UK Research and Innovation Salary: £68,525 Hours: Full time (Flexible working options available) Contract Type: Open ended Location: Polaris House, Swindon (Hybrid working available with approximately 2 days a week in the office) Closing Date: Sunday 27th April 2025 Security As a minimum, due to the nature of this role, candidates must be eligible for clearance in line with UK National vetting guidelines and willing to undertake the process. The level of clearance required is security check About us The UKRI CIO Group plays a pivotal role in managing and optimising the organisations critical enterprise technical services that underpin and enable UKRI's business capabilities. Within the group a team of Architecture professionals support the design and delivery of modern, secure, resilient and scalable services across a larger federated team of Digital, Data and Technology professionals to deliver impact across the organisation and the wider UK research and innovation system. Purpose This post provides a rare opportunity for an experienced Solution Architect to step into a leading role in an organisation at the heart of research and innovation in the UK. Working as part of a team of technical specialists, and reporting directly to Chief Architect, your broad remit is to design, guide, and oversee the architectural development of a custom-built system built primarily on Amazon Web Services (AWS) that leverages microservices architecture. The system will integrate seamlessly with other core business systems to support operational efficiency and scalability. Main outputs and activities Provide advice and guidance, and make decisions, in line with architectural best practice Coach and mentor junior solution architects, product managers and lead developers in architecture practices Lead multiple architecture projects or programmes Proactively build relationships with senior stakeholders across multiple business and technical areas in the organisation and its partners Be proactive in identifying opportunities to improve the organisation and its partners Work with technology partners to inform their roadmaps Take a leading role in the overall direction of business and digital capabilities Inspire other architects and help them understand how to meet organisational goals Selection criteria (S) - Assessed at shortlisting (I) - Assessed at interview (S&I) - Assessed at both shortlisting and interview The following skills shall be demonstrated at the Principal Solution Architect level using the Government Digital and Data Professional Capability Framework. Essential: Strong knowledge of microservices design principles and best practices. (S&I) A bachelor's or post-graduate degree in a relevant field, such as IT, computer science, or software engineering (S) AWS / Azure certified Solution Architect (S) TOGAF Certified or equivalent (S) Expertise in APIs, RESTful services, and message-based communication (S&I) Experience with containerization and orchestration (S&I) Proficiency in cloud platforms (S) Experience with agile project delivery using DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines (S&I) Knowledge of security best practices and data privacy regulations (I) Familiarity with Agile (Scrum, Kanban and SAFe) methodologies (S&I) Desirable: (optional) Command of programming languages (S) Experience with middleware tools (S&I) Experience of working in a public sector organisation (S) Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process at Grade 6: Changing and improving Making effective decisions Leadership Seeing the Big Picture Communicating and Influencing How to apply Together with the CV supply a letter of suitability of up to 1250 words detailing how your meet the essential criteria to be assessed at sifting referencing evidence of your experience and skills. Failure to submit a full application will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. Other key information The selection process will include a two-stage interview: the first will assess the technical criteria outlined in this advert, and the second will involve senior stakeholders focusing on behavioural competencies. The first stage is likely to be in person at Swindon week commencing 12th May, the second stage will be remote on teams taking place from 28th May onwards. If you would like to discuss the role in more detail by having an informal chat with the hiring manager before applying please contact David Bathe on david.batheukri.org About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org. Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit Benefits of working for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. How we support EDI in the workforce At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ' How we support EDI in the workforce '. Disability Confident Employer As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation. How to apply Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application. UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us. Additional Information Organisation: UKRI - Digital Data and Technology Contract Type: Open Ended External Closing Date: Apr 27, 2025 Minimum Salary: Pound Sterling (GBP) 68,525 Hours: Full-time