Lead Technical Architect - Platform Technology

Job Introduction

We’re looking for an exceptional Lead Technical Architect – Platform Technology to help us make a difference to our planet. 

As our Lead Technical Architect, the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work. 

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week. Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone. 

World changing work 

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. This is the Met Office. This is who we are. 

• We’re a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact
• We’re experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better
• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making
• We’re better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater
• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise 
We are looking for an exceptional Lead Technical Architect to help us make a difference to our planet.

Platform Technology is an area of Technology that provides centralised solutions to help our delivery teams focus on their business problems. You will provide knowledge and expertise to deliver technical solutions using advantaged technology in areas such as Cloud Technology, API Management, Data Transfer or Identity and Access Management.

Your key duties 

• Defining, designing and supporting the implementation of solutions that meet customer and strategic needs
• Acting as a subject matter expert for your area with regard to the technologies employed and systems used.
• Be part of the senior leadership team in your area, making and driving decisions and managing change across a range of stakeholders
• Provide leadership and mentoring to teams and to other architects within the community

Why join us 

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists. 

As our Lead Technical Architect - Platform Technology, your total reward package will be up to £79,530 annually, which includes: 

• £52,799 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Recruitment Retention Allowance (RRA) you will be paid £7,000 per annum as a market supplement to reflect the demand for your skills. Whilst in post, you will be paid this market driven allowance from April 2024 until September 2025 in your monthly pay
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years and option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave

Essential Criteria, skills and experience: 

1. Turning business problems into solution designs - Experience of working with business and technology stakeholders to translate business problems into secure technical designs. (Expert by Nature)
   
   
2. Bridging the gap between the technical and non-technical – The ability to translate technical concepts relating to software engineering, delivery management and service management so they are understood by all.
   
   
3. Making and guiding decisions – Experience of guiding and making effective decisions supported by clear reasoning and explanation, including the ability to understand and resolve technical disputes (We live and Breathe it)
   
   
4. Leadership and Governance – Ability to lead and mentor teams and fellow architects to ensure solutions align with organisational strategies and best practices (Better Together)
   
   
5. A working knowledge of implementing or supporting REST APIs using an API Management solution and OpenAPI, ideally in a cloud technology environment. (We're experts by nature)

How to apply 

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you! Click apply to begin your application. Please complete your career history and provide evidence against each of the essential criteria in the supporting statement questionnaire. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills. 

Closing date 06/11/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 02/12/2024. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed. 

How we can help 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact us at careers@metoffice.gov.uk.  

If you’re considering applying and need support to do so, please get in touch. You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role. 

We understand that great minds don’t always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code. 

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.