Lead Technical Architect

Do you want to work collaboratively designing modern IT architecture for some of the largest digital transformations in Europe?

Do you want to help support millions of our claimants by designing user-friendly digital services?

If so, these roles may be perfect for you!

We are looking for experienced Lead Technical Architects with a specialism in Contact Centres who are confident working on products and services in a complex digital environment, where you’ll be supporting major initiatives within DWP Digital.

You will collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders across DWP Digital to support the delivery of solutions, creating options and recommendations, and providing expert advice to drive technology choices.

The roles will include the design, oversight and architecture governance of IT solutions that support DWP customers., A Lead Technical Architect (Solutions) leads at the highest level and is responsible for making sure the strategy is agreed and followed.

At this role level, you will:

• Network and communicate with senior stakeholders across organisations.
• Proactively seek opportunities for digital transformation.
• Support multiple teams, finding and using best practice and emerging technologies.
• Inspire other architects and help them understand how to deliver the goals of the organisation.
• Be responsible for governance, solving complex and high risk issues or delivering architecture design., When giving details in your employment history and personal statement you should highlight your experience in line with essential criteria below:
• Architecture design across on-prem, cloud and hybrid environments involving networking, security, presentation, middleware, database, and integration aspects.
• Architecture design informed through use of principles, patterns, technical radars, practices and standards.
• Architecture design working with project delivery teams within agile, waterfall and hybrid environments throughout the lifecycle - from concept to go-live.
• Translating business requirements into technical solutions with traceability that can be demonstrated to stakeholders.
• Contact Centre platforms offering multi-channel support, cross channel-integration, and customer interaction services such as DTMF and natural language IVR, TTS and STT, web chat and asymmetric chat, virtual agents, and co-browsing.
• Contact Centre Solution Architecture: Creating end-to-end solution designs, including call routing, customer journey mapping, and agent workflow optimization. Capacity planning for scalable, high- availability contact centre environments.
• Telephony Systems and Contact Centre Platforms: Contact centre solutions e.g. Cisco, Avaya, Genesys, Amazon Connect, or NiCE CXOne. Knowledge of Voice over IP (VoIP) systems, and IVR (Interactive Voice Response) design. Expertise in computer Technology Integration (CTI) technologies and Automatic Call Distributors (ACD).
• AI and Automation: Familiarity with AI-driven automation, chatbots, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and speech analytics, transcription and real time agent assistance. Implementing workforce optimisation (WFO) and workforce management (WFM) tools. Designing and Implementing directed, free speech and conversational IVRs with static and dynamic prompts and flows., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
• Leadership
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing, We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
• Architecture communication (Expert)
• Architect for the whole context (Practitioner)
• Community collaboration (Practitioner)
• Making architectural decisions (Expert)
• Strategy design (Practitioner)
• Technical design throughout the life cycle (Expert), * You will be asked to complete your employment history. Any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history/personal statement contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.

Stage 2: Interview 1

Candidates successful at sift will be invited to interview one and will be asked to deliver a 10 minute presentation to further assess their experience and to assess the technical skill “Architecture Communication”.

• Present an example of a Contact Centre architecture design that you’ve defined and delivered, explaining how you translated business requirements into technical solutions including your key decisions, applied architectural standards, patterns and modelling techniques, and worked with delivery teams through the full lifecycle.

Stage 3: Interview 2

If you’re successful at interview 1 you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the following Behaviours/Technical Skills, The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment., * UK nationals

• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Do you have experience in VoIP?, * Leadership

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical Skills:

• Architect for the whole context (Practitioner)
• Community collaboration (Practitioner)
• Making architectural decisions (Expert)
• Strategy design (Practitioner)
• Technical design throughout the life cycle (Expert), Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Pulled from the full job description

• Pay rise
• Annual leave
• Employee discount
• Employee assistance programme
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme, Alongside your salary of £75,026, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £21,735 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Hybrid Working

This role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work.

If a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for the role and for you, you will normally be required to spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted working hours from your DWP office., Pay for this role is £75,026 to £80,267, subject to candidate type. In addition to this, the role can attract a Government Digital and Data allowance of up to £24,810. Please see additional info below regarding candidate type. The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills as demonstrated in the selection process. Government Digital and Data Allowance is a discretionary non-consolidated, non-pensionable allowance.

External applicants

Pay for this role is £75,026 plus a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £24,810, subject to our assessment of capability at interview.

Our offer to successful candidates will be based on our assessment of your capability based on the evidence you provide at interview against the listed Technical Skills for the role. There is no negotiation at offer stage.

Internal and OGD applicants

Pay for the role is from £75,026 to £80,267, you may also be eligible for a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £24,810, subject to our assessment of capability at interview.

Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current base salary.

Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion should either move to the bottom of the grade pay scale or receive a 10% increase to their base salary; whichever would be the greater.

In addition to your base salary a Government Digital and Data Allowance may be payable based on our assessment of your capability. Our offer to successful candidates will be based on the evidence you provide at interview against the listed Technical Skills for the role. There is no negotiation at offer stage.