Vacancies

Technical Solutions Architect

About the role

North Northamptonshire Council is in the process of delivering its digital transformation strategy which involves migrating, upgrading and implementing multiple key applications and solutions across the organisation.

The technical solutions architect role is essential to ensure that the organisation deploys these solutions in a consistent, secure and integrated way. The technical solutions architect will collaborate with internal stakeholders, 3^rd parties and other subject matter experts throughout the life cycle of these projects, and create the technical solution design, documentation and overall architectural governance for these critical systems.

This role will require someone who has a deep technical knowledge across the technology spectrum, but with a real passion for application and data technology. The role will spend most of its time collaborating with both technical and non-technical colleagues in a “business partner/advisory” type capacity and working as the technical SME for overall solution design of new and existing systems.

The technology, digital and data team within North Northants Council is a team of dedicated professionals who work hard and support each other to deliver the changes the organisation needs to meet its commitments to its colleagues and residents. We have a inclusive culture and lots of opportunities for people to evolve and develop in their roles.

What will you be doing?

The Technical Solution Architect will play a pivotal role in the full project lifecycle of multiple key transformation projects and will hold several key responsibilities:

Jointly own solution designs and technical documentation for multiple line of business focused projects with other technology leads across the organisation
Be a technical business partner and subject matter expert, supporting our transformation project managers and internal stakeholders to translate project goals into technical solutions. Be a key part of the project life cycle and support projects from inception to production
Work daily with other subject matter experts across all areas of the organisation in-order to stay ahead of any technical changes, and reflect these into the solution designs
Support the technical governance and controls of the organisation by playing a key role in the Technical Design Authority, the Change Advisory Board and the Digital Portfolio Boards
Work closely with internal teams and 3rd parties to ensure the organisation has up to date technical standards and is applying these standards consistently in its overall architecture
Own the documentation of current and future application architectures across the organisation – this includes crafting new solution designs and creating/maintaining documentation for systems already in production
Stay ahead of industry standards and changes with research and engagement with suppliers and 3^rd parties

About you

To be successful in this role you will need to be an experienced technical professional who has ideally spent time in a complex project driven technology team.

You will need to be a great communicator and be able to work in mixed discipline teams, and manage your own time and priorities in order to meet the requirements of multiple projects.

We are looking for someone who has the following educational back ground or equivalent experience:

Educated to Degree level within a STEM subject (preferably Computer Science or equivalent)
Relevant apprenticeship or A-Level qualifications
5 GCSE’s grades A-C including English and Maths or other equivalent qualifications

You will ideally have the following experience:

3 years’ experience delivering solutions architecture services within a complex enterprise environment
In depth technical knowledge of several IT functions and areas such as applications, cloud, platforms, infrastructure and security
Demonstrable experience designing technical and integrated solutions for complex on-premise and hosted applications
Broad and extensive knowledge of application and technology architecture
Experience of working with, and pro-actively developing organisational technical standards
Extensive knowledge of the Microsoft product set across Microsoft 365, Entra, and on-premise Windows Active Directory

Additionally if you have any of the following skills or experience then that would add great value to your application:

Qualifications or experience with:

BCS Foundation Certificate in Architecture Concepts and Domains
TOGAF Foundation or equivalent architecture standard certification
3rd party cloud provider certifications:
- Azure Solutions Architect
- AWS Solutions Architect
Any 3^rd party security architecture certification

Any demonstratable experience with:

Operating in a local authority or central government-based organisation
Data Architecture and modelling knowledge based around:
- Microsoft SQL
- Microsoft Fabric
- Oracle
Experience implementing solutions including:
- Microsoft Power Platform
- Microsoft Co-Pilot developed solutions
Delivering solutions across hybrid and public cloud based services including.:
- Microsoft Azure
- Amazon Web Services

Our benefits

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

a competitive salary
a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our Key Commitments

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

North Northamptonshire Council re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2024 which highlights the Council’s pledge to support the Armed Forces community. The council obtained the silver status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and we are now currently working towards achieving Gold status.

We aim to be a carbon neutral Council by 2030.

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)

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