Senior data architect

Birmingham, Chilton, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Canary Wharf or Colindale), Porton (Core HQs and Scientific Campus’)

Job Summary

The UKHSA Digital and Data Directorate strategically manages a suite of modern, secure data tools and platforms, ensuring access to high-quality data services.

The DD&A team within the directorate comprises solution architects, data architects, and data modelers, and collaborates with organizational units throughout UKHSA.

They provide expertise in data modelling, flow design, and tooling, utilizing top-tier cloud and on-prem solutions to deliver insights for safeguarding public health.

As a Senior Data Architect, you will lead data design programmes, collaborating with peers to analyse, design, and implement our evolving data and analytics estate.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.  

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.  

Please visit our careers site for more information

Job Description

Joining our team as a Senior Data Architect, you will be at the forefront of transforming our data landscape. Collaborating closely with stakeholders and technology experts, you will be instrumental in crafting innovative Data Design and Architecture solutions tailored to meet both current and future business needs. Leveraging your wealth of experience, you will contribute to the development of cutting-edge data architectures, spanning AWS, Azure, and on-premises infrastructure.

To ensure success as a data architect you should have substantial knowledge of how to optimise our data architecture in terms of efficiency, compliance, agility and simplicity and understand the impact of poor access to high quality data.

You should have knowledge across multiple different data domains including on premise and cloud data architecture, data flows and interfaces, data management such as data quality, lineage, catalogues, business intelligence and analytics. A core understanding of data modelling approaches is also required.

You should be skilled in understanding the big picture, whilst attending to detail, and able to obtain a broad level of understanding across multiple areas of our complex data estate. You should be able to use this knowledge along with data architecture skills to understand the impact of changes as our data systems, feeds and data products evolve and guide implementation teams.

You should be able to engage with a wide range of technical, specialist and leadership roles to analyse, document and guide optimisation of our data estate.

This role demands not only technical prowess in data models, data pipelines, and data component analysis but also strategic foresight, effective communication, and inspiring leadership in driving the delivery of meticulously crafted data architectures. Reporting to the Head of Data Architecture, you will play a crucial role in co-presenting solutions for review to governance bodies, ensuring meticulous alignment and securing approval for innovative data solutions.

Duties Will Include:

• Analyse and translate business need into sustainable data flows.
• Evaluate, understand, and document existing data systems.
• Assess the impact of change, and effectively communicate data design and change implications.
• Collaborate with and guide multiple stakeholders on data-centric initiatives.
• Maintain a broad knowledge of our existing and planned data estate.
• Stay current on modern data tooling, select, and evaluate options as needed.
• Optimize how data is stored and moved through UKHSA, aligning with strategic objectives and operational efficiency.
• Address specific data challenges within a governmental/health context.
• Provide thought leadership, patterns, and best practices across diverse data domains.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Manage processes related to data architecture, ensuring adherence to standards, policies, and best practices.
  
  

Joining our team as a Senior Data Architect, you will be at the forefront of transforming our data landscape. Collaborating closely with stakeholders and technology experts, you will be instrumental in crafting innovative Data Design and Architecture solutions tailored to meet both current and future business needs. Leveraging your wealth of experience, you will contribute to the development of cutting-edge data architectures, spanning AWS, Azure, and on-premises infrastructure.

To ensure success as a data architect you should have substantial knowledge of how to optimise our data architecture in terms of efficiency, compliance, agility and simplicity and understand the impact of poor access to high quality data.

You should have knowledge across multiple different data domains including on premise and cloud data architecture, data flows and interfaces, data management such as data quality, lineage, catalogues, business intelligence and analytics. A core understanding of data modelling approaches is also required.

You should be skilled in understanding the big picture, whilst attending to detail, and able to obtain a broad level of understanding across multiple areas of our complex data estate. You should be able to use this knowledge along with data architecture skills to understand the impact of changes as our data systems, feeds and data products evolve and guide implementation teams.

You should be able to engage with a wide range of technical, specialist and leadership roles to analyse, document and guide optimisation of our data estate.

This role demands not only technical prowess in data models, data pipelines, and data component analysis but also strategic foresight, effective communication, and inspiring leadership in driving the delivery of meticulously crafted data architectures. Reporting to the Head of Data Architecture, you will play a crucial role in co-presenting solutions for review to governance bodies, ensuring meticulous alignment and securing approval for innovative data solutions.

Duties Will Include:

• Analyse and translate business need into sustainable data flows.
• Evaluate, understand, and document existing data systems.
• Assess the impact of change, and effectively communicate data design and change implications.
• Collaborate with and guide multiple stakeholders on data-centric initiatives.
• Maintain a broad knowledge of our existing and planned data estate.
• Stay current on modern data tooling, select, and evaluate options as needed.
• Optimize how data is stored and moved through UKHSA, aligning with strategic objectives and operational efficiency.
• Address specific data challenges within a governmental/health context.
• Provide thought leadership, patterns, and best practices across diverse data domains.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Manage processes related to data architecture, ensuring adherence to standards, policies, and best practices.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology or equivalent experience
• Producing relevant data models across multiple subject areas
• Explaining which models to use for which purpose
• Understanding industry-recognised data modelling patterns and standards, and when to apply them
• Comparing the development and optimization of sophisticated data models
• Establishing design patterns and blueprints for data solutions, integrating the latest industry best practice
  
  

Alongside your salary of £54,416, UK Health Security Agency contributes £15,764 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  
  

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You Will Be Required To Complete An Application Form. You Will Be Assessed On The Listed (6) Essential Criteria, And This Will Be In The Form Of A:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 750 supporting statement.
  
  

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria
  
  

The following will be taken through to the next stage:

• Meets all essential criteria
  
  

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:

• Producing relevant data models across multiple subject areas
  
  

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Stage 2: (success profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

Behaviours, Technical and Experience will be tested at interview.

The Behaviour's Tested During The Interview Stage Will Be:

• Changing and Improving (lead behaviour)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
  
  

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria - External 

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).  

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ’s.

We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London) or at one of our scientific campus sites (Colindale, Porton and Chilton).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

If you are based at one of our scientific sites, the following will apply:

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 / 5 / 10 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) / Security Check (SC) / Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.(delete as appropriate)  UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice. 

For Temporary Appointments , if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment.  You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. 

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here:

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Link Below:

Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:

• 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Gurkamal Bhambra
• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]
  
  

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: