Lead Service Architect (Ref: 22312)

Job summary

Job description

Lead Service Architect

Location: National*

Closing Date: 30th September

Interviews: W/C 12th October (subject to change)

Grade: G6

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary: London - £75,674 to £85,257. National - £71,381 to £80,419.

Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working, Job share

Contract Type: Permanent

Number of vacancies: 1

Vacancy number: 21220

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

The Role

Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. Please click on the link for details.

We’re recruiting for a Lead Service Architect here at Justice Digital, Data and Science to be part of our warm and collaborative Technology Services Delivery (TSD) team.

As Lead Service Architect, you will provide strategic leadership for Service Architecture across Technology Services. You will shape how services are defined, designed and continually improved, ensuring a consistent and effective approach across a complex technology landscape.

You will act as the professional lead for Service Architecture, setting the direction for the profession and promoting consistent standards, methods and ways of working across Technology Services. You will build professional capability through mentoring, coaching and communities of practice rather than through direct line management responsibility.

You will work across multiple services, programmes and delivery teams, providing leadership and assurance on complex or high-risk initiatives. You will influence strategic decisions, create frameworks and guidance, and ensure that services are designed with operational sustainability, user needs and organisational priorities in mind.

You will also lead and own the Technology Services service portfolio and service catalogue, helping establish a clear and consistent view of services, ownership, dependencies and service performance across the organisation.

You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:

• A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
• 25 days of annual leave, (increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service),plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours. Designed to support a positive work–life balance.
• Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!

You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, Data and Science please take a look at our blog.

Key Responsibilities

Profession Leadership
• Act as the professional lead for Service Architecture across Technology Services.
• Establish and maintain the Service Architecture community of practice.
• Define professional standards, expectations and good practice for Service Architects.
• Coach, mentor and support Service Architects across Technology Services.
• Promote the value and importance of Service Architecture with senior leaders, delivery teams and operational teams.
• Represent Technology Services in cross-government and cross-profession forums.

Strategy and Direction
• Define and maintain the Service Architecture strategy and roadmap for Technology Services.
• Shape how Service Architecture supports Technology Services strategic priorities and service outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to improve service design and operational readiness practices.
• Ensure service architecture approaches remain aligned with government and industry best practice.
• Contribute to wider technology, service management and operating model strategies.

Service Portfolio and Catalogue Management
• Lead the development, governance and continual improvement of the Technology Services service portfolio and service catalogue.
• Establish and maintain a consistent approach to service definition, service ownership and service structure across Technology Services.
• Develop standards and guidance to ensure service information remains accurate, accessible and aligned across the organisation.
• Establish and maintain the service architecture framework, service model and supporting artefacts used across Technology Services.
• Use service portfolio and catalogue information to support governance, investment decisions, demand management and strategic planning.
• Promote a service-based view of Technology Services, improving visibility of services, dependencies, service health and opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure service architecture activities support the development of a coherent and sustainable Technology Services operating model.

Standards, Methods and Tooling
• Create, own and maintain Service Architecture standards, frameworks, templates, methods and guidance.
• Define and govern the approaches used to design and assess services into operation.
• Lead the development and adoption of tooling that supports Service Architecture practices.
• Ensure consistent application of standards across services, programmes and portfolios.
• Drive continual improvement of the Service Architecture capability across Technology Services.

Governance and Assurance
• Provide assurance and expert challenge for complex, high-risk or strategically important services.
• Oversee the quality and consistency of Service Architecture outputs across Technology Services.
• Lead governance activities relating to service architecture, service design and operational readiness.<