Principal Solution Architect

Summary

A principal solution architect can be responsible for a large programme or group of solution architecture projects, or a single, very complex or critical business area

At this role level, you will:

lead teams of more junior solution architects

lead multiple architecture projects or programmes

build relationships with senior stakeholders across multiple business or 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

Background

Description	Background
Demonstrates an understanding of strategic issues, and is an authority on the systems development lifecycle and typical problems associated with the implementation of information systems, from initial concept through development and implementation to operation and support. Has detailed practical knowledge of the organisation's IT infrastructure and software development and maintenance methods, tools and techniques. Is conversant with the organisation's IT strategy, policies and standards. Has a sound knowledge of risk assessment, change management, configuration management, reliability and safety methods and the use of metrics. Is skilled in project risk management. Communicates persuasively and effectively.	Prior Knowledge and Skills

Description

Background

Demonstrates an understanding of strategic issues, and is an authority on the systems development lifecycle and typical problems associated with the implementation of information systems, from initial concept through development and implementation to operation and support. Has detailed practical knowledge of the organisation's IT infrastructure and software development and maintenance methods, tools and techniques. Is conversant with the organisation's IT strategy, policies and standards. Has a sound knowledge of risk assessment, change management, configuration management, reliability and safety methods and the use of metrics. Is skilled in project risk management. Communicates persuasively and effectively.

Prior Knowledge and Skills

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Change programmes (ARCH)(Level 6)	Within a business change programme, manages the programme's target design, policies and standards, working proactively to achieve stable, viable designs, and ensuring consistency of design across projects within the programme. Defines the migration path from current mode of operation to the future mode.
Technical assurance (ARCH)(Level 6)	Takes responsibility for the technical integrity of designs, ensuring for example that reusable elements are recognised, and that work is not unnecessarily duplicated. Ensures that all changes are managed effectively and contributes to formal reviews and evaluations when projects and programmes end.
Coordination (ARCH)(Level 6)	Manages or co-ordinates the applicable architecture function within an organisation.
Idea stimulation (INOV) (Level 6)	Leads the communication and an open flow of creative ideas between interested parties and the set-up of innovation networks and communities.
Initiatives and assignments (INOV) (Level 6)	Initiates investigation and development of innovative methods of exploiting IT assets, to the benefit of organisations and the community. Carries out analysis at a strategic level and develops business proposals to exploit technology in line with the organisation's mission, objectives and strategy.
Lead, manage and supervise(PEMT) (Level 5)	Manages, supports and guides the work of groups of staff in line with organisational strategy.
Work allocation, support and delegation (PEMT) (Level 5)	Allocates responsibilities, including supervisory and assigns packages of work to groups of staff. Ensures that work packages are aligned with the particular skills and abilities of teams. Supports teams in the delivery of work packages. Delegates work to individuals and teams, taking full account of skills and capabilities.
Guidance, performance and feedback (Level 5)	Optimises the performance of people, measuring and reporting on performance against agreed quality and performance criteria. Collects data on the performance of groups of staff. Gives regular feedback to teams and senior staff as to team performance on work packages.
Formal appraisals (Level 5)	Conducts formal appraisals of the performance of team members. Facilitates a dialogue with team members about expectations, progress, performance and development needs. Participates, as appropriate, in formal processes such as compensation negotiations, grievance procedures, and disciplinary procedures.
Empowerment and role model(PEMT) (Level 5)	Facilitates effective working relationships within and between teams of staff. Motivates groups of staff and teams towards a high level of performance. Engages with, and empowers groups of staff. Acts as a role model for groups of staff, setting a standard, acting professionally at all times and working to a professional code of conduct and ethics.

Behavioural Skills

Title	Details
Analytical Thinking	Acquiring a proper understanding of a problem or situation by breaking it down systematically into its component parts and identifying the relationships between these parts. Selecting the appropriate method/tool to resolve the problem and reflecting critically on the result, so that what is learnt is identified and assimilated.
Conceptual Thinking	Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses.
Planning and Organisation	Determining a course of action by breaking it down into smaller steps and by planning and resourcing each of these, making allowance for potential problems and escalating if necessary.
Customer Focus	Understanding the needs of the internal or external customer and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions.
Initiative	Being proactive, anticipating opportunities for systems, service or product improvement or development and taking appropriate action(s).
Creativity	Taking innovative approaches to problem solving and/or devising inventive and creative solutions.
Organisational Awareness	Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers.
Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness	Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions.
Interacting with People	Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.
Influence, Persuasion and Personal Impact	Conveying a level of confidence and professionalism when engaging with stakeholders, influencing positively and persuading others to take a specific course of action when not in a position of authority.
Leadership	Clearly articulating goals and objectives, and motivating and leading others towards their achievement.
Providing Direction	Directing others to undertake specified tasks within a defined timescale.
Delegation	Delegating tasks, responsibilities and authorities effectively.
Follow-up and Monitoring	Checking progress against targets, taking action to resolve exceptions/ issues and reporting and escalating where necessary.
Critical Thinking	The ability to think clearly and rationally; review and evaluation of processes and outputs; the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking; reasoned thinking involving critique.

Technical Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Application Systems	Technical or functional understanding of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications and/or other bespoke software deployed within the organisation in order to provide system configuration, audit, technical, and/or functional support.	Expert in
Configuration Management	The discipline that gives precise control over IT assets and components by recording and maintaining information about the 'configuration items', including hardware devices, computer programs, software licences, documentation, network devices, and data centre facilities (virtualised and static).	Proficient in
Networking and Communications	The planning and management of the interaction between two or more networking systems, computers or other intelligent devices.	Proficient in
Operational/Service Architecture	Knowledge of the IT/IS infrastructure and the IT applications and service processes used within own organisation, including those associated with sustainability and efficiency.	Expert in
Business Environment	The business environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners and competitors), in particular those aspects of the business that the specialism is to support (i.e. localised organisational awareness from a technical perspective).	Proficient in
IT Environment	The IT environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners), in particular own organisation's technical platforms and those that interface to them through the specialism, including those in closely-related organisations.	Expert in
Product Evaluation and Selection	The analytical comparison of IT products against specified criteria (including costs) to determine the solution that best meets the business need.	Proficient in
Middleware	Software which forms part of the operating platform infrastructure.	Proficient in
Infrastructure Configuration	Knowledge and understanding of infrastructure configurations.	Proficient in
Cloud/Virtualisation	The principles and application of cloud/ virtualisation (including ownership, responsibilities and security implications). Use of tools and systems to manage virtualised environments.	Proficient in
Development Approach	Understanding and application of different development approaches e.g. iterative/ incremental methodologies (Agile, XP, TDD, SCRUM) or traditional sequential methodologies (Waterfall or V-Model). Irrespective of development methodology a DevOps approach may also be taken where development and operational staff work collaboratively.	Proficient in
Proof of Concept and Prototyping	Performing a proof of concept or prototyping exercise to demonstrate or evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of applying a particular technological business change in order to meet a business need.	Expert in
DevOps	The collaborative approach consisting of agile practices, processes, and procedures designed to facilitate rapid IT service and product delivery. DevOps emphasizes people (and culture) and seeks to improve collaboration between development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams with the aim of shortening the systems development life cycle to provide continuous release of high-quality software.	Proficient in
Agile	A collection of methods, practises, tools and techniques, underpinned by the Agile Manifesto, that enable teams to deliver high value products and services in small, workable, increments. An Agile culture typically encompasses concepts such as Servant-Leaders; ceremonies, Stand-Ups, Sprints and Retrospectives; and the deployment of tools and techniques such as Backlogs and A/B Testing.	Proficient in

Other Skills

Title	Details	Depth
Process Improvement Techniques	Methods, tools and techniques to analyse and optimise processes in order to improve the quality of a product or service.	Proficient in
Legislation	Relevant national and international legislation.	Proficient in
Presentation Techniques	Methods and techniques for delivering effective and accessible presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences.	Proficient in
Appraisal Techniques	Methods and techniques for appraising an individual's performance and potential.	Proficient in
Budgets	Principles, methods, techniques and tools for the preparation and monitoring of budgets to manage costs and ensure cost-effectiveness and value for money.	Familiar with
Business Proposals	Methods and techniques for preparing and presenting business cases, requests for proposal (RFP) invitations to tender (ITT) and statements of requirements/work both verbally and in writing.	Proficient in
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Proficient in
Coaching Techniques	Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, which could include use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans.	Proficient in
Project Planning and Control Techniques	Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects.	Familiar with
Market Research	Techniques for the systematic design, collection, analysis and reporting of data and findings relevant to specific markets.	Proficient in
Resource Allocation	The effective and efficient routine deployment of resources, (but also including reassessment and reallocation in a dynamic multi-project environment), to achieve optimum results.	Proficient in
Performance Monitoring	Identifying, agreeing and monitoring (usually by face-to-face interviews) objectives and deliverables with individuals. Identifying under-performance issues against agreed quality standards and performance criteria. Identifying gaps in capability and causes, disciplinary or ability-related (needing assistance, training or other support).	Proficient in
Disciplinary Issues and Procedures	Managing episodes of unsatisfactory behaviour or performance in accordance with appropriate policies and legislative conformance. Includes changes to circumstances, such as sickness, disability and other personal issues.	Familiar with

Training

Title	Details
Program Design Methods and Tools	Programming or system development methods (e.g. structured program design).
Systems Development	Systems development, including development life-cycles and methods, organisation interfaces, typical corporate application architectures, project and programme management, risk management and change control.
Strategic Planning for Information and Communications Systems	The process of defining the ICT strategic plan of an organisation in a methodical way based on business aims and objectives thereby enabling the specification of options and associated action plans for the use of IT-enabled business processes.
Coaching	Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model).
System Hardware Configuration	Understanding typical system hardware configurations.
Mentoring	Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals.
User Interface Design	Principles, practices, tools and techniques for user interface design and the creation of graphical user interfaces that make user interaction with systems, software, and applications as simple and efficient as possible.

Professional Development Activity (PDA)

Title	Details	PDA Group
Job Shadowing and Special Assignments	Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures.	Broadening Activities
Project Assignments	Participating in a project team, working group or task force established to deliver a solution to a specific problem or issue - especially valuable if the group is inter-disciplinary.	Broadening Activities
Mentoring	Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development.	Broadening Activities
Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues	Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation	Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to health and care, country and global issues.	Increasing Knowledge
Gaining Knowledge of Standards and Legislation	Gaining and maintaining knowledge of relevant national and international standards and legislation.	Increasing Knowledge
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.	Participation in Professional Activities
General Management	Continuing learning and development in general management skills, such as effective communication, leadership styles and skills, team building and team roles, motivation and delegation, planning and resource scheduling, influencing, persuasion and negotiation, so as to be in a position to accept greater responsibility at senior management or director (including non-exec) level.	Developing Professional Skills

Organisational Skill Name and Description

Framework	Skill	Level
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Architect for the whole context	Expert Architect for the whole context You can: assess how trends in society and industry practices might impact the organisation work with people outside of your organisation to inform policies, strategies and standards anticipate changes to policy and build resilience through your architectural work coach others in identifying important trends
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Architecture communication Communication involves conveying information using the most effective medium and language for the audience.	Expert Architecture communication You can: communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels, and across organisations, using architecture communication techniques
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Commercial perspective Commercial management involves exploring commercial opportunities whilst complying with the regulations on how we conduct and manage both internal and third party relationships.	Practitioner Commercial perspective You can: identify appropriate contractual frameworks and approaches identify, evaluate and select appropriate suppliers
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Community collaboration Collaboration in the DDaT Profession typically involves working in a multidisciplinary project team, and contributing to working groups and wider professional communities. It requires a broad understanding of the technologies, principles and perspectives of related professions.	Expert Community collaboration You can: solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level understand the psychology of the team and have strong mediation skills coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution, while also building and growing the community
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Making architectural decisions	Expert Making architectural decisions You can: make and guide architectural design decisions characterised by high levels of risk and complexity identify and address architectural risks across the organisation or wider government lead and evolve architectural governance and assurance represent architectural governance as part of wider governance, for example, legal or commercial
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Problem definition and shaping	Expert Problem definition and shaping You can: lead the design and implementation of strategy direct the evaluation of strategies and policies to ensure business requirements are being met
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Strategy design Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives.	Expert Strategy design You can: define and connect strategies or visions across the organisation or wider government enable the implementation of strategies or visions across the organisation or wider government, for example, by advocating for resources and removing blockers
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework	Technical design throughout the life cycle	Expert Technical design throughout the life cycle You can: create technical designs characterised by high risk, impact, and complexity lead and guide others in creating technical designs that achieve organisational objectives use feedback to optimise and refine standards for technical designs throughout the life cycle

Framework

Skill

Level