms of efficiency, compliancy, agility, and simplicity and understand the impact of poor access to high quality data. You must be able to communicate the importance of best-practice architecture with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

You should have knowledge across multiple different data architecture domains such as on premise and cloud data platforms, data lakes and warehouses, data flows and interfaces, data management capabilities such as data quality, lineage, catalogues, business intelligence and analytics.

You should be skilled at understanding the big picture, whilst attending to detail, and able to obtain a broad level of understanding across multiple areas of our complex data estate. You should be able to use this knowledge along with data architecture skills to understand the impact of changes to our data systems, feeds, and data products. You will guide implementation teams to deliver according to architectural principles and designs.

You should be able to engage and show leadership with a wide range of technical, specialist and leadership roles to analyse, document and guide optimisation of our data estate.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Leading data architecture discussions, evaluate options, presenting recommendations
• Leading data architects across the business and providing mentorship
• Delivering at pace across multiple projects with appropriate levels of documentation
• Analysing and translating business needs into long-term solutions
• Evaluating, understanding, and documenting existing data systems
• Understand and analyse the impact of change and clearly communicating with stakeholders
• Collaborate and show leadership with multiple stakeholders on data centric initiatives
• Obtain and maintain a broad knowledge of our existing and planned data estate
• Keep up to date on the state of the art and evaluate modern data tooling
• Optimise how data is stored and moved through UKHSA
• Understand the specific issues around data in a governmental / health context
• Provide thought leadership, patterns, and best practices across multiple data domains
• Communicating with technical and non-technical audiences

Desirable Criteria:

• Understand agile delivery methods and tools, and how to leverage them to delivery at pace while maintaining appropriate levels of reporting to senior stakeholders
• Understand the concepts and ways of delivering cloud-based data management capabilities such as data quality, metadata, data catalogues, lineage etc and have an in depth understanding of one or more tool sets
• Understand what data governance, privacy and security requirements are required and how to ensure them.  You can take responsibility for the assurance of data solutions and make recommendations to ensure compliance

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Developing Self and Others
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%