Job summary
Please ensure that your CV demonstrates the 'Essential Criteria' - with examples - and gives details of your Key Achievements, including their outcomes.
At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe - for today, and tomorrow.
We offer 25+ days' holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help make work, work for you.
Nationality, visas, and vetting: For security reasons this role is open to sole UK nationals only. A 'sole UK national' refers to an individual who holds citizenship solely in the UK, without dual citizenship or nationality from another country. We're unable to offer visa sponsorship.
This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you've been recruited for. If it isn't obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn't obtained within 12 months.
Job description
As a Solutions Architect, you will play a key role in designing and delivering digital solutions across a range of projects encompassing multiple technologies. You will engage with a diverse range of business and technical stakeholders, providing technical insights and direction to ensure solutions adhere to strategies, policies, standards and principles. You will be able to adapt and respond to a rapidly evolving environment, which will translate into demands for new or evolving digital services for MOD.
For example, we are working to reduce the time it takes to design and deliver equipment to the armed forces through the adoption of digital techniques, to ensure the equipment we buy works as part of a coherent system with existing platforms within the UK Armed Forces, across NATO and with allies and industry.
To spearhead this transformation, we've established three Capability Centres. Each Capability Centre has a unique focus, playing a crucial role in developing our future transformative digital capabilities. Through collaboration and innovation, this exceptional team will help us maintain our strategic edge over adversaries, both now and in the future.
The Capability Centres offer excellent opportunities to work with and influence senior management within DE&S and the broader Defence Enterprise, fostering new ways of working and embracing cutting-edge technologies.
We hope you will join us, to help develop these approaches and to utilise new technologies, modelling, and analysis techniques, to equip the UK armed forces with the edge to protect our nation.
At DE&S, we champion flexible ways of working. 3 days attendance per week is required on site, to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance.
What you'll be doing
- Defining and creating options of architecture solutions options to inform the decision of the most effective way of meeting business needs, whilst considering associated risks.
- Working in tandem with Business Analysts to translate business needs into physical designs and generate detailed design documentation
- Recommending design structures and tools for systems that not only meet business needs but also consider compatibility with existing systems.
- Enhancing and maintaining your technical knowledge to ensure that IT solutions fully leverage available functionalities.
- Managing data in compliance with relevant legal and regulatory legislation, seeking clarification from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on complex changes.
Person specification
To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:
- Degree in an IT related area or equivalent relevant experience.
- Experience in solution design.
- Ability to read and correctly understand enterprise architecture models using ArchiMate.
- Working towards BCS Foundation and Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture.
- Evidenced structured learning or qualifications in the use and design of cloud computing solutions.
- Experience of stakeholder engagement, internal and external, at all levels.
In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:
- Strategy, Architecture and Solution Design - Practitioner level
- Change and transformation - Practitioner level
- Seeing the big picture - CSBC3
- Communicating and influencing - CSBC3
Benefits
- 25 days' annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King's birthday
- Flexible and hybrid working options
- Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 27%
- Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
- Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
- Support for progression
- Huge range of discounts
- Volunteering days
- Enhanced parental leave schemes
Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So, whether you're looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences, and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you'll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of - and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.